Brave Spanish legend brings songs to city
LUZ Casal, an iconic figure in Spanish pop music scene, was one of the first singers to introduce rock music to Spanish audiences and is also one of the most recognizable Spanish voices worldwide. The 53-year-old legend, who last year recovered from breast cancer for a second time, will perform before local audiences next Tuesday at Shanghai Daning Theater. She will also appear in Beijing and Guangzhou on her first China tour.
"I am so proud to introduce traditional and popular songs from Spain and Latin America. It is an honor to be considered an ambassador for Spanish music," Casal, clearly excited by the prospect of her Chinese concerts, tells Shanghai Daily via an email interview. The Galician native started her music career in 1982, with her self-titled first album that featured rock music. At the time, the genre was relatively new to Spain and it was still almost taboo for female singers to perform in rock acts. "I enjoy performing rock music, because it is part of my generation, part of my culture and part of my memories," says Casal.
The first album and the subsequent tour were both successful, and motivated her to further explore musical possibilities, including and beyond rock. Casal, who says "I like to sing songs that the public like to hear," is also known for breaking stereotypes and bridging genres. "An important aspect for me is to surprise the public and to discover new aspects of my voice and my capacity for composing different music and lyrics," she explains. And she has done so. Casal's voice, mature and ever-evolving, can be in turn gritty, clean, mellow, atmospheric or explosive in songs crossing genres such as rock, pop, folk and electro, plus many more. Casal made a great impression on global audiences when she lent her atmospheric vocals to Pedro Almodovar's internationally acclaimed melodrama "High Heels" (1991), singing the classy bolero "Piensa En Mi," ("Think of Me") and "Un Ano De Amor" ("A Year of Love.") These two songs escalated Casal's music career, especially extend! ing her fame in the wider world, and still remain among her most famous tracks.
The singer has since performed all around the world, before she had to leave the stage in 2007 for chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. She remained positive and active while fighting the disease, and managed to produce the poetic album "Toxic Life," in which she sang the song "Se Feliz" ("Be Happy"), her response to the disease and questions about her health and state of mind. In 2009, after she had recovered, Casal returned to the stage and started playing fund-raising concerts in support of cancer research. But the disease returned in 2010, and she fought it with equal strength and determination second time round. Casal returned to the stage last February, with a benefit performance for the Spanish Cancer Association and the Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group. "I feel so good and I am in an excellent period of my life. I recorded the song 'Se Feliz' to express my happiness. And I will continue to do fund-raising with a benefit concert in September in my hometown," she says.
Casal is currently working on new songs for her next album and for a TV series for Serbia, amid her world tour that is scheduled until the end of the year. Date: 7:30pm, May 8 Venue: Shanghai Daning Theater, 1222, Pingxingguan Rd Admission: 100-380 yuan Tel: 3636-8807 Check http://biblioteca-shanghai.cervantes.es/cn/default.htm for discount detail (Chinese and Spanish only).
"I am so proud to introduce traditional and popular songs from Spain and Latin America. It is an honor to be considered an ambassador for Spanish music," Casal, clearly excited by the prospect of her Chinese concerts, tells Shanghai Daily via an email interview. The Galician native started her music career in 1982, with her self-titled first album that featured rock music. At the time, the genre was relatively new to Spain and it was still almost taboo for female singers to perform in rock acts. "I enjoy performing rock music, because it is part of my generation, part of my culture and part of my memories," says Casal.
The first album and the subsequent tour were both successful, and motivated her to further explore musical possibilities, including and beyond rock. Casal, who says "I like to sing songs that the public like to hear," is also known for breaking stereotypes and bridging genres. "An important aspect for me is to surprise the public and to discover new aspects of my voice and my capacity for composing different music and lyrics," she explains. And she has done so. Casal's voice, mature and ever-evolving, can be in turn gritty, clean, mellow, atmospheric or explosive in songs crossing genres such as rock, pop, folk and electro, plus many more. Casal made a great impression on global audiences when she lent her atmospheric vocals to Pedro Almodovar's internationally acclaimed melodrama "High Heels" (1991), singing the classy bolero "Piensa En Mi," ("Think of Me") and "Un Ano De Amor" ("A Year of Love.") These two songs escalated Casal's music career, especially extend! ing her fame in the wider world, and still remain among her most famous tracks.
The singer has since performed all around the world, before she had to leave the stage in 2007 for chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. She remained positive and active while fighting the disease, and managed to produce the poetic album "Toxic Life," in which she sang the song "Se Feliz" ("Be Happy"), her response to the disease and questions about her health and state of mind. In 2009, after she had recovered, Casal returned to the stage and started playing fund-raising concerts in support of cancer research. But the disease returned in 2010, and she fought it with equal strength and determination second time round. Casal returned to the stage last February, with a benefit performance for the Spanish Cancer Association and the Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group. "I feel so good and I am in an excellent period of my life. I recorded the song 'Se Feliz' to express my happiness. And I will continue to do fund-raising with a benefit concert in September in my hometown," she says.
Casal is currently working on new songs for her next album and for a TV series for Serbia, amid her world tour that is scheduled until the end of the year. Date: 7:30pm, May 8 Venue: Shanghai Daning Theater, 1222, Pingxingguan Rd Admission: 100-380 yuan Tel: 3636-8807 Check http://biblioteca-shanghai.cervantes.es/cn/default.htm for discount detail (Chinese and Spanish only).
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