Yoly Saa

Yoly Saa (Pontevedra, 1992) admits that “everything has already been invented” in the music world. With this in mind, the dilemma for any artist is: how do I distinguish myself from the rest? For this Galician singer and composer, this task consists of being true to herself, researching a lot during the songwriting process and figuring out sounds that have a wow factor. This is how this young woman who managed to play in the first division of five-a-side female football and left teaching to throw herself into music has managed to create her own hallmark. An identity, more mature and more attached to her roots, which we can grasp from her latest song, No se me olvida, which she’ll take part in Benidorm Fest 2024 with. A new experience in a musical adventure that has only just begun.

Football player, teacher, singer... When did you realise that music was really your thing?
Oomph, never! Not even now. Everything has been quite unexpected. I was a teacher at a school in Galicia and I wasn’t really happy, so one day I told myself: what if I go to Madrid to see what’s going on there? It was a way to test myself and prove to myself that I could step outside of my comfort zone. I haven’t stopped to think much about what has happened to me in these five years, but I do know that I’m passionate about music and it’s the only means of expression that I find for certain things.

So, was this precisely what made you choose the instruments?
Yes, because music is the only thing that helps me connect 100% with the world and makes me feel shivers down my spine. There’s nothing that I’m more passionate about. I can pick up a guitar or put on a record and forget what my name is, if I’m breathing or not. Nothing makes me feel this way.

Where do you think that passion comes from?
My father. When I was a little girl, he’d put music on at home and sing me loads of boleros. He’d also put singer-songwriters on. In fact, I feel closely connected to that music, so everything points to that as the source of my passion.

“I can pick up a guitar and forget what my name is, if I’m breathing or not. Nothing makes me feel this way”

How would you describe the path an emerging artist has to follow to become part of the music industry?
It’s really tough. It’s something you can’t put too much thought into because, if you did, you wouldn’t do it. People often say to me that I’ve been brave, but I’ve simply been oblivious. I’ve been really lucky, there are people who spend many years trying to get to where I am today. My journey has been relatively quick and, even so, there are times when you lose hope. Nevertheless, once you step onstage, you forget about everything while singing your songs, it’s like coming home.

What advice would you give those who dream of making a living out of music?
To be patient, this is a long-distance race and, above all, that they do it for themselves, not for fame or the position they could reach. The essence of music is being lost. If you love writing slow songs, even if they sell less, write them. If you love doing reggaeton and twerking to the floor, go ahead. You should always be yourself.

Yoly Saa changed Galicia, where she was a teacher, for Madrid to try her luck in the world of music. © Steven Bernard.

They say that to succeed in the music world, you need to be different. How do you see it?
Knowing that everything has already been invented, in my case I think it’s the way I write, which is more similar to how it was done forty or fifty years ago. I’m also really visual, when I perform, I try to create settings and scenes, which I’m known for. At a production level, I like researching riskier sounds that people don’t expect, which initially might not be so easy on the ears. I don’t do it on purpose, it’s the way I make music.

“People say to me that I’ve been brave, but I’ve simply been oblivious. There are people who spend many years trying to get to where I am today”

If you had to choose between the stage and the studio, which would win?
Oomph! I can’t choose, one nourishes the other and vice versa. The stage is incredible because it allows you to connect with the audience and because of the adrenaline you feel, we become kind of hooked on that feeling! But the songwriting process in the studio is uniquely special. Seeing how a song is born with a guitar, then you replace it with loads of elements that have nothing to do with it and you come to unexpected sounds... That’s an incredible creative process.

You write songs for yourself, but also for other artists. What is writing for others like?
For me, it’s so much easier if the artist I’m writing for is with me. You kind of need to study each artist before sitting down with them. Then you have to listen to what they want and need, know their experiences, what phase of life they’re in and how they like to communicate. Writing songs for others allows you to stop navel-gazing to focus on other people’s stories.

We can’t not mention that you’re among the 16 finalists for Benidorm Fest with No se me olvida. How do you face this challenge and what are your expectations?
I try not to have many expectations because I always say that, in life, it’s better to be surprised than disappointed. The goal was to have a song that I felt really comfortable with, and that’s what we’ve done. I believe we can put on a good show, and we’ll do a great job. Then we’ll see what the jury thinks and what people will vote, but I feel calm about it.

“For me, talent, in this case musical talent, is being able to tell someone a story about their life without knowing their experiences”

We’ve heard you say it’s your best song. Why do you think so?
Because it’s the first song on my upcoming album and Yoly Saa has matured a lot. I’ve had life experiences that have moved me, and I feel clear-headed. The lyrics are nice and round and the production is more serious and full of character thanks to Alejandro Acosta from Fuel Fandango joining the team.

Finally, what is talent for you?
For me, talent, in this case musical talent, is being able to tell someone a story about their life without knowing their experiences. That is, for the person listening to your music to think: “That’s happened to me.” If you achieve this, it means that you’ve managed to bring together the exact words for someone without knowing it.