The batch of artists that emerged from the first season of Eufòria germinates their works produced in the television sun, a perfect opportunity to find out what some of the voices that emerged from the program are made of, such as that of Mariona Escoda, winner of the program, who offers her refined records in D’una altra manera (Global Music). Nine songs on a record, the second of her career after the EP Tal com havia de ser, where the young artist from Valls reflects the quality of a voice that is the result of years of rehearsals and learning that goes back to the age of five with training in modern and classical singing, piano and violin. An effort that she has exploited after her time on the television contest, leading this future speech therapist to sing with Josep Carreras and to participate in the musical El Petit PrÃncep. The next stage of it, the promotion of the new album that begins in the Paral·lel 62 room, on April 16.
He has sold all the tickets at the presentation concert
I feel super grateful, because it has happened without people having listened to the record. He also performed in a very special room, where I worked in El Petit PrÃncep. Now I do it in a concert of mine, with my album, although I will also sing songs from the old album and some versions, it will be a concert that is very much ours, very personal.
Explore different genres Looking for yourself as an artist?
I know very well what I like to sing because I have been more of a performer than a composer all my life, I am very clear about my sound as a performer, but I had never experimented with my sound as a composer. That’s why I decided to explore every style I want to try, every topic I want to talk about or every reference I have from artists I like. All within a coherence at the level of composition, production and themes, that has a coherence but at the same time is very experimental. With only one year dedicating myself to composing it’s very difficult to establish an identity, that’s why in the first albums I want to explore my identity as a composer until I arrive alone.
He had already composed the EP Tal com havia de ser
It was a very different time, a reflection of when I was 19. Now I am in another moment of my life.
That’s why the new job sounds so different
The previous album was all acoustic, at the composition level I did it by myself, self-produced and self-financed. The complexity could not be the same as now, with more resources and a team behind that makes everything easier. It is co-written with people who know a lot about production, what is playing now and how to adapt the references that I brought. I have worked with Adrià Salas, Alicia Rey, Manu Guix and Àlex Pérez. Intuitively we all get out of the acoustic although there are also pianos, a guitar, very real and at the same time electronic, and also very easy to adapt to live.
What band will take to the direct ones?
Glòria Muriel on drums, Arnau Benet on bass, Andreu Dexeus on piano and Elena Ventolà , guitarist for Roba Estesa. This year I need girls in training, I need feminine energy and that it’s not all men. Glòria Muriel is a benchmark, a beast, the drummer of the Zona Franca program, and Elena is also outrageous.
Has it been difficult for you to find girls for the band?
Yes, they have a lot of work because there are few. We girls don’t have references to other female guitarists, drummers or bassists, and without references you don’t consider playing these instruments. That’s why I want to bring women on stage, my audience is largely teenagers, people who are now discovering what they want to do in life. If you see three girls playing on stage with two boys, it is certainly a very strong inspiration. Something like that was needed.
In the songs he talks about change and resilience
D’una altra manera speaks of not being afraid of change, of working to grow. It has been very important for me to learn to manage emotions, my insecurities. It also talks about empowerment, especially from a feminist perspective. Women have always had more pressure and we must learn to value ourselves, know that we have power and the ability to do what we want, believe in ourselves. Finally, he talks about love as I live it, a healthy love and from a non-toxic perspective.
Not your typical love songs
I live love in a very healthy and free way, and that is what I want to express in my songs. My generation and the previous ones have grown up with very strong references to toxic love in movies, series or books, where everything was very toxic relationships and ways of breaking up. We have had to work a lot to achieve a healthy relationship and I need to externalize it so that people see that it can be achieved.
There is an antes y después de Eufória that explains in I leave you my hand
The song talks about leaving behind all the insecurities, the limiting thoughts that have not allowed you to do what you wanted, and I’ve seen that with Euforia. It has been a very strong adaptation and empowerment process, where in order to survive I needed to empower myself. Because when you get carried away by what people can say or think about you, you can fall into a loop of insecurity, and if the goal of the contest for me was to last week after week, I had to remain very emotionally stable. Seeing that so many people supported us and appreciated what we were doing and continued to support us after the program also makes you grow and empower yourself more.
Are you worried that being on the show will pigeonhole you?
No, because I know that I can change this image whenever I want. It’s normal to be pigeonholed but I’ve always thought that if I continue my career people will already know me and see that music is going where I want it to be.
What are your musical references?
For this album I will say four names of women: Miley Cyrus, Sabrina Carpenter, Renée Rapp and Adele, they are all artists who do things very well. On the other hand, I listen a lot to Judit Nedderman, Elena Gadel or Clara Peya. They are three women with incredible quality, who make very delicate and heartfelt music, which is one of my objectives, to make songs that may be very ad tempo and very electronic, but that are heartfelt.
Work your voice a lot
It is the most important thing in my body and my career. I have grown as a performer, from the beginning I have studied modern singing with many concepts of voice craft. I did a few years of classical singing that now I would like to resume, but I have done modern for 9 years, and for me it is very important to continue training on a vocal level.
Has the way of singing changed?
No, what happens is that the more knowledge you have about the voice and the technique, the way you prepare changes. I do some very marked exercises before starting a show. I also take great care of my voice because I am preparing to be a speech therapist, in addition to specializing in voice. I see people who come in with voice injuries from overexertion or stress, and I’m even more careful.
Have you considered making more musicals?
I would love to combine my career with musicals, I started singing because I wanted to do musicals. I listened to and sang soundtracks like Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Moulin Rouge or Waitress, I haven’t seen them but I know the songs by heart. I love the musical genre, and when I did the Petit PrÃncep I knew that I wouldn’t mind combining the two things because I’m passionate about it, it fills me up a lot. Many of my references such as Sabrina Carpenter, Renée Rapp or Ben Platt have made records and have played leading roles on Broadway.
