Marlena: “We can’t stand the Eurovision thing nor do we write songs thinking about the Benidorm Fest” | EUROtoday

We spoke with the Madrid duo, fashioned by Ana Legazpi and Carolina Moyano, concerning the honeys of success, the LGTBI collective, the struggle of egos within the music business and their relationship with Måneskin

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There are Marlena (Ana Legazpi and Carolina Moyano) one thing absurdly misplaced that’s cool. There is once they sit in a downtown cafeteria painted pink and decked out in gold tinsel with their look city, all cap, sweatshirt and saggy pants. The Madrid ladies, aged 26 and 28 respectively, stroll alongside Gran Vía – which they’ve walked so many occasions as kids – with an anxious and, on the identical time, modest step: they’re nonetheless not used to individuals stopping them to take pictures, though they’re delighted. “We could spend hours and hours talking to fans on the street, as if we were colleagues. It costs us much less than responding to comments on Twitter,” they are saying.

After a summer season with greater than 30 live shows and pageant performances such because the Arenal Sound, the Jardín de las Delicias or the Boombastic, Ana and Carolina inaugurate 2024 with a tour of the primary cities of our nation: on February 15 they premiere at La Riviera in Madrid, with tickets virtually bought out , and on February 23, on the Apolo room in Barcelona. A busy winter that begins in January with the race in direction of Eurovision on the Benidorm Festfor which they’ve simply introduced their proposal, Summer Love– A contemporary nod to Dany Zuko and Sandy’s romance in Grease.

In the midst of the maelstrom of latest Spanish pop, Marlena is obvious about her hallmark: not being what a feminine duo is predicted to be. “We are two young women who go on stage looking like men, something quite strange, especially because we are used to seeing more sexualized women, so to speak. Be careful, they are probably very comfortable in that role, each one goes out to act as they want, but it is important that there are more types of artists so that children and adolescents can be inspired and say: ‘Well no, man, I want to be like them. I don’t want to wear heels even body. You know?” says Ana.

They clarify that they’ve acquired tales of younger individuals who have “come out of the closet” due to their instance. A big proportion of the eurofans identifies with the LGTBIQ+ collective, and amongst its ranks are many Marlena followers, individuals of all ages. “Nothing has been premeditated, I think the best way for things to go well is to do it naturally. It’s true that now It takes a lot to be a champion of a cause.“It’s a simple type of promoting that I am unable to stand as a result of many artists do not even really feel it,” says Ana. “But hey, it is beginning to odor. “People realize when it’s not real.”

The two pals studied Business Administration and Architecture -because of the Departures-, though they had been at all times clear that music would find yourself knocking on their door in a technique or one other to indicate them the way in which. They met at a celebration, linked, and broke up recording covers between skewers and beers. “We are finally managing to sound like Marlena, to ensure that they don’t say: ‘this sounds like Lola Índigo’ or ‘this sounds like Álvaro de Luna’. We are inviting ourselves to find our musical identity, starting from the very peculiar voice that Ana has,” says Carolina.

Your figures on the platforms streaming They are unstoppable: they add greater than 2 and a half million weekly views and greater than 1.3 million month-to-month listeners. Her music is, of the 16 candidates for the Benidorm Fest, essentially the most listened to on Spotify, accumulating virtually 250,000 views in a single week since its launch. It can be one of many least proposals in Eurovision, an idea that Ana hates. “Summer Love It was never designed specifically for the Benidorm Fest or for Eurovision, we wanted to escape from that cliché and choose something that represented us, that we had already written and that would be part of our repertoire no matter what,” says Carolina. “It’s something very much ours, a very true story, and that is why I think it has connected so much with the public. It does not have to be Eurovisionbut marks Spain”.

The Måneskin guys had been unbelievable with us on X Factor as a result of we had no concept tips on how to converse Italian.

They give the instance of Moonlight, who took over the crystal microphone in 2021 with a pure and exhausting rock proposal. “And now they are doing it all over the world. They have an incredible career and they deserve it because they have worked hard from the beginning.” Ana and Carolina know this as a result of they lived with them for the Italian version of the X Factor program in 2017, to which the younger ladies confirmed up pushed by a good friend who was on Erasmus in Milan. “We went there without knowing Italian or anything, and Damiano and Victoria, and their families, welcomed us and helped us with the translations. They were great, they explained everything to us and they wanted us to teach them expressions in Spanish. It was super cool,” they rely.

They acknowledge that, because the program ended, they haven’t had contact once more, however they comply with them wherever they go. The Italian group has, in a manner, marked its future: the title of the duo, Marlena, seems within the songs Back house y I’ll die as a King. “I made Ana obsessed with the songs, although she is the one who usually recommends music to me. Then we saw an interview where Damiano explained that Marlena is not a real woman, but something like the muse to whom you dedicate everything you write. Each one has their Marlena, and we thought it was an ideal name for our group.” Therefore, having the ability to characterize Spain in Eurovision, and even profitable the competition, looks like “an interesting way to close the circle.”

Some circles shut, and others open: up to now, Marlena He has collaborated with Nil Moliner, La Pegatina, Andrés Suárez and Despistaos. In the close to future, the Madrid ladies see themselves on stage with Álvaro de Luna or David Fernández; They additionally dare to dream, amidst laughter, of a that includes con Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus or Carín León.

There is a sure recreation of egos within the music business, it’s tough to make room for brand new artists

“When they call us and offer us a song designed to work with us, it surprises us a lot, it is one of the things that can make us most excited,” says Ana. “Of course there will always be a business part in this collaborations.” , however I feel that now artists are extra open to sharing experiences and enriching themselves, there may be not a lot rivalry.” From companions like Vicco, Blanca Paloma and Tanxungueirasparticipants in previous editions of the Benidorm Fest, say they have received congratulations, advice and messages of support.

Even so, they admit that there is a certain “ego recreation” within the music industry. “It is inevitable, and lots of occasions it’s inspired each from inside and out of doors, with the entire difficulty of reproductions, data… A bit like on the planet of influencers“, they maintain. It is one of the calls red flags that, as in his last singledetect at a professional level: “It’s one thing that makes me black as a result of we We welcome everybody who’s new to the business with out trying down on them.In truth, we at all times find yourself assembly essentially the most novice individuals as a result of they arrive with all their enthusiasm and humility.”