The lights go out and, on the stage, a spotlight illuminates the figure of Pablo Alborán, who sings the first notes of My 36 next to the piano. Although there are more than 300 people in the room, the silence is deadly: Alborán’s voice fills everything. The image recalls his beginnings, when there was only him and his piano. The Malaga native was the protagonist of the meeting with the readers of EL PAÍS which took place on 18 November at the Teatros Luchana. Now you can enjoy the interview and live performance offered by the musician on video. EL PAÍS Meetings are part of the loyalty program for EL PAÍS+ subscribers.
Laura Piñero, journalist from Cadena SER, was in charge of carrying out the interview in which Alborán presented his seventh studio album, KM0a rebirth that paradoxically made him return to his “initial self”. After a few years of dizzying pace, the artist is satisfied with having “recovered that first emotion and freshness” in this album. He defended the need for life experiences to be composed and explained that writing means “living with yourself.” At 36, he was proud to have put himself “in a very healthy position in terms of his relationship with the music industry.”
The process of composing KM0 It was born from a complex moment, in which the artist’s family was experiencing an illness at home, as well as his subsequent recovery. He acknowledged that there were two years of “a lot of movement” in which he felt “the earth shaking.” He stated that “when that happens, you have to put things back in their place.”
After this experience, Alborán proved himself to be a firm defender of public health and denounced the working conditions of health workers in Spain. To thank him for his work, the artist composed Floor 7a song of more than nine minutes co-written with Vicente Amigo from Córdoba. The musician revealed the process of creating this bulería, to which Amigo placed only one condition: to write together in the place where Alborán began. The location was the garage of the family home in Benalmádena. For the occasion, Alborán’s family “dressed up” and his mother prepared couscous: “It was a brutal shock to see the reference in your life to the place where you wrote your first songs and to compose a song together for those who saved your life,” she confessed. “Floor 7 It is a tribute to all those who care and to all those who are on that floor of the Hospital la Fe in Valencia,” he added.
The artist was moved when one of the readers gave him a letter of thanks from one of the professional unions of doctors in Madrid: “I don’t want to politicize anything at all”, he underlined, “but it is very important that we realize the situation that public health professionals are experiencing”.
Its connection to Spanish healthcare goes further. The artist made his acting debut in the second season of Breathethe Netflix series set in a public hospital in Valencia. He confessed that it was a very rewarding process: “In the first acting class I realized that it was wonderful to forget about yourself for a while.” In the series he plays Jon Balanzategui, a very confident plastic surgeon who brings a new dimension to the hospital. When asked what music his character would listen to, the musician concluded with a laugh: “Jon doesn’t like Pablo Alborán.”
Next February the Malaga player will begin his tour Global TourKM0 to Latin America and then visiting Spain and the main European capitals. How do you prepare yourself psychologically to spend so much time away from home? “In the previous months I take care of my head, diet and exercise. Sport saves my life,” he replied.
KM0 unfolds an eclectic repertoire that celebrates the present. He assured that it was not a preemptive decision: “I get bored easily and I like to try different styles. I feel identified with many songs because they arise from vehemence.” On the album he mixes ballads with flamenco and Latin rhythms: “I tried to let the songs rule, not me. It’s important to be focused so as not to contaminate your work,” he revealed.
After fifteen years of a musical career, Pablo Alborán explained that, in reality, what he likes is the chase after everything: “There are things you feel in the five seconds before entering, giving a kiss or playing the first note. That microsecond has an inestimable value for me and I would like to live there.” To conclude the event, the artist returned to the piano. He interpreted Saturnone of the most loved songs from his previous works, I promise.
Pablo Alborán was the last guest of the EL PAÍS Meetings. Every month the best artists on the national scene dialogue with readers in unique encounters with live performances. By being a subscriber to EL PAÍS, you will have access to meetings like this and many other exclusive experiences. Start enjoying the EL PAÍS+ site.
