After touching the light with Noche ochentera, Victoria Riba, better known as Vicco, delves into the darkness in Noctalgia (Sony, published this Friday), where she delves into her most nostalgic side seasoned with the eighties sound that has defined her at this stage of his artistic career. At only 29 years old, the singer, songwriter and now also producer has more than a fruitful decade of learning since she was discovered by Alejandro Sanz after singing I will always love you at her school in Tiana. After studying musical production and having written for numerous artists on the national scene, she has found enough strength to launch her own project, supported by an unbeatable hit that she will sing this Friday at the Apolo room, the first concert of a tour where she will be able to demonstrate that There is life beyond Benidorm.

What does the night represent?

It is a time to reconnect with yourself, to listen to yourself and realize what happens emotionally in your day to day, in your life. It is also the highest moment of inspiration, where I am most creative and a nostalgic moment, that is why I liked this name for this album that talks about a relationship, a breakup and an improvement. It is a concept about the nostalgia felt by city people who, because of light pollution, cannot see the starry sky. It refers to my demons, fears, insecurities, and the starry sky is my future.

You published ‘Noche ochentera’ a year ago, what have you done since then?

I started with this album in September 2021 and finished writing it in mid-2022, it was a very long labor. He had the songs composed with demos and very clear ideas about the type of album and sound he wanted for this new stage. I wanted Eighties Night, this song to be the light of this album, the most colorful and fun because the narrative of the album is very sentimental, it tends to be sad and dark. But the Benidorm Fest got mixed up in the process, what happens happens and there have been no gaps in the agenda to finish the album until May 10. I want to get it out because I’m in another emotional moment and I want to close this cycle.

The Benidorm Fest was his last bullet

I came from years of composing for other artists, in 2019 I started my project as Vicco, but they were discarded songs from those I made for other people. It had been many years since I sat down to really do something, it was difficult for me to face myself, my loneliness and my demons. I was in a relationship where I didn’t have the wings to fly as I wanted, a moment of existential crisis, of doubt about whether my project would work. So I decided to go to Madrid to get out of this comfort zone that was leading me to depression. There I vomit all these emotions, feelings, I find myself artistically and personally and I find this sound that I like, pop.

How did you feel when you saw the success of the song?

It was very cool, I thought I would only dedicate myself to music from the shadows, composing or producing for others. It was a job in which I was comfortable, but I wanted to try if by chance this could work out well and unlock something in the universe. And in the end it happened, I always say that we are all one song away from success, but at the same time I had imposter syndrome, that everything has been a matter of luck. I’ve played with these two voices throughout this past year, the one that says I deserve it and the one that says it’s no big deal.

Maintains balance

Now I understand that it is an exceptional thing, not all songs have to be successful like that, you never know what life a song will have, that is why you must make songs that represent you, where you feel true to yourself.

What is this musical life like in the shadows?

It was a very sacrificed life

¿Era?

I no longer make songs for others, for the time being and because now it’s my turn to enjoy this path, to be the face. They were some years where I learned a lot, working as a team has been very good for me and I learned a lot from Adrià Salas [La Pegatina], a great mentor in a few years in which I acted as a sponge, learning from all the people I was hanging out with, producers , composers. But it is very sacrificial, in Spain there is no fee for composers as there is outside. I went to Madrid every month, for a week, and I paid for it myself, everything was an investment in the future. At the same time that I was a composer, I worked in clothing stores to pay for my travels.

Who did he compose for?

I have worked for Edurne, for Chenoa, for many people from Operación Triunfo, Natalia Lacunza, Eva B, Alex Ubago. The world of composition works by the name you have, I felt that I had the talent to work with top-level people, but I had no name or resume. It was a constant struggle, a very great emotional and mental exhaustion, but also very fruitful.

Is it more complicated to compose for others?

It depends on the artist and the way in which these sessions are given, I like to understand the emotional part of the other person, how they think, how they speak, it is like being an actor who puts yourself in that person’s shoes and you think about how you would express yourself. if it were you

What is your composition process like?

Before I composed everything on piano and voice, but when I started studying musical production in 2016, a wide range of options opened up for me. I love producing, putting together all your bits, drums and bass, creating everything that goes into a song. Furthermore, as a female artist I want to defend that women also have an important role, we produce and do many more things than just sing.

Do the letters come later?

I come from consuming a lot of Anglo-Saxon pop and I find that the melodies are the part of the song that can connect the most with people.

What are your musical references?

I grew up listening to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Supertramp, my parents played us music from all decades and all genres. Thanks to them I have a fairly broad musical culture, I find appeal in many genres and many sounds. When I started singing I liked artists like Lucy Silvas, Beyoncé, Withney Houston, Maria Carey, Aguilera, Rihanna and Britney Spears, all the pop divas.

When did you start singing?

I sang at home, I was very embarrassed to do it in front of parents or friends. Until one Sant Jordi, in the typical performance of the students at school, I sang I will always love you, by Whitney Houston. Then a student who went to my older sisters’ class approached me and told me that she had loved it and that she should show him videos of her because her father was dedicated to the world of music. I sent her a very simple YouTube channel where she uploaded versions of it, she loved it, and she told me that she had sent it to a friend named Alejandro. After three days she announces to me that the friend is Alejandro Sanz, that she liked me and wants to meet me, this is my start in music, through the front door.

What happened after?

I met Alejandro Sanz, and he recommended that I compose my own songs, “as an artist it is very good that you can own your music,” he told me. Then I started to compose some songs for him in English that he loved, he suggested that I go to study Berkley, but he also told me that it was better for me to sing in Spanish, because in Spain English doesn’t work. I came from consuming music in English, the change to Spanish was hard but in the end I made an album called Mírame y Sony. Alejandro signed me. Alejandro invited me to open several concerts on his tour and I went from singing in front of 100 or 200 people at school to singing in front of 20,000.

And decided to take the leap

I left school, I didn’t finish high school to dedicate myself completely to music. From being with my colleagues who were 16 or 17 years old I went on to have dealings with people who were 40 or 50. Everything was very new, emotionally it was difficult, it overwhelmed me, and I decided to separate myself to find who I was as an artist, that’s why I studied music production for four years.

It’s when Vicco was invented

I wanted her to be an artist who took risks, who was empowered. I was a very shy girl and I wanted Vicco to be this confident character. I had a hard time trusting myself, I felt like I didn’t deserve all that, the same thing that happened to me last year. I always have this thought, it makes me angry, I work at it, but at the same time it is what keeps me grounded, with humility and knowing that not everything is done.

Do you think it is the album that the public is expecting?

I think they are hoping for a brighter album, like Nochentera, but this is the song that most escapes the narrative of an album that is quite sad, nostalgic, even though the songs are produced with a positive sound, they are all danceable , in fact it is more indie than pop. Maybe people are surprised but I don’t care, because I love the album and it defines me a lot as an artist. I have two facets, the emotional artist part and the game artist part. I like to separate it like this because there are songs that are very emotional, that define my essence very well, and then I really like to play with music like Nochentera, which is a total game with Mari or the “I get hot” thing, things that I wouldn’t say in a sad song. When the album comes out and the tour is over, game songs will come out, much more free.