Here's a breakdown of the key topics and points discussed in the interview:
The Nature of Art and Fiction
- Blurring Lines: The speaker believes the best fiction exists in a "blurry line" between the personal and universal, detailed and abstract.
- Truth and the "Other": For the speaker, art needs a degree of truth, but it's ultimately more about exploring or representing "the other."
- Authentic Expression: Writing from a personal "place" allows for genuine singing or expression from that same place.
The New Album: "Maximalism" vs. "Motomami"
- Maximalism as a Concept: The new album is described as "maximalism," contrasting with the "minimalist" approach of "Motomami."
- A Framework for Music: The album is seen as a deeper "framework" for the music rather than just a collection of songs.
- Causing Chaos and Fun: The album's release involved a period of "causing chaos" and having "fun" in Madrid, engaging with politicians and navigating fines.
- The Joy of Sharing: The album's completion brought a sense of joy and readiness to share it with the world.
The Creative Process and Patience
- Patience as a Teacher: The long process of creating the album taught the speaker patience, with each project building this quality.
- The "Lost" Stage of Creation: Referencing Leonard Cohen, the speaker describes a stage where a record is no longer solely yours and takes on a life of its own, a feeling experienced during the album's creation.
- Three Years of Development: The album's creation spanned three years, encompassing significant life events.
Inspiration from Leonard Cohen and Light
- "Forget your perfect offering": A key quote from Leonard Cohen, "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in," served as a guiding principle.
- Embracing Imperfection: The speaker aimed to allow "the light to get in" through imperfections, hence the album's title, which translates to "how to make more space for the light to get in."
- Light Through Cracks: The interviewer highlights the significance of light entering through cracks, representing glimpses of what's available and yet to be revealed.
Artist's Isolation and Social Life
- Conscious Isolation: The speaker admits to isolating themselves during the creative process, prioritizing studio work with close collaborators.
- Balancing Solitude and Connection: While isolating, there's an awareness of needing to connect, often through studio sessions with friends who are also collaborators.
- Intensive Lyric Writing: A significant period was dedicated solely to writing lyrics, with the speaker refusing to return to the studio until satisfied.
Shifting from "Motomami" to Deep Study
- Breaking the Cycle: The artist consciously broke away from the typical album-tour-collaboration cycle.
- Studying Spirituality: The album became an excuse to delve deeply into studying spirituality, theology, and the concept of sainthood across different cultures and religions.
- Exploring Global Sainthood: The speaker researched various figures like Rishis (Hinduism), Xi'an (Taoism), Zadikim (Judaism), and "Friends of God" (Islam), noting diverse understandings of sainthood.
- Hagiography Research: The process involved reading numerous hagiographies (lives of saints) and immersing in their stories, languages, and contexts.
- Celebrating "Otherness": The act of creating songs inspired by these stories is seen as a way of celebrating and understanding "otherness" in an increasingly divided world.
The Personal vs. Universal in the New Album
- Blurry Line Revisited: The speaker reiterates the idea of a "blurry line" between personal and universal, detailed and abstract, implicit and explicit.
- More About "The Other": While acknowledging the album contains "little pieces" of the speaker, they emphasize it's "much more about the other."
- Specific Inspirations: Examples like "Reliquia" being inspired by Santa Rosa de Lima illustrate the blend of personal experience and external inspiration.
- Channelling Stories: The goal was to "channel" the stories of various inspiring women like Santa Rosa de Lima, Santa Rosalia de Palermo, Hildegard von Bingen, and others.
Emotional Intensity and Personal Growth
- Deeply Felt Emotion: The speaker acknowledges experiencing powerful emotions, including tears, during the album's creation, especially while recording vocals.
- Unreadiness for the Project: There was a sense of not being ready for this type of emotionally intense project before it happened.
- Sister's Critique: A crucial turning point was a sister's comment about "destroying the song," prompting a re-evaluation of how to "go all the way" and "finish the thought" in songwriting.
Embracing Imperfect Growth and Identity
- Sacrifice and "Violent Change": The process of growth and evolving as an artist involves shedding past work and potentially losing comfort or audience, seen as a form of "violent change."
- Dying Identity: The speaker desires for identity to be fluid, allowing for daily reinvention and self-discovery.
- Doubt as Proof of Life: Having doubts is seen as a positive sign, indicating that what is being created is alive and true.
- Acceptance of Sacrifice: The speaker accepts missing out on things and making sacrifices, finding peace in this realization as they grow.
Navigating the Present Moment and Desire
- Difficulty with the Present: The speaker admits to having a hard time being fully present, often being on the move and thinking ahead.
- Desiring Less: A practice for finding inner peace involves actively trying to "desire less."
- Prayer and Gratitude: The speaker prays based on what they are lacking, whether it's peace or needing to express gratitude.
Seeking Guidance and Connection Beyond the Self
- Listening Over Asking: The speaker emphasizes the importance of listening and stopping to connect with something larger than oneself.
- Guidance and Blessings: Prayers are directed towards guidance, blessings for loved ones, or inner peace, depending on current needs.
- Projecting Towards the Beyond: Drawing inspiration from Alana Portero, the speaker believes prayer, even without explicit faith, is a way to project oneself towards what's beyond, helping to shed "poison" and find one's center.
The Art of Play and Conversation
- Basque Ball Game Analogy: The conversation is likened to a Basque ball game ("El Juego de Pelota Vasca"), highlighting the dynamic exchange and skill in their dialogue.
- Enjoying the Exchange: The speaker expresses enjoyment for the conversation and the interviewer's ability to "return the ball."
Childhood, Family, and Early Musicality
- Athletic Pastimes: The speaker's childhood activities included dancing and playing soccer.
- Sibling Dynamic: A childhood dynamic with a sister as defense and the speaker as striker is seen as a metaphor for their supportive relationship.
- Supportive Family: The speaker expresses deep gratitude for their supportive family, including their mother, father, and sister.
- Disassociating Through Music: In childhood, music provided an escape, with melodies repeating in their head, leading to a form of dissociation.
The Concept of "God" in Music
- Impossible Exercise: Depicting "God" in song is acknowledged as an "impossible exercise" due to the divine's transcendence beyond human language and sound.
- Human Imperfection: Any human creation related to the divine will be inherently imperfect.
- Title vs. Song Content: The album title may not be literal, suggesting a complex exploration rather than a direct statement.
- Ambiguous Representation of God: On the record, "God" is portrayed in various forms: human, relational, and even as the speaker themselves.
The Album as a Life's Work and Intense Creation
- Culmination of Work: The album feels like a culmination of the speaker's work up to this point, a powerful and impactful output.
- Uniqueness of the Experience: The speaker feels this level of intense creation might be a singular, unrepeatable experience.
- Near Mental Breakdown: The album's completion was accompanied by extreme stress and a feeling of being on the verge of a mental breakdown due to deadlines.
- Seizing the Creative Window: A strong internal imperative to release the album within a specific timeframe, despite creative idealizations, was present.
The Role of Orchestration and Maximalism
- Limited Orchestra Time: The work with the London Symphony Orchestra was brief (3-4 days), with arrangements largely pre-written.
- Precision and Control: The recording process with the orchestra was highly precise and controlled, with most elements already meticulously arranged.
- "Berghain" as a Statement: The album's opening with "Berghain" is a deliberate, "front foot aggressive" choice to signal a departure from "Motomami" and showcase the album's maximalist orchestral intention.
- Maximalism vs. Minimalism: "Berghain" embodies the album's maximalist approach, contrasting with the minimalist elements of "Motomami."
Inspirations: Björk, Patti Smith, and Not Caring
- Maternal Figures: Björk and Patti Smith are described as "mothers" and highly inspiring figures due to their freedom and irreverence.
- "Not Giving a Fuck" Mantra: A key mantra for the speaker is "not giving a fuck," embodying a sense of liberation and defiance.
- "Stretch the Ball and Say the Truth": This phrase, written on a mug, served as a daily reminder for the creative goal of the album.
The Meaning of Pressure and Sacrifice
- Pressure as a Catalyst: The statement "If pressure makes diamonds, why aren't we all shiny?" explores the complex relationship between pressure, potential, and human experience.
- Carrying Weight: The speaker acknowledges that people often carry burdens and questions the contradictory nature of pressure.
- Begging for the Career: The speaker "begged" for their music career and the opportunity to make large-scale projects, accepting the inherent pressure and risk of "breaking."
- Acceptance of Desire: The speaker accepts the consequences of their strong desire for this career, even if it means being on the "edge of breaking."
Evolution of Vocal Style and Songwriting
- Allowing for New Vocals: The successful platform established by "Motomami" allowed the speaker to explore new vocal techniques and push boundaries in their singing.
- The Importance of Writing: The ability to write in a way that allows for vocal openness and surrender is crucial for authentic expression.
- Spirituality as a Foundation: The speaker's connection to spirituality has been a constant presence, influencing their creative journey.
- "Motomami" vs. Current Album: "Motomami" is described as more "grounded" and focused on exploring the material world, while the new album searches for "verticality."
Performative Aspects of Art and Identity
- Artificiality in Art: The speaker acknowledges the "artificiality" inherent in performance, even the connection created on stage.
- Extreme Performance: Pushing any aspect to the extreme, whether femininity or masculinity, can lead to performative qualities.
- Construction of Self: Artists often construct an avatar or persona through their work.
- Acceptance of Fiction: Like David Bowie and Nick Cave, the speaker embraces the theatricality and fictional aspects of creating art.
Collaborative Writing and Focused Execution
- Learning from Others: The speaker is interested in collaborative writing to gain new perspectives and learn different approaches.
- Focused Songwriting: Unlike some artists who write many songs and then select, the speaker focuses on developing and finishing a chosen set of pieces.
- Executing Intentions: The process involves selecting specific ideas (like an aria or a song inspired by Rabia al-Adawiya) and executing them fully.
"La Jugular" and the Micro/Macro Connection
- Inspiration from Rabia al-Adawiya: The song is inspired by the Sufi woman Rabia al-Adawiya, who emphasized loving God for God's own sake, not for reward or out of fear.
- Interconnectedness: The song explores the Islamic concept of everything being connected, from the micro to the macro.
- Juxtaposition and Tension: The speaker finds excitement in exploring the tension and juxtaposition between the small and the large, the micro and the macro.
Observation, Nature, and Impermanence
- Keen Observation: The speaker demonstrates high observational abilities, noticing details like trees breaking through pavement.
- Nature's Resilience: The image of nature breaking through man-made structures serves as a lesson in resilience and eventual triumph.
- Appreciating Imperfection: The speaker finds beauty in things that break perceived boundaries, like roots breaking pavement.
Musical Listening and Study
- Diverse Listening: During walks, the speaker listens to a wide range of music, including classical (Chopin, Wagner, Mahler, Bach, cello suites), Spanish composers (Albeniz, Granados, Falla), and contemporary artists (The Strokes, Nick Cave).
- Appreciation for Cello and Maria Callas: The speaker has a particular fondness for cello music and the opera singer Maria Callas.
"Memoria" and Imperfect Memory
- Lyrics by Carminio: The lyrics for "Memoria" were written by Carminio, who shared a traditional fado.
- Personal and Fabricated Memories: The song explores the idea that memories can be both real and somewhat fabricated, with a vulnerability in acknowledging this.
- Confessional Moment: The vocal delivery shifts to a more intimate, confessional tone, reflecting the imperfect nature of memory and personal truth.
Lost Items and Emotional Landscapes
- Lost Items: A humorous segment touches on losing various items and experiences in different locations (heels in Milan, smile in the UK, faith in DC).
- Beautiful Skies: The sky in Buenos Aires is described as exceptionally beautiful and almost tangible.
- Japan's Stimulation and Nostalgia: Japan is perceived as a place of intense stimulation and sensory experience that can also bring out underlying sadness or nostalgia.
- Tough Love in Madrid: The speaker reflects on a "tough love" experience in Madrid.
- Blessings and Gratitude: Despite challenges, the speaker feels blessed and grateful.
The Nature of Prayer and Seeking Peace
- Prayer as Listening: The speaker sees prayer not just as asking but as listening and stopping to connect with a higher power.
- Guidance and Blessings: Prayers are directed towards guidance, blessings, and inner peace.
- Projecting Towards the Beyond: Prayer is seen as a way to connect with something larger, get rid of "poison," and find one's center.
The Ball Game of Conversation
- Dynamic Exchange: The conversation is likened to a dynamic ball game where both participants are skilled at exchanging ideas.
- Enjoyment of the Interaction: The speaker relishes the engaging and skillful nature of the conversation.