Referenced Resources

Here’s a breakdown of the resources mentioned in the interview, categorized as requested:

People

• Leonard Cohen - mentioned as a significant inspiration for the album, particularly his ideas about finishing a record and his quote about cracks letting in light.
• Dylan - mentioned as a friend and engineer the speaker has been working with for six years.
• David - mentioned as a friend and engineer the speaker has been working with for six years.
• Elliot - mentioned as a friend the speaker met through the current project.
• Manuel Molina - mentioned as the speaker’s favorite writer in Spain, whose quote is tattooed on the speaker’s bag.
• Christy - mentioned in the context of a specific song (“Me and Christy”) that took a year to create.
• Noah - mentioned as someone the speaker discussed the desire to write an aria with.
• Alexa - mentioned as a friend who drew on a mug with a message for the speaker.
• Alana Portero - mentioned as a woman whose idea about prayer, even without faith, is appreciated by the speaker.
• Björk - mentioned as a major inspiration, referred to as “mother” and “the most inspiring human maybe,” with whom the speaker has collaborated.
• Patti Smith - mentioned as one of the speaker’s two favorite inspiring humans, alongside Björk, admired for her freedom and irreverence, and seen performing live in Madrid.
• Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) - mentioned as a songwriter whose writing the speaker admires and with whom she would love to collaborate.
• Nick Cave - mentioned as an artist the speaker has been obsessed with during the making of the album, admired for accepting his fictional personas.
• David Bowie - mentioned as an artist who accepted his shape-shifting personas.
• Bach - mentioned as a composer whose music the speaker has been listening to.
• Mozart - mentioned as a composer whose music the speaker has been listening to.
• The Strokes - mentioned as a band whose music the speaker has been listening to.
• The Smiths - mentioned as a band whose music the speaker has been listening to.
• Pau Casals - mentioned as a cellist whose recordings, particularly of Bach’s suites, the speaker enjoyed listening to.
• Mariacalas - mentioned as the speaker’s favorite artist of all time, likely referring to Maria Callas.
• Carminio - mentioned as a great writer who wrote the lyrics for “Memoria” and shared a traditional fado with the speaker.
• Santa Rosa de Lima - mentioned as inspiration for the song “Journey” (“Reliquia”).
• Santa Rosalia de Palermo - mentioned as a historical figure whose stories inspired the album.
• Hildegard von Bingen - mentioned as a historical figure whose stories inspired the album.
• Vimala - mentioned as a historical figure whose stories inspired the album.
• Santa Olga de Kiev - mentioned as a historical figure whose stories inspired the album.
• Ananda Mayima - mentioned as an inspiration for the song “Magnolias,” specifically her burial.
• Rabia al-Adawiya - mentioned as a Sufi woman from Islam whose teachings about loving God for His own sake inspired the song “La Jugular.”
• Santa Clara de Assis - mentioned as a saint whose friendship with San Francisco de Assis inspired the speaker to write about friendship.
• San Francisco de Assis - mentioned as a saint whose friendship with Santa Clara de Assis inspired the speaker to write about friendship.
• Rionengenso - mentioned as a Japanese saint who destroyed her face to be accepted into a monastery, inspiring a song and the use of Japanese lyrics.
• Addison - mentioned as someone who said “the world is my oyster.”
• Mother - mentioned as a supportive figure in the speaker’s life.
• Dad - mentioned as a supportive figure in the speaker’s life.
• Sister - mentioned as a supportive figure in the speaker’s life and someone who gave honest feedback on early work.
• God - mentioned in the context of prayer, asking for guidance, and in the song title “God is a stalker.”

Organizations

• London Symphony Orchestra - mentioned as having collaborated with the speaker on the album for a short period (3-4 days).
• The Strokes - mentioned as a band the speaker listens to and admires.
• The Smiths - mentioned as a band the speaker listens to.

Documents

• Vedas - mentioned in the context of Hindu spiritual texts.
• Hagiografías - mentioned as texts the speaker read extensively for inspiration.
• Substack - mentioned in relation to a birthday post by the speaker.

Tools

• Google translate - mentioned as a tool used by the speaker to translate lyrics.
• Piano - mentioned as an instrument used for writing and composing.

Technologies

• Digital (release) - mentioned as a format of the album that differs slightly from the vinyl release.
• Vinyl (release) - mentioned as a format of the album with specific release deadlines.

Concepts/Themes

• Fiction - discussed in terms of the blurry line between personal and universal.
• Maximalism - contrasted with the “minimalist” nature of “Motomami.”
• Minimalism - used to describe the previous album, “Motomami.”
• Chaos - associated with the speaker’s presence in Madrid.
• Patience - a quality the speaker is learning through each project.
• Finishing the thought/song - a new approach for the current album, contrasted with previous work.
• Light (through cracks) - a metaphor inspired by Leonard Cohen, representing hope and understanding.
• Conceptual environments - mentioned in the context of artists moving deeply into such spaces.
• Abstract vs. Literal - a duality explored in the speaker’s work.
• Personal vs. Universal - a duality explored in the speaker’s work.
• Detailed vs. Abstract - a duality explored in the speaker’s work.
• Implicit vs. Explicit - a duality explored in the speaker’s work.
• Sainthood - studied by the speaker across different cultures and religions.
• Spirituality - a subject of study and exploration for the speaker.
• Otherness - a concept the speaker celebrates and tries to understand through her songs.
• Loops - intentionally avoided in the current album, a conscious decision to use human performance instead.
• Acoustic instruments - preferred for the current album to create a human, physical feel.
• Materiality/Physicality - desired qualities in the music of the current album.
• Instinct - the starting point for the speaker’s creative process.
• Analysis/Chirurgical approach - a later stage in the speaker’s creative process.
• Intuitive process - how the speaker generally creates.
• Friendship - a theme explored in the album, inspired by historical figures.
• Aria - a musical form the speaker aspired to write for the album.
• Languages - multiple languages are incorporated into the album, including Catalan, Spanish, Japanese, and Italian.
• Sacrifice - a theme explored in relation to saints and personal growth.
• Craziness/Extreme behavior - discussed in relation to extreme actions and how they are perceived.
• Identity - seen as something that should die and burn daily, allowing for constant self-creation.
• Doubt - seen as a proof of being alive and that one’s work is true and alive.
• Faith - linked to the presence of doubt.
• Present moment - a difficult state for the speaker to inhabit, as she is always moving and doing.
• Desiring less - a practice the speaker is working on to find inner peace.
• Prayer - a practice the speaker engages in, depending on what she feels she is lacking.
• Gratitude - a focus of prayer when feeling blessed.
• Listening (instead of asking) - a practice the speaker finds valuable when seeking balance.
• Guidance/Blessings - things the speaker prays for.
• Veneno (poison) - something the speaker believes people carry and can be shed through projecting oneself towards something bigger.
• El Juego de Pelota Vasca - a game the speaker wishes she could play, referencing the conversational dynamic.
• Soccer - a sport the speaker played as a child.
• Dancing - an activity the speaker engaged in.
• Striker/Defense - roles played in a soccer game by the speaker and her sister, symbolic of their relationship.
• Supportive family - highlighted as crucial for the speaker’s confidence and risk-taking.
• Disappearing into oneself/world - a childhood tendency of the speaker.
• Dissociation - a childhood tendency of the speaker, often accompanied by singing in her head.
• God’s obsession with humanity/self - explored in the song “God is a stalker,” with the interpretation that God can be perceived in various forms, including human and relational.
• Imperfect human creation vs. divine perfection - a contrast discussed in relation to the speaker’s work.
• Life’s work/desperation to get it all out - how the album feels to the listener.
• Mental breakdown/Deadlines - the emotional state and pressure experienced by the speaker near the end of the album production.
• Creative windows - the importance of meeting deadlines to release work in a timely manner.
• Simultaneous process - how the speaker works on multiple elements of an album at once.
• Uncertainty - a state the speaker is learning to exist with.
• Porcelana (hook) - an example of a precisely written and arranged musical element.
• Aggression/Front foot aggression - characteristics of the opening song “Berghain.”
• Provocation - a conscious element in the album’s presentation.
• Brutalista - a style descriptor for the album’s maximalist approach.
• Arboreta de la montaña (Bergheim meaning) - interpreted as a metaphor for the mind’s labyrinths.
• Meeting of minds - observed in the collaboration between the speaker and Björk.
• Freedom/Irreverence - qualities admired in Björk and Patti Smith.
• Not giving a fuck/shit - a mantra and energy admired in Patti Smith and adopted by the speaker.
• Stretch the ball, say the truth - a motto written on a mug, guiding the speaker’s album creation.
• Pressure makes diamonds - a statement explored by the speaker in relation to life and the album’s creation.
• Carrying weight/burden - a common human experience discussed in relation to pressure.
• Mission of making music - the speaker’s driving force, for which she “begged.”
• Al borde del quebrarme/al borde of breaking - a state of being on the verge of breaking that the speaker has experienced due to her ambition.
• Stylistic/Materialistic (Motomami) - how the previous album is described.
• Grounded/Less searching verticality (current album) - how the current album is described in contrast to Motomami.
• The world is my oyster - an attitude of exploration.
• Artificiality/Performative nature - acknowledged as inherent in many aspects of life, especially art and performance.
• Construcción/Avatar/Obra/Momento - ways artists construct themselves and their work.
• Shape-shifting - accepted by artists like David Bowie.
• Theatricality - present in the work of Nick Cave and accepted as creating fiction.
• Writing with others - seen as a way to be pushed and learn new perspectives.
• Pushing boundaries (of voice) - an aspiration the speaker had for Motomami but could achieve more fully in the current album.
• Openness and surrender - necessary for the speaker to sing and write from a place of truth.
• Spiritual connection with God - a constant in the speaker’s life.
• Contradictions - a key element in the speaker’s creative process.
• Memoria (memory) - a theme explored in the album, acknowledging the imperfection and fabrication of memories.
• Confessional moment - how singing with an open chest leads to this.
• Dynamics (in song) - used to create variation and emotional impact.
• Relic - mentioned as a category for songs, possibly implying items of significance.
• True stories - a component of the album’s lyrical content.
• Lost items (heels, smile, faith) - part of a playful list of things experienced in different locations.
• Beautiful skies (Buenos Aires) - a vivid memory and sensory experience.
• Amusement park (Japan) - a descriptor for the stimulating environment of Japan.
• Nostalgia/Sadness - emotions that can surface in seemingly calming environments.
• Tough love - an experience the speaker had in Madrid.
• Blessings - received by the speaker, for which she is grateful.
• Gratefulness - a feeling the speaker consistently expresses.