Tightrope walker: "The pandemic made me write songs with more viscerality"

On February 8, 2020, Diego Cantero (Molina de Segura, Murcia, 1982), better known as

, starred in the last great concert in the capital before the pandemic and the consequent confinement in a packed Wizink Center.

It was the first time that he performed in such a large venue in Madrid.

He

it again in September of that same 2020 (with the relevant capacity restrictions), and two and a half years later (on Sunday, January 15), the Murcian singer, songwriter and guitarist returns to that same stage, within the ninth edition of the Inverfest cycle, where the tour of

will start , his new album, which will take him all over Spain throughout the year.

The expectation is maximum to listen to this new work, the first one that he publishes under his own label Señorita Rock&Roll, of which great songs have already become famous such as

, the single that has registered millions of views on YouTube and listeners on the different platforms,

and

, among others.

The pandemic is precisely what led Tightrope walker to write this

, made up of 12 songs in which the singer-songwriter claims to show his most unknown face.

What is different about this new album? I have called the album

because perhaps it is the one that I have written with the most instinct, with the least reflection and, as a consequence, it has the most optimistic, furious and most visceral songs of my career.

In the previous ones, when I started to write, I liked to talk about reflection, from time, space, distance... On this occasion, everything has come out much more suddenly. Why have you decided to get this anger out of you? It has a lot to do with the pandemic.

It made me write more viscerally.

For example,

, which has been the single that has sounded the most, I wrote it in full confinement, with the desire to live and to write about the reasons why it was worth being here... And I think the album has a lot to do with this paradigm shift;

with the things that have been taken from us that we never thought would be taken from us.

On the new album there is everything.

Supervital themes and other more introspective ones. Do they reflect your reality? In the end, one is made of the moments one lives, the places one finds oneself and the situations one sees.

I'm talking about myself and my experiences, because the magic of music is that, the more you talk about yourself, the more universal you are.

Telling personal things makes people connect with you, because they can find themselves in situations similar to yours and empathize much more.

Because,

His great ability as a composer has been discovered

... with whom he has already worked.

He has also signed songs on film soundtracks, such as

,

, and tunes in television series (

) and in advertising.

Do you like that facet more or do you prefer to go on stage with your music? I like everything, but writing my songs and the liturgy of going on stage and singing for people is wonderful.

I also love being able to compose for others and get into their world.

That these artists want me to be part of their history and their lives is a very satisfying exercise and training.

It is also a huge responsibility, as well as easier, because when you write for yourself you can do anything, while when you write for someone, you already have a framework to compose about, you have to study what language to use, how is the voice of the one who sings it, who is it addressed to... all of that delimits you and it's easier for me to draw the painting when they give me the colors they want to use and, the truth is, I love that exercise.

You define it as a plea that unites Hispanics, what do you think unites us, besides language? Well, we have the same language and 10,000 different accents, but many things in common: vitality, resilience, the desire to fight, to live, to celebrate... all that unites us on this and on the other side of the pond.

I wanted to write a song to somehow unite all Spanish-speaking countries.

That was the intention, a topic that would encompass all of us and talk about everything we have in common. What do you think about the fact that there are parts of Spain where speaking Spanish is not so well regarded? Well, I think we have a lot of wealth of languages ​​in our country.

Spanish is super important and a wonderful vehicle that we should not waste, since it is a very rich language with an incredible vocabulary.

And luckily

We have other languages ​​in Spain that must also be valued because it is cultural wealth and everything can coexist in perfect harmony. Is it easy to make records today?

And sell them? The paradigm changes, but I've been making music for almost 23 years and every time I've faced the release of a new record, the industry has evolved.

I started recording records on cassette tapes, then came the CD that revolutionized everything, later came piracy, which affected everyone because we didn't quite understand how we could monetize our work, and then came the digital platforms that provided us, somehow way, a new path.

I always like to get the positive out of things, and the good part of this is that everything is going much faster now;

that is, unfortunately

there are very few of us who listen to an entire album from top to bottom.

I understand that this is the case because you no longer have enough time to dedicate the 45 or 50 minutes that a record usually lasts.

For this reason, much more value is now given to songs coming out every so often.

If I start to look at it from that perspective, before it was very similar, since vinyl records of one or two songs were made, which was what was promoted.

What does this give me now?

Well, I have the feeling that I can write the song that I love today and be able to release it in three weeks, that is, be able to record it, mix it and upload it to the platforms and that people listen more than ever to the present of the artists.

That is happening to all of us.

On the other hand, when you record an album, it is true that current events come to mind,

but by the time that idea reaches the ears of the public, two years later due to the entire process that production takes, well maybe it's not the same, that immediacy is lost.

That is why I believe that this whole new digital world has its positive side. Do you like the music that young people follow today, reggaeton, rap?

What do you keep?

It's not music that appeals to me.

In my house I don't play reggaeton or urban music, but as a professional I do the exercise of listening to what comes out, to find out how things are today.

Every Friday I listen to the news that is published on digital platforms and there is always an ingredient that I like and with which I stay.

Some sound, some novelty that comes to me, even in these genres I have found something that motivates me, lyrics, authors... the language used in these genres is far away for me,

but little by little... I look at it as an observer and I learn. You are very active on social networks, do you consider them a good tool to promote yourself? Yes, of course, and I also like them to show some part that is not musical.

Even though I am not very native to the networks, I have discovered in them that there are things that I like to share with people, like my love of cooking.

I love cooking because I come from Murcia and I miss Murcian gastronomy a lot.

During these 12 years that I have been in Madrid I have learned to cook a lot thanks to my family's recipes (aunts, grandmothers...).

During the pandemic I decided to upload a recipe and things that I cooked and the truth is that I received a very good response from my followers.

I have a public there and an audience that I find very pleasant,

and that maybe they wouldn't make it to my music if it weren't for that.

I love contacting people who, a priori, are not the

of my music but with whom I share other things.

The Madrid of...

Diego Cantero has been living in Madrid for 12 years.

Currently

.

"I couldn't say how I got there. When I came to Madrid, the friends I had lived in Aravaca (on the outskirts of the capital), so I rented a flat in the area. Later I had the opportunity to buy a piece of land and build a house in Pozuelo, and I'm still there, with my wife and my five-year-old daughter. I love it because it's close to Madrid and it's very quiet. I'm from a town, I come from one called Molina de Segura, in Murcia, and when As I approach the big city, I feel a bit overwhelmed. Pozuelo reminds me of my town, the quiet life, being able to go shopping without crowds."

A corner to get lost in:

"I usually take the bike a lot and I like to go along the path that leads to the

. I also like to walk with my dog ​​through the municipality. It is a place surrounded by lots of nature one step away from home and that's what I like".

A restaurant:

"I usually go to the

(San Juan de la Cruz, 10, Pozuelo de Alarcón) a lot. It's a daily menu place, but it has become part of my house because, as many artists come to house to compose and so on, we always end up eating there.

When I go to Madrid, I always go down to my second home, which is

(Libertad 8), the joint where many singers began to perform.

There, on the stage of this concert cafe, presided over by a hundred-year-old pianola, they gave me my first opportunity in Madrid and it was where I began to make my audience.

Another restaurant that I really like in the center is

(Puerta del Sol, 10), in Chicote.

It has a beautiful terrace and it's on the roof of El Corte Inglés de Sol. It's up there and I love it.

In Pozuelo,

(Camino de las Huertas, 2, Pozuelo de Alarcón).

There I often meet the flamenco singer José Mercé, which is also his place.

Data of interest

Date

: Sunday, January 15 (7:30 p.m.).

Place:

Wizink Center (Av. Felipe II, s/n).

Price:

28.60 euros

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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