La Lupe.<\/a> She also references her family\u2019s long standing musical tradition by including \u201cNo Te Detengas,\u201d a sensuous bolero penned by her grandmother, Flor Amelia de Gracia Barreiro.<\/p>\n\n\tFrom her home in Puerto Rico, iLe spoke to Rolling Stone<\/em> about the key to preserving the essence of her favorite tunes, and the sweet bolero melodies that can transport you into another world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tYou mentioned that you fell in love with boleros as a teenager. At the time, did you have anyone to share that passion with?<\/strong>
My brother Gabriel went through a phase when he listened to tons of heavy metal, but later became a salsa and bolero freak. I\u2019ve always shared that world with him and my father. My dad still sends me emails with songs and data that he comes across. He\u2019s the kind of person who\u2019s always researching the hidden connections and the cultural background. It\u2019s really cool to dive into that kind of quest, as it helps you to better understand the music.<\/p>\n\n\tI remember listening to Burt Bacharach as a child, and imagining what being in love would feel like. Did boleros help you negotiate the concept of romantic love?<\/strong>
Yes, but not from a romantic place\u2026 Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, you want to yell all sorts of profanities. But when a song conveys those feelings with melody, elegance and style, it\u2019s deeper, and more powerful.<\/p>\n\n\tI love that the record is guitar-based, but the guitars are anything but gentle. They sound dirty and textured.<\/strong>
My priority was to never lose track of the essence. I didn\u2019t want the guitars to sound jazzy, or seamless. The arrangements are streetwise. It helps that most of the guitars were done by musicians who play in my band. We also enlisted a Chilean player, Mart\u00edn Silva, and I made sure to tell him that we didn\u2019t want anything sounding perfect. I wanted it to feel like a live record, as raw and transparent as possible.<\/p>\n\n\tWhich brings me to your vocals. I\u2019ve never heard you sing with so much passion.<\/strong>
That was the biggest challenge. Once we were done with the instrumental side, it was my turn to try and match the artistic height of the material, honor my personal references and give meaning to the very reason why I started the project. You spend years listening to a favorite song, but when it\u2019s your turn to perform it, the perspective shifts. Wait a minute. What is it that I love about this? Why do I want to sing it? At this point in my life, I realize that sounding exactly like my favorite interpretation of a tune is not even possible. I\u2019m just trying to connect with the story. There is the implied responsibility of treating these songs like the gems that they are.<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tThe instrumental melody on the chorus of \u201cPi\u00e9nsalo Bien\u201d sums up the hallucinogenic spell of boleros.<\/strong>
That melody transports you to another dimension. It was in Bobby Valent\u00edn\u2019s arrangement, and I loved it so much, I decided to keep it. I like the earlier version by [Cuban crooner] Vicentico Vald\u00e9s, but the Bobby Valent\u00edn recording is much better. Even though we changed the instrumentation and the melody is now played on the guitar, I wanted to keep the energy of a specific moment that I treasured as a fan.<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tCan we talk about the emotional breadth of boleros? \u201cPepito\u201d is childlike and playful. \u201cUn Amor De La Calle\u201d is bitter and tough. Those are strikingly different moods.<\/strong>
Yes, they\u2019re not all elegant or formal. Some of them are boleros t\u00f3xicos,<\/em> because they talk about love in such harsh and possessive terms. When I sing them, I\u2019m transported to a different era. The lyrics can confuse you, too. They describe something in such beautiful and poetic terms, but suddenly you\u2019re singing them and realize they reflect a horrible emotional world. I wanted to explore that side. The toxicity of the relationships, the confusing aspects of romantic love.<\/p>\n\n\tLast time we spoke you sounded a bit uncertain about your next album of original songs. Did the bolero detour help?<\/strong>
I always get a bit stuck with my projects, and this definitely helped. I never imagined that I would grow so much from making a covers album, but it was such a learning experience. It was important to reconnect with a musical corner that has been such a big part of my life. I don\u2019t really know how this album came to me. Maybe it was meant to appear and allow me to continue my next project with a different attitude.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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