Skip to main content
GRAMMYs Breaking News
Breaking News
  • MusiCares Launches Help for the Holidays Campaign Apply HERE
  • Recording Academy
  • GRAMMYs
  • Membership
  • Advocacy
  • MusiCares
  • GRAMMY Museum
  • Latin GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
  • Advocacy
  • Membership
  • GRAMMYs
  • Governance
  • Jobs
  • Press Room
  • Events
  • Login
  • MusiCares
  • GRAMMY Museum
  • Latin GRAMMYs
  • More
    • MusiCares
    • GRAMMY Museum
    • Latin GRAMMYs

The GRAMMYs

  • Awards
  • News
  • Videos
  • Recording Academy
  • More
    • Awards
    • News
    • Videos
    • Recording Academy

Latin GRAMMYs

MusiCares

  • About
  • Get Help
  • Give
  • News
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Person of the Year
  • More
    • About
    • Get Help
    • Give
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
    • Person of the Year

Advocacy

  • About
  • News
  • Issues & Policy
  • Act
  • Recording Academy
  • More
    • About
    • News
    • Issues & Policy
    • Act
    • Recording Academy

Membership

  • Join
  • Events
  • PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING
  • GRAMMY U
  • GOVERNANCE
  • More
    • Join
    • Events
    • PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING
    • GRAMMY U
    • GOVERNANCE
Log In Join
  • SUBSCRIBE

  • Search
Modal Open
Subscribe Now

Subscribe to Newsletters

Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events. Privacy Policy
GRAMMY Museum
Membership

Join us on Social

  • Recording Academy
    • The Recording Academy: Facebook
    • The Recording Academy: Twitter
    • The Recording Academy: Instagram
    • The Recording Academy: YouTube
  • GRAMMYs
    • GRAMMYs: Facebook
    • GRAMMYs: Twitter
    • GRAMMYs: Instagram
    • GRAMMYs: YouTube
  • Latin GRAMMYs
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Facebook
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Twitter
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Instagram
    • Latin GRAMMYs: YouTube
  • GRAMMY Museum
    • GRAMMY Museum: Facebook
    • GRAMMY Museum: Twitter
    • GRAMMY Museum: Instagram
    • GRAMMY Museum: YouTube
  • MusiCares
    • MusiCares: Facebook
    • MusiCares: Twitter
    • MusiCares: Instagram
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy: Facebook
    • Advocacy: Twitter
  • Membership
    • Membership: Facebook
    • Membership: Twitter
    • Membership: Instagram
    • Membership: Youtube
GRAMMYs

Phoebe Ryan

News
Quarantine Diaries: Phoebe Ryan quarantine-diaries-phoebe-ryan-growing-crops-minecraft-watching-sunsets-spending-time

Quarantine Diaries: Phoebe Ryan Is Growing Crops On Minecraft, Watching Sunsets & Spending Time With Fans

Facebook Twitter Email
As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors
GRAMMYs
May 28, 2020 - 3:53 pm

As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, singer/songwriter Phoebe Ryan shares her Quarantine Diary. Ryan's album debut, How It Used To Feel, is out June 26.  

Hi there, my name is Phoebe Ryan and this is sort of what I’ve been up to during this quarantine!

GRAMMYs

Every morning I log in to my Minecraft realm and tend to all the crops. I’m growing a lot of beets there. It’s really nice. It’s normally very relaxing for me but actually on this particular day, I killed a villager with a crossbow and now I’m cursed with a Bad Omen. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about it.

GRAMMYs

I make a swift transition from the video game world to the real world as soon as I put my Crocs on. Can you guess which pair is mine? I’ve been helping my mom weed the garden and it feels like it will never actually get done but I enjoy doing it anyway.

GRAMMYs

My mom transported this tiny little praying mantis egg sack onto this tree in our backyard, and it was the cutest thing I saw all day. I love how my mom does stuff like this. She’s a magical person.

GRAMMYs

There’s also a swan that comes to visit a few times a day, and I really enjoy having staring contests and wondering what life as a swan must be like.

GRAMMYs

I watch the sun set every night. Tonight was especially amazing.

GRAMMYs

I’ve been so grateful for my fans during this quarantine. It’s been a blessing to be able to be so interactive and engaged with them. I’ve made personal video calls to over 150 people from all over the world, and some nights (like this) we talk on Zoom and celebrate birthdays, song releases, and just keep each other company. I’m so lucky to have these people in my life.

At the end of the day, I log back into my Minecraft realm, tend the crops, and watch "90 Day Fiance" until I pass out. 
 
STAY SAFE, EVERYONE!

Quarantine Diaries: Lindgren And Melanie Fontana Are Hosting An Open House, Cooking Blue Apron & Watching "Cake Wars"

If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, learn more about the Recording Academy's and MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit the MusiCares website.

Grammys Newsletter

Subscribe Now

GRAMMYs Newsletter

Be the first to find out about winners, nominees, and more from Music's Biggest Night.
Rosehardt & Lauren Ruth Ward

Rosehardt & Lauren Ruth Ward

News
Quarantine Diaries: Rosehardt & Lauren Ruth Ward quarantine-diaries-rosehardt-playing-his-new-piano-lauren-ruth-ward-dancing-emo-music

Quarantine Diaries: Rosehardt Is Playing His New Piano & Lauren Ruth Ward Is Dancing To Emo Music

Facebook Twitter Email
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, GRAMMY.com reached out to musicians to see how they were spending their days off the road
GRAMMYs
Nov 19, 2020 - 1:08 pm

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, GRAMMY.com reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, we have a special bi-costal edition, with Brooklyn-based Rosehardt and Los Angeles-based Lauren Ruth Ward, two artists featured in Dr. Martens Presents: Music & Film Series, sharing their Quarantine Diaries.

Rosehardt & Lauren Ruth Ward

Rosehardt, Brooklyn

[8:45 a.m.] On occasion, I'll wake up and my hair will be shampoo commercial voluminous. I don't try and explain it, I just show gratitude by continuing to care for it like my mama taught me.

GRAMMYs

[9:30 a.m.] We made cold-seared salmon last night. Hella tasty. I put the leftovers into an omelet. Also hella tasty. Additionally, if one can have toast with jam with breakfast, and one can also have toast with peanut butter with breakfast, then logically one can have a PB&J with breakfast. Don't @ me.

GRAMMYs

[12 p.m.] Today was a very special day.

GRAMMYs

[12:05 p.m.] A very, very special day.

GRAMMYs

[12:45 p.m.] Not only did the American people make the right choice at the voting booths, but I became the proud owner of this gorgeous piano. It was given to me by the sweetest woman from Craigslist (!!!).

GRAMMYs

[1 p.m.] Seriously, if you want a piano and have room, peruse the free section on CL, you'd be surprised. I was so tremendously fortunate to not only find this piano in amazing shape, but I couldn't have asked for a better CL experience. Her only stipulation was that it went to someone who would put it to use and das me. Thank you, Julia from Craigslist.

GRAMMYs

[1:30 p.m.] This is my cat Ishmael. I don't usually let him in the studio but I was feeling gracious and he was meowing incessantly.

GRAMMYs

[4:45 p.m.] This is Alex, the mysterious piano tuner my roommate recommended who not only does a great job tuning, but always obliges when asked to play a little when he's finished. I really wish you could hear this photo.

GRAMMYs

[5 p.m.] I plunked around on the beauty for a minute and now it's loaf time. Ish loves loaf time. We all love loaf time.

GRAMMYs

Lauren Ruth Ward, Los Angeles

[8 a.m.] Wake up and caffeinate. We have an espresso machine with a milk steamer, the whole shebang.

[8:15 a.m.] Check in. Look at my calendar and make sure my schedule is realistic. My friend Emma and I call ourselves The Over-Committers Committee (lol). I drink my coffee on my porch, sometimes journal and send out confirmation texts to hair clients and anyone I have plans with.

GRAMMYs

[8:30 a.m.] I pull myself away from my phone—I have a timer on my social apps to keep me from mindlessly scrolling! Depending on the day, I will do Patreon duties, Pullstring Vintage work or merch fulfillment. All of these are truly exciting and inspiring.

On Patreon, I post behind-the-scenes videos, and photos on my private Instagram. I also chat with fans about their week and if they relate to what I've shared. This kind of connection with them has kept me sane. I also get to "see" two of my Patron tiers monthly on a Zoom hang. I also spend this time prepping monthly mail-out incentives.

Pullstring Vintage is my new baby! After a buying trip, I wash all the items. Some need extra love—bleaching, tie-dying, studding or button, hem or zipper repair. Then, I take photos of all garments with my friend Zoë. Prior to posting, I take measurement photos and create descriptions for each garment. I then post and repost and chat with my sweet vintage-loving supporters. On drop days, I stay tethered to my assistant, Ivy, who takes care of sales via DM. Mondays and Fridays are post office days. I put thank you letters and pressed flowers go into every package (I love this part). We then DM everyone their tracking number along with another thank you.

Merch fulfillment! I sell 14 different items on Bandcamp. They have slightly different packaging processes but everything gets autographed, thank you carded and, you guessed it, pressed flowers from my garden.

GRAMMYs

[12 p.m.] After tapping in and out of the above worlds, it's usually lunchtime. I'll have a little something and then exercise! I love walking a couple miles while listening to podcasts (Brené Brown) or audiobooks (currently spinning the autobiography of Malcolm X). Or, if I have less time, I'll turn the heat up in my living room and freestyle yoga with dance and ab work integrated. I always do this to screamo/pop rock bands' albums, something I listened to in high school. Yesterday was Decadence by Head Automatica—totally holds up. If I have even less time, I'll freestyle dance in my front yard for three to four songs—quick and life-changing.

On other days, this is prime haircut time. I prefer to cut in the hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

GRAMMYs

[3:30 p.m.] As I mentioned, on Mondays and Fridays I go to the post office (where I am helped by either Ernie, Adora or Stanley). Other days I'll have a golden light, front yard hang with a friend.

[5 p.m.] I kiss my dog for the seventieth time today.

GRAMMYs

[6 p.m.] Pandemic life: make dinner, sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate. I prep snacks and juice my Imperfect Foods produce for the week. Then I hang/watch TV/read/after-dinner walk with my partner. Sometimes we'll have a guest or two over for a drink and a porch hang. Living the dream!

GRAMMYs

Days where I have no clients and no pending orders, I either aimlessly craft or I write. Song messages come to me unplanned—this is my way of planning those unplanned creative spurts. I work on songs alone and sometimes with bandmates. The day will go as follows: coffee, podcast while I walk, then get together with either Eduardo for LRW band, Chris for Aging Actress or Andrew for Heaven Electric.

These days are few and usually clumped together. Because I released an album in March and because the music industry has slowed down immensely, I've been treating writing less militantly and been allowing myself to explore other passions.

GRAMMYs

De'Wayne Talks "Top Gun," Jimi Hendrix & Radiohead, Finding Himself In L.A.

GRAMMYs

Nathy Peluso

 

Photo: Leo Adef

News
Nathy Peluso Talks 'Calambre' & 2020 Latin GRAMMYs nathy-peluso-interview-calambre-2020-latin-grammys

Nathy Peluso Talks 'Calambre' & 2020 Latin GRAMMYs Debut

Facebook Twitter Email
Just days away from her Latin GRAMMY debut, the Argentine singer talks to GRAMMY.com about her eclectic album, establishing her sound and more
Jennifer Velez
Latin GRAMMYs
Nov 17, 2020 - 7:06 pm

Nathy Peluso is days away from making her Latin GRAMMY debut, and, understandably, she's excited. On stage, the Argentine singer-songwriter is a jolt of energy—her dance moves and improvised body movements could be a show of their own.

On a Zoom call from her home in Argentina, Peluso, dressed in loungewear, unveils a relaxed demeanor. At the heels of her first performance at the 2020 Latin GRAMMYs, where she is set to share the stage with Argentine icon Fito Paez and is also nominated for the first time—she's up for the Best New Artist and Best Alternative Song categories—she is eager, even if circumstances will be different. This year, due to COVID-19, the Latin GRAMMYs will not return to their usual broadcast home, Las Vegas, and will instead be based in Miami with performances based all over the world. 

"It is something that I did not expect at all. It is an experience that I want to take care of and that I want to pamper with my heart because I know that it will be something to remember," she says. 

The singer, who moved to Spain as a child and went on to study physical theatre, has placed that same kind of thoughtful care into her first full-length album, Calambre, meaning electric shock. On it, Peluso, a fan of Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Earth, Wind & Fire, jazz, and bossa nova, among other genres, shows a dislike for genre boxes; The album features salsa, R&B, hip-hop and classic Argentine pop sounds. The singer researched every genre she featured to make them "sound organic and genuine," she says. If she's going to take on a genre, she has to do it right, she feels. 

But Peluso makes it clear—she does not define her music, she lets the music define her. She talks with GRAMMY.com more on how she lets the music speak for itself, growing up an immigrant in Spain, her debut album, being nominated for a Latin GRAMMY for the first time, and her performance at the show. 

First of all, congrats on your nomination. Where were you when you got the news?

I was out. They called me on the phone and it took me by surprise. I started running around on the street. I called my mom. I did not expect it, really. It was like a very unexpected call for me. I wasn't waiting to see if they would tell me something, I did not expect it at all.

Was your mom the first person you called? What did you tell her?

Yes. I thought she would be very excited. I told her the news. I said, "Mami, mami, I'm nominated for a Latin GRAMMY." And she said, "Wow. Nathy, that doesn't surprise me, because you deserve it." She said very nice things. It was an exciting moment.

You’re nominated for Best New Artist. That’s big. What does the nomination mean to you?

For me, it means [a lot coming] from the music industry, from the academy, from my peers. Like very important inspiration for me to push forward and continue to represent Latin music with a lot of love. For me, it gives me a sense of pride and honor to be able to be there representing so many musicians, our culture, our music. It’s incredible.

What was the process like creating your debut album Calambre?

It was a very organic process. Songs started coming out melodies I was recording and I was sketching them out until I figured out how to evolve all of them. I knew I wanted it to be called Calambre from the beginning because I came onto a very inspiring, energetic point. It was interesting because it was very powerful learning that I did professionally and personally. I learned a lot and had to face several new situations, I worked with artists and musicians that I admired a lot. It was artisanal work because there was deep research around each musical genre in which I embarked in on the album because there are many. It was a very delicate and interesting process that I came out of very enriched.

What did you do to learn more about each genre?

The truth is, I embarked on research that also included finding the people who represent the genre, arrangers, musicians, or producers, to also give credibility to that sound from someone who has a lot of experience working on it. The wind arrangements or the salsa arrangements, for example in “Puro Veneno.” If I was going to do a salsa track, I wanted to do it for real. The whole band behind it, the arrangers, the choristers, all are from Puerto Rico. The song is played live in Puerto Rico. That was a learning experience, getting information about the roots of each genre and also being able to do the artisanal work which can be challenging because the truth is, I felt it as a challenge to do all those genres that are not normally heard in Spanish, like hip-hop or the neo-soul or certain ballads. Making them sound organic and genuine in Spanish, in Castilian, that was a task I learned a lot from as well.

You've talked a lot about your love for different genres. You wanted your debut to be something that really shows who Nathy Peluso is?

With Calambre, it was no more than just intention. My intention was not to do something homogeneous, to represent me as only me and my persona because, really, I organically improvise my persona. The music is what guides and represents me, I don’t represent it. I found it interesting letting myself go through music, and then have that represent me as Nathy Peluso and my sound.

I was never afraid of it not sounding homogeneous between all the songs or how can I make people know me with this album? No, I just flowed, I did everything I felt I had to do musically speaking. I wrote all the lyrics with what I felt I had to write them, regardless of respecting a rule or something, I just wanted to flow.

In the root of that as well, I let go, I trusted, I put confidence in the music and in my fans so that it accommodates and settles as it has to settle. The search was not so much as towards my ego or towards my persona, but towards making good music that represents music, that pays respect and worships music and I contributed a grain of sand so that many people enjoy musical quality.

Read: Meet This Year's Best New Artist Nominees | 2020 Latin GRAMMY Awards

You’re an animated performer. You studied physical theatre. Do your studies influence you as a performer?

Yes, without a doubt. I believe everything we learn throughout life influences us, be it in our studies or in life experiences. It’s obvious, it makes me a better version of myself because it is something I learned and it helps me access —obviously, we can all get to that point, but certain doors have to be unlocked, certain doors [have to] open to access all that. Above all, to me, to my career, it taught me the incalculable power of improvisation and the power of movement, of body expression, of what we can say at the root of a persona; It nurtured me a lot and gave me tools to be able to defend certain things on stage.

You were born in Argentina, but as a child, you moved to Spain with your family, how did that affect you musically?

I do not know. I feel that I got to know many cultures. Being an immigrant, I linked up with many [other] immigrants who brought me closer to salsa, for example, Colombians. Many Colombian friends taught me to dance salsa. I had the opportunity to be in a Cuban choir for many years, learning from Cubans. Then my schooling was at Alicia Alonso's high school, who was a well-known Cuban dancer, and all my teachers were Cuban too. It gave me the rare opportunity, because I was in Spain, to connect with a deeply rooted Latin world because the people who had left their [countries, had] roots and had to promote them elsewhere. I learned a lot about the Latin culture and it made me look for a great friend, a great partner in music. Perhaps for a girl emigrating, it is something a bit difficult. Having music always accompanying me made me like having a faithful friend who never left me.

In the album you have a song dedicated to Buenos Aires, was it important for you to include the song honoring your homeland?

Yes, the truth is that it was a name that came up after making the song. It was not on purpose, but it sounded so much to me like the city, it sounded so much like the sound of nostalgia that it reminds me of my roots, that I decided to give it this name. Because I felt that many people, by closing their eyes and listening to that song, could travel wherever they wanted, because the sound is like a time machine, like the sound of beautiful nostalgia, the sound of feeling part of something. Obviously for me, when I closed my eyes, I listened to my city, it was something special, a special ritual.

You’ll appear at the Latin GRAMMY Awards, and I know they’ll be different because of COVID-19, but is there something your most excited about?

I am very excited because I am going to perform. It is something that I did not expect at all. It is an experience that I want to take care of and that I want to pamper with my heart because I know that it will be something to remember. It is my first time performing at the Latin GRAMMYs and it is such an immense opportunity that I am very grateful and very eager for.

What can you tell us about your performance?

They won’t let me, I can only say that I am preparing it with a lot of love and that I promise to do my best.

The 2020 Latin GRAMMYs will air on Univision on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT). The broadcast will also air on TNT (cable) at 7 p.m. (MEX)/8 p.m. (COL)/10 p.m. (ARG/CHI), and on Televisa on Channel 5. 

Learn more about the 2020 Latin GRAMMY Awards via the Latin Recording Academy's official website.

2020 Latin GRAMMY Awards Nominees Announced: See The Complete List

GRAMMYs

La Oreja de Van Gogh

News
La Oreja De Van Gogh Talks New Album, Growth un-susurro-en-la-tormenta-has-veteran-spanish-band-la-oreja-de-van-gogh-looking-inward

'Un Susurro En La Tormenta' Has Veteran Spanish Band La Oreja De Van Gogh Looking Inward For Stories To Tell

Facebook Twitter Email
The Latin GRAMMY-winning band's eighth album is their most personal yet
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 23, 2020 - 5:04 pm

With more than 20 years in the game and through a number of albums, La Oreja de Van Gogh's romantic pop songs and masterful storytelling have evoked tears, laughter and smiles. Four years after their last release, 2016's El Planeta Imaginario, the veteran band who formed in 1996 in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain (vocalist Leire Martínez Ochoa joined the band in the late '00s) return with what they call their most autobiographical album yet.

Past albums have featured a mixture of personal songs and songs inspired by others, but this time around, Un Susurro en la Tormenta (a whisper in the storm) has the Latin GRAMMY-winning and GRAMMY-nominated band digging deep and looking to each other for lyrical inspiration. "All the songs on this album are ones that we have lived, all those songs are born from looking not around us but inward," Martínez Ochoa tells GRAMMY.com in a recent interview. 

Back on the album promotional cycle during the pandemic for their eighth album, the band finds themselves hungry to be back on stage—their tour was postponed due to COVID-19. Despite the chaos, the commercially successful band doesn't worry too much about success these days. 

"I think we have lost that kind of obsession with figures, data, survival. It is like we are calm, we have arrived, we are already in our zone," keyboardist Xabi San Martín says. 

The charismatic San Martin and Martinez Ochoa recently spoke to GRAMMY.com about just how personal this album is, what role instruments play in amplifying their feeling, their growth as a band, what they want to do next, and more. 

How’s life now that the world is so different?

Xabi: I live in 2008, so I have 12 years left to get [to 2020]. It's been quite a year—It's been a very strange year. We finished recording our new album in January and instead of going out to do interviews, promotion and concerts for it all over the world, we had to keep it in a drawer and we had to wait at home due to all the circumstances. This has been a really weird year. Let's hope the worst is over. The album has finally hit the streets. We are already preparing a tour for 2021 as if there was no virus. We are going to give it our all, give everything on stage. Our reality will be to play dumb and act as no virus exists and prepare the best possible show.

Beyond not being able to promote the album like usual, was any other aspect of the album affected by COVID?

Leire: Actually, not much. As Xavi said, the album was recorded before the state of alarm and confinement. We finished recording everything in the recording studio in January. The only thing that was affected, of course, is the tour. We should have been traveling and touring all over the United States and doing the entire summer tour in Spain since May. All that has been postponed, of course, but fortunately the only thing that affected us a little more initially was that we could not get together to shoot music videos. We had planned a music video the same weekend there was the state of alarm and all that had to be postponed. Fortunately now technology allows us to work from home, get projects done. The "Abrazame" music video was made from home and we believe it has ended up being that much more incredible. Sometimes you never know where opportunities will come from.

It’s true. It makes me wonder, how has this moment affected your creativity?

Xabi: I suppose that when we continue writing new songs we will be able to see how much of the virus [has affected the way we make] music. We just finished the album, it was practically in the mastering phase when the state of alarm started, so we’ve [used very little] creativity. We can tell you many colleagues have taken advantage of the confinements and the lockdown to write new music but there are more than 10 children that we have in total [among us] and they are small children, that is, our house was more like a battlefield in Syria, quite incompatible with creation of any kind [possible]. We were closer to needing psychiatric and pharmacological help than putting two notes together. I believe that all of this is an experience that, like all others, will sooner or later become a song possibly.

The title of the album, Un Susurro en la Tormenta is attention-grabbing. What inspired the name?

Leire: We believe the space created by the album title allows you to keep sharing things [and keep conversations going]. We believe that we live in somewhat crazy times, we live very fast, everything is done fast at breakneck speed. I believe that sometimes we spend little time looking at day-to-day things a lot but that they really are the things that matter. Sometimes, like the title says, it’s those whispers in the middle of the storm, especially that noise that sometimes takes over us and accompanies us on a daily basis, that are precisely what gives meaning to life and what we like. In this case, we believe that this album and these 11 stories are something between whispers and conversations, a bit with the idea that they are a whisper in the middle of the storms that each of us live.

This is your first album since 2016, when did you begin making it?

Xabi: Good question. I think we started—

Leire: We finished the last album’s tour in early 2018, more or less around summer. I think more or less around that time we started with the composition.

Xabi: Yes. Two years for a 40-minute album, which comes out to like 45 seconds a day. [Laughs.] The last person to live like this, has now left the country, his name is Juan Carlos I, who was the king of Spain. He worked just like us, what happens is that now he has escaped...

But anyway, we have lived very well, it has been two years of—We wanted to do things slowly because, thank God, after so many years we no longer have to follow trends or what the record companies say about, "You have to take advantage the moment." It's been more than 20 years of making music for us and we can allow ourselves the luxury of waiting for inspiration calmly and enjoying the process, without stress and without having to meet stressful deadlines because, "What if sales, what if--." In that sense, we’ve relaxed and we have cooked this album over very low heat.

When you're making a song, what’s your goal?

Xabi: I think that actually before there is a song, there is usually a story, something that has happened to us or something that has happened to someone close to us and for whatever reason, it has impacted us. It happens to any human being, we are all moved by situations, stories, experiences. What happens is, I suppose we try, with greater or lesser success, is to turn it into a song. Trying to tell a story that provokes the same sensation as the one we have experienced is our great ambition. I suppose that sometimes we have succeeded and sometimes not. That is the great ambition, to move and transmit what has inspired us for the song. That being said, this is very abstract, it’s like explaining the joke but when your heart is broken and you want to share that, you write a song, and if you succeed, it will break the heart of the listener for three minutes. That is the ambition of anyone who writes music, in our case, it is like that. That's our greatest goal.

You’re known as a band for your romantic songs. Where do you find new inspiration for those? Are they personal or from people you know?

Leire: They are all close. I also think that in this album, perhaps more than in others, we’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from within, we have searched a lot in ourselves. I think this is the most autobiographical album of all. As you said, we tend to always to talk about the day to day, everyday stories, situations in the world around us, things that disturb us, things that we live or that people close to us live. But I think this one is more autobiographical in particular. Perhaps it is the one that says the most about ourselves in the first person.

Can you share more on why is this album the most autobiographical?

Xabi: In general, in other albums we have told stories that have surrounded us but for the first time all the songs on this album are ones that we have lived, all those songs are born from looking not around us but inward. They are very intimate experiences, they are ours and they are things as dramatic as losing a loved one, nostalgia for impossible loves, for other times or experiences with our children. It is very personal, we have shared a lot of ourselves in these stories. In that sense, it is more autobiographical.

https://twitter.com/laorejadevgogh/status/1319163293538410496

Como cada día, nos vamos a ensayar y a preparar los próximos conciertos. Daremos todo lo que tenemos sobre el escenario, como si no pasara nada en el mundo al menos durante lo que dure el show. pic.twitter.com/KvKimDx3kL

— La Oreja de Van Gogh (@laorejadevgogh) October 22, 2020

There are songs on this album that are sad and others that are more energetic, is that balance on purpose or is it something that comes naturally to you?

Leire: We don’t count and go, "We've done three upbeat songs—." There's no count at that level. The stories come out and if the song turns out a way that satisfies us all, that is the song that we keep. Only if what we felt wasn’t on the level of the rest of the album we discard it as we felt that it didn’t belong there, but not because the balance leaned more sad or—No. If we liked the song and it moved us, as Xabi said, we kept it, regardless of the style.

There are acoustic songs and there are songs with more instrumentals. Does each one to help you bring out a certain feeling more?

Xabi: Not necessarily. I think that as long as the voice more or less has the feeling, in the sense that it is covered by more or fewer instruments, I think it makes—I don't know, I'm improvising. I think it makes the story more intimate or closer. Suddenly if Leire sings alone with a piano, she is almost whispering to the listener. Whereas if you sing with everyone, drums and all, it can be more epic but not necessarily more exciting.

I don't think there is a direct relationship between the number of instruments and the state of mind. I think that the number of instruments, what it does is get the story closer to the listener or further away, but this is nonsense I am improvising. [laughs]

You're from Donostia but in your career, including on this album, you have songs that reference Madrid. I’ve lived there, I know it’s beautiful. What does Madrid mean to you?

Leire: It is a city that always welcomes us. It is a city we always go to, Madrid is a part of all our records, it is the capital of our country and where most of the media is. Of course, all the promotional plans and tours include Madrid. We have a lot of friends, people who love us [there]. As I told you, throughout the group's career, Madrid has always been very present for us. From recordings, mastering, producers, other artists, festivals. We go there a lot. I also think we have all have a certain personal relationship having spent time in Madrid or spent seasons there, as you have. It is a city that loves us and that we love a lot.

You have released eight albums, is there something about the recording process that was important to you before that no longer is?

Xabi: That is interesting. The truth is that recording techniques keep changing. Before, to record a piano you had to do so over and over the same way 35 times until it came out perfect. There were takes that were perfect, they had soul but suddenly something went wrong so you had to repeat it. Now technology allows a good shot to be corrected or taken from another one. I suppose, in exchange for losing that total honesty we had before in the studio, we have gained more creativity, those digital editing tools that we did not have on the first albums. We have lost that, the romance of the first takes or of playing all at the same time but in return, we have gained many more creative tools that allow [us to expand ourselves.] There are five of us in the studio and yet we recorded 90 different music tracks to get what we wanted. We have lost a bit of sincerity recording, in exchange for making the fantasy better.

How have you grown as a group on this album?

Leire: I think a lot. I think that, precisely what we talked about before, having looked inside to talk about certain issues. Having taken that step in such a clear way seems very brave to me. I think that makes us grow personally and probably also professionally. I believe that in each process of making an album many things are learned from all the people who collaborate on them. To start off, there are five of us who we are contributing things during the entire composition process, recording, on the day to day of the group's experience. Later, when an external factor enters, like the producer, in this case, Paco Salazar, in the end, it is people who always contribute, who teach you things about yourself even that you did not know. It allows you to work in a way that makes you leave your comfort zone and makes you face certain discomforts, so to speak, that make you empower yourself or grow. I think that, in the end, as a band, it’s very good because we all grow and the band grows.

Thinking ahead a bit, is there something musically that you haven't done that you want to do?

Xabi: Good question. The truth is we have done a lot of things that we did not expect, almost none [we expected]. From a record point of view, in the sense of success, we have met all the goals and those anxieties for success, that hunger for number one, I think we have left that behind. Maybe it's easy to say because this album that just came out weeks ago has been at number one in several countries, that's why I say it's easy to say it like that when it still happens to you. I think we have lost that kind of obsession with figures, data, survival. It is like we are calm, we have arrived, we are already in our zone. In that sense, we are quite calm. Artistically, I think whenever we’ve wanted to try something crazy, we've ended up doing it.

Leire: I think the craziest thing we want to do right now is being able to go on tour.

Xabi: So true.

Leire: Artistically it is what we are looking forward to.

Xabi: Get us out of the house, please. Let them put us on stage today. We must also bear in mind that we have to go collect a GRAMMY in 2021. We have to make room—we can take advantage of the tour in Mexico and the United States, and there we can pick it up—

Leire: Yes, please, I have never been [to the GRAMMYs] and I really want to go.

Andrekza Wants To Connect With People Who Think Differently

Ambré

Ambré

News
Quarantine Diaries: Ambré quarantine-diaries-ambr%C3%A9-making-music-enjoying-new-orleans-playing-video-games-her

Quarantine Diaries: Ambré Is Making Music, Enjoying New Orleans & Playing Video Games With Her Brother

Facebook Twitter Email
"You gotta figure out new ways to live life, and it's making me a better person. As messed up as the circumstances are, you can always find the good," Ambré says her video diary
GRAMMYs
Sep 29, 2020 - 12:58 pm

As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, GRAMMY.com reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, New Orleans-born alt R&B singer/songwriter Ambré shares her video Quarantine Diary.

Alt R&B singer/songwriter Ambré met producer Erick Bardales in 2014 and began making music with him when she was just 17. In 2015, she released her first mixtape, Wanderlust, which was produced by Bardales. That same year, the "american beauty" singer gained recognition for her first collab with Kehlani in 2015, a cover of Drake's "Preach."

She's also collabed with the Glitch Mob, TOKiMONSTA, Keys N Krates and Ryan Hemsworth, and co-written music on H.E.R.'s GRAMMY-winning self-titled mixtape. After signing to Roc Nation in 2019, she released her major label debut project, the Pulp EP, in November 2019, followed by Pulp (Director's Cut) this past July 31.

Quarantine Diaries: Ambré

In the latest episode of GRAMMY.com's Quarantine Diaries series (watch above), the "fubu" singer brings us along for a productive day working on music and enjoying good company (her brother and Bardales) and good food while staying in her hometown of New Orleans.

"You gotta figure out new ways to live life, and it's making me a better person. As messed up as the circumstances are, you can always find the good," Ambré says in the video.

Quarantine Diaries: Black Pumas' Eric Burton Is Working On A New Album & Spending Time In The Garden

Top
Logo
  • Recording Academy
    • About
    • Governance
    • Press Room
    • Jobs
    • Events
  • GRAMMYs
    • Awards
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
    • Store
    • FAQ
  • Latin GRAMMYs
    • Awards
    • News
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Cultural Foundation
    • Members
    • Press
  • GRAMMY Museum
    • COLLECTION:live
    • Explore
    • Exhibits
    • Education
    • Support
    • Programs
    • Donate
  • MusiCares
    • About
    • Get Help
    • Give
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
  • Advocacy
    • About
    • News
    • Learn
    • Act
  • Membership
    • Chapters
    • Producers & Engineers Wing
    • GRAMMY U
    • Join
Logo

© 2021 - Recording Academy. All rights reserved.

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Copyright Notice
  • Contact Us

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.