Why is it called Penya?
Penya is the ancestral nickname of my family.
Bartomeu Nicolau and Morlà.
Son of Mallorcan farmers.
What did they grow?
Beans, wheat, sweet potatoes, potatoes… And the best melons in the world!
Are they that good?
Thanks to the intelligence of my parents and the clay soil of my town.
Very much in love with his town.
I have a place dedicated to it: “Tomeu Penya, singer-songwriter”.
And did you want to be a farmer?
When I was nine I wanted to be a musician.
Because?
At parties I saw joy and music, and uncle Maties played the guitar…
Did you manage to get a guitar?
My parents, with effort, bought it for me. What incredible confidence in me.
What did they teach you?
To work with desire. And sensitivity. And, from father, I learned vice.
Now it will be the father’s fault…
My daughter is vicious. my inheritance
He said his parents supported him.
“Study music”, they asked me. And I studied classical guitar.
And did he make a living playing?
In the sixties, hotels were born in Mallorca: and at the age of 15 there I was, playing and well paid.
What did he do with that money?
He gave everything at home.
fair compensation
I didn’t hug or kiss my parents enough, and today that hurts me. Today I live in the same house where I was born.
What do you remember about those hotels?
That it was a fantastic life, I was very happy. And I learned languages.
What languages?
English to understand Beatles songs, which drove me crazy: I switched to electric guitar. And German, to tie. How important it is to know languages! Also Spanish, it’s a pride to speak it.
But his trademark is his Mallorcan speech.
Let no one touch me!
Have you always been composing songs?
Yes, lyrics and music. From a young age, songs came to me earlier than in Spain.
How many songs has he composed?
Almost 350 songs.
Her favorite is…
It rains .
“It’s raining and the wind is blowing outside…”
…”That makes me feel small like a grain of sand”…
How was this song born?
Its lyrics explain it in detail: I’m in bed, it’s raining outside and I’m making love…
unbeatable
Full of emotions and enjoyment, this is how I create my songs. To compose first you need to tie.
And after the hotels, what did he do?
Playing and living in Germany, London, Denmark, Sweden… Until I returned to Mallorca.
Did he treat other Mallorcan singer-songwriters? Like Maria del Mar Bonet…
The best voice in Europe!
The University of Barcelona has just awarded her an honorary doctorate.
I shared a National Music Award with her, in 1992, I.
Would you like a PhD?
I like this steak better.
Do you know Llorenç Santamaría?
At the end of the sixties I went to the Toltec nightclub, I saw him singing soul and I was blown away, very good. I also admired Serafín Javaloyas, and Guillem d’Efak…
You are now publishing the album Natura.
Nature has always been honest with us and we have betrayed her.
Do you accuse the Majorcans of having destroyed the island?
I’m talking about me, me.
Banastres is the title of a song on the album: what is a banastre?
A banastre is someone who is a bit drunk, party-goer, prankster, frolic, dancer and fucker, a person who knows how to have fun. I am one myself, from Banastre.
How have you and your music evolved since you were 15?
I haven’t evolved much, me. Banastre I was and I am. In music I have moved with the times. And today I write shorter lyrics.
And then?
If I think, I don’t live. And over time I have tried to think less, to live more. If I don’t think, I live.
What is your favorite pleasure?
The one of Plou. And run Little by little and in a plan, of course. If there is a descent, I accelerate. If it’s uphill, I walk.
Health, right?
Yes, that’s why I signed a contract with my record company, which is mine, for the next thirty years. Then we’ll see.
