Valeria Castro

The music by Valeria Castro (Los Llanos de Aridane, La Palma, 1999) is the gift of kindness. A gift that allows her to move her audience without using any tricks, only her intrinsic ease, sincerity and honesty. We could also call it talent. This is how she touches the hearts of her fans, who filled the Movistar Arena on the 9^th of January for the most important concert of her career. An unforgettable moment, the artist confesses: “The emotional charge of that concert, surrounded by so many people supporting and believing in me, was one of the greatest of my life. It will always have a special place in my heart. For my parents to see me play in front of thousands of people, to see how far that girl from La Palma has come, is the best memory.” Valeria celebrates that her parents are very happy. “More than to see what is happening to me, to see me happy with what is happening to me,” she underlines. She also receives unwavering support from Iberia through its Talento a bordo project.

To understand Valeria, we need to zoom in on the small island where she was born, La Palma. “I don’t recur to my roots because I want to sell something, but rather because I cannot do anything other than what my voice, my songs, the inertia of imagery ask me to do. An imagery that feeds off my land, the folklore of the Canary Islands and my own story, which have set the path of my musical endeavours,” she assures us. These roots are not limited to a geographic location, but rather the people that inhabit it. “My family have taught me not to deny them, to hold on to those roots. They have defined the person I am and, therefore, the artist I am,” she notes. Because she admits that the music she used to listen to at home defined her musical taste: “I have been influenced by my father, who used to listen to Joaquín Sabina or Joan Manuel Serrat, and my twin sister, who would put on Silvia Pérez Cruz or Jorge Drexler. It allowed me to see where I wanted to go. I’ve always known what fills my heart and who have been the artists who have defined me.”

“My family have taught me not to deny them, to hold on to those roots. They have defined the person I am and, therefore, the artist I am”

Valeria is aware that her songs touch people’s hearts: “I’m moved when they appeal to the person in front of me, how they fit into their life story without my intention. There is something there that, no matter how different our experiences are, brings us together. The intention of music has always been to humanize feelings and emotions, to feel that there is something in common between singer and listener.” And where do those songs come from? “From the things that I am feeling, but don’t know how to put into words yet —she confesses—. We are living in a time where so many things happen that we don’t know how to express. I do it by writing songs; it is like my native language, the one that shines a light on my feelings. If only everyone could understand themselves through their writing. It’s a form of therapy.” Valeria celebrates the healing power of music: “The fact that my own emotions channelled into something collective can help people is beautiful.”

A musical journey
On the 16^th of April, Valeria Castro will start her tour across Latin America in Mexico City, playing shows in Lima (Perú), Bogotá (Colombia), Santiago de Chile (Chile), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Río de Janeiro (Brazil). “When I fly across the pond, I connect my archipelago with a continent we feel is very close. It is one of the most exciting moments of my career. For my songs to reach so many people from such different countries is something I’ll never get used to,” says the artist. For someone who was born and raised on an island, travelling is part of her DNA. For Valeria, this is also reflected in her music: “The experience of travel allows you to reach places that will define you as a person. I come from an island, and that leaves its mark. The sky is home to me. When I am up there and everything stops, it’s beautiful. I always use that time to go over my notes and audio messages I send myself.”

“I’m moved when my songs appeal to the person in front of me, how they fit into their life story without my intention”

During those trips, Valeria keeps her eyes open because who knows, inspiration might be around the corner: “You need to be observant and keep your phone close by so that, when an idea comes, you can hit record and capture it. I record myself everywhere to retain that emotion. Even on planes, close to the microphone with the sound of the engines in the background.” And Valeria observes a lot of talent: “There’s a lot of talk about talent in music, but it is important to know that there are other forms of talent around us, and I defend that anyone can have it. Talent is singing or writing but also knowing how to take care of people or appreciating where you come from.” Lessons that remind us of the value Valeria places on her surroundings: “I am held up by people who know exactly who I am: my mother, my father, my sister, my friends… I am transparent and the audience can see that, but even though I might be a crystallite, I keep things to myself and share them with those who have always been there, and hopefully always will be, those who take care that that crystallite never breaks.”