Hot Star: Keralto Rahoz Bridging genres, cultures and time through urbano-infused flamenco

The 2022 Latin music boom, fueled by megastar Bad Bunny, shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, with Mexican music dominating the charts in 2023 and many other subgenres in terms of streaming and ticket sales. is reaching new heights. Latin music continues to evolve by infusing sounds from other cultures, but it somehow remains true to its roots, feeling like songs straight out of the barrio or pueblo, and which psychologists It lends credence to Harold Ploshansky’s concept of place identity, a theory that posits a person’s place identity. Who we are – our behaviors, emotions, values, goals, and preferences – is tied to our particular environment.

Spanish singer-songwriter Queralt Rahoz is one of those artists who can’t shake his origins. Her music explores a variety of genres, including hip-hop, dancehall, funk, and soul, but she always has a foundation in the sounds she grew up with.

“The music that always appeals to me is music that has Pueblo and Urbano roots,” Rahoz told Pollstar. “I identify very much with the music sung in the barrios and ghettos. I think it’s carioca funk. [from Brazil] It’s incredible. …I love music that is rooted in culture. I think Latin music deserves a lot of space and attention because there are millions of people who speak Spanish around the world. ”

Rahoz, 31, is proud to be from Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a small town on the outskirts of Barcelona, ​​and music has been a part of her life ever since she can remember. She often used the art of singing as a way to cope with the world around her and have it take her to a safer place.

“It’s true that from an early age, it took me out of bad moments,” Rahoz says. “Whenever I was sad or in a bad mood, I would write or sing a song and my mind would immediately go elsewhere. I was going to travel somewhere better than where I was.”

Rahoz isn’t afraid to bare her soul in her songs, and that sensibility is evident in her songs, which sometimes interrogate her desire for revenge and exaltation. Her music is a window into her past, present, thoughts, anxieties, and heart, where her mother and grandmother, who were instrumental in raising her, reside forever.

“I like to immerse myself in things that are very human and spiritual within,” Rahoz says. “The women in my family are such an inspiration to me in terms of the stories I want to tell and the music that makes women feel like they can do anything, even if they’re alone and independent. I did.”

It was the matriarch of her family who instilled strength and independence in Rahoz, as her brother was the only male present in her family. Their influence led her to seek contributions from other women around the world, from famous photographer Isabel Steba Hernández, also known as Corita, to rapper Missy Elliott.

“Apart from the rappers I love, I also remember photographers like Corita. [Gitanos] And I took pictures of them,” Rahoz says. “I’m thinking too [Argentine folk singer] female writers such as Mercedes Sosa and Cristina Peri Rossi; I think about the people who helped me understand myself as a person, and I think about the people who helped me become a better person. Because reading, listening, and studying their art helped me find my voice. ”

More than 10 years ago, Lajoz and her guitarist friend Daniel Felices began performing boleros, a Cuban song primarily about love, at local bars, clubs and family events.

“If I really connected with the audience, they would cry,” Rahoz says. “That’s when I reconnected with music and realized I wasn’t born for anything other than singing.”

After years of playing small, intimate shows, Rahoz felt ready to share his music with the world, so he entered the recording studio. In 2018, she released her first single “Maria la Molinera”, which combines flamenco influences and an appreciation for bolero. A year later, she furthered her musical explorations with her song “Como Puñalá”, in which Lajoz injected her Spanish sounds with Urbano beats and raps.

Shortly after releasing her second single, Rahoz went through a nerve-wracking journey to release her first EP, 1917, during which she learned a lot, especially how working in a studio makes money. I learned how to move fast.

“I felt a little lost because I wanted to sing about so many things and play so many sounds, and it was very difficult to do that in five tracks,” Rahoz says. Masu. “But at the end of the day, I just let myself go in that moment and had fun. I realized that I had more fun making music in the studio than recording my own vocals. I started enjoying it. It wasn’t until much later.

“I stayed in the studio for the last few hours because I felt the music was the most important thing. I didn’t have any money, so I was fending for myself. At the end of the day, the most important thing is your commitment in the recording process. I understood that it was more about intention and having everything in place.”

Just as she was gaining momentum, the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) occurred. Due to the lockdown and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic at the time, Rahoz was unable to properly visit his loved ones.

“Not being able to see my family and not being able to perform really affected me,” she says. “In Spain, we love hugging and kissing people. It hurt not being able to feel the warmth of a loved one and having to socially distance just to talk.”

But as he had done during other dark times, Rahoz turned his grief into strength and creativity, recording his first LP, Pureza, in 2021. This album showcased her versatility as an artist, with songs that highlighted her melodic and soothing voice. It emphasizes her flow and rhythm. And she continued to show off her range with her EP, Alto Cielo, released in May.

“When you go through grief, you don’t realize what you’ve lost until time passes,” Rahoz says. “Alto Cielo is where I found peace during the time lost during the coronavirus pandemic. I had a clear idea of ​​what I wanted to do and I wanted to tell a story with a lot of history. The pandemic helped me understand where I want to speak from and how to process my thoughts to connect with my sensibilities.”

Although such a lesson was learned the hard way, it also led to Rahoz winning the greatest musical honor he has ever received. Earlier this year, she won the Music Moves Europe Award, a European Union award that focuses on emerging artists and the diversity of music on the continent, and was awarded the Music Moves Europe Award, which previously included Rosalía, Adele, Stromae and Dua Lipa. has been added to the list of award winners.

“I wasn’t expecting much because my team had told me I couldn’t win.” I thought that even though I had worked so hard and tried so hard, the moment had come for me to receive the award that I deserved. . When I work nonstop, I need that recognition!” Rahoz said with a laugh.

In addition to the cash prize, the award comes with the opportunity to perform at festivals in Europe, and Rahoz has since traveled the world, including performing at New York’s Summer Stage in Central Park in July. I’m not satisfied with that. Even though she has had the honor of performing at festivals such as the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary, Rahoz is still not satisfied and hopes to connect with an even wider audience in 2024. I’m looking forward to.

“I’m not quite there yet in terms of recognizing my accomplishments and feeling accomplished,” she says. “I’m on the launch pad right now. I think I have a few more jumps to make before I can take that big leap and say, ‘I’ve made it.’ I’m very demanding of myself, so I started wanting more and feeling like it wasn’t enough. But I’m in the right place along the way. It just requires a few more steps. ”

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