[Photo: Courtesy of Instituto Cervantes]
The Chinese audience soaked up the Spanish lyrics and wept with emotion as Luz Casal sang for the first time at the Poly Theatre in Beijing last month. Arguably the most famous female soloist in Spain, Casal fulfilled her dream of performing in China, as part of an international tour that will take her to five continents, to promote her latest album Un Ramo de Rosas (A Bouquet Of Roses).
New to China, Casal became an acclaimed star in Europe after her appearance in the soundtrack of Pedro Almodóvar's famous film High Heels, singing the bolero "Piensa en Mí" ("Think Of Me"). "I'm full of melancholy for China," Casal said as she left the country, while the tears and smiles of the Chinese audiences showed that they wanted her back.
Casal emerged center stage, striding into the spotlight like a diva, dressed in a black dress with a thigh-high split on one side, and pink boa feathers over her shoulders. Confident, she sang of passion, pain, joy and peace, treating the audience to a selection of her best works from her 30-year career. Her strong voice can take any tone between a bolero and a rock song. "Negra Sombra" ("Black Shadow"), sung in the Galician dialect, from Casal's native province of Galicia, and "Lo Eres Todo" ("You Are Everything"), were two of the highlights of an evening that brought some to tears.
"It doesn't matter if the audience looks different, what matters the most is that you are sincere whenever you offer your music; that honesty can reach people in every corner of the world," noted Casal ahead of her performances in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
China dream
Off stage, Casal keeps the red lipstick, but her softer side becomes apparent when recalling the anticipation she felt about her debut in China. "I've wanted to come to this country for a very long time and this seemed like the right moment," said the singer, the eagerness in her voice clearly showing.
"China is so big and mysterious. I usually have an impression of a country and an idea of the audience, but so far I just know that Chinese people are welcoming and respectful. And I sing in Spanish, so I can't help thinking it might be easier if I had some English songs in my repertoire," added Casal, anticipating a similar experience to the one she had when she first performed in countries like Tunisia and Canada.
Casal visited China at a time when she is reflecting upon her career. Un Ramo de Rosas is a reflection of the brightest side of my life," she said. "It includes the best hits of a very pleasurable career, during which I had the opportunity to try many different styles," said the songstress. With two new songs, the record is a collection of works originally recorded in the 1980s and the 2000s.
"The eponymous song "Un Ramo de Rosas" is very feminine and feminist. It's about a psychological disagreement within a problem relationship, in which a bunch of roses can't make up for the suffering the woman feels. She finally gathers the courage to leave," Casal said. Although her songs aren't all autobiographical, Casal pours much of her life and personality into them. "The overall message is one of joy and hope," she said, "I want to bring happiness to people."
Sing and shine
Baptized in 1958 as Luz, which in Spanish means light, Casal was born in the northwestern province of Galicia. "I didn't choose music, it chose me when I stepped on stage to sing for the first time at the age of 7, and I realized what it meant [to perform]." Casal studied piano, singing and composition, as well as dancing from classical and Spanish ballet to jazz.
"I fed off music and in many ways I was self-taught, always in search of what combined with me," noted Casal who spent time in several groups but always wanted to be a soloist. She moved to Madrid in the 1970s, where she entered the music scene as a backing singer.
Casal released her first album Luz in 1982 but it was the bolero "Piensa en Mí" ("Think Of Me"), by Agustín Lara, which was chosen by Pedro Almodóvar for his film High Heels, that gave Casal international recognition, particularly in France.
"It was an honor to receive the Goya [Spanish film award] for that song. I cherish it as the song that many people recognize me for," said Casal. Spanish-Chilean movie director Alejandro Amenábar included Casal's version of "Negra Sombra" in his movie The Sea Inside, which won the 2004 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Despite the fact that Casal's career was flowing with awards, artistic collaborative projects and concerts worldwide, it was put on hiatus in 2007, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"My experiences with this condition left me with good and bad things that I somehow put in the album Vida Toxica (Toxic Life). There were some songs about dreams that I experienced while I was going through chemotherapy."
After receiving the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) from the French Minister of Culture Frédé ric Mitterrand in 2009, Casal was forced to overcome cancer for the second time in 2010, a battle which fortunately, she won.
Life in songs
"I wanted to tell people that I was back and to tell them about my physical and emotional condition," said Casal, referring to when she performed "Gracias a la Vida" ("Thanks for life") to an audience of over 10,000 in Madrid, in February 2011. At the end of her concert in Beijing, Chinese spectators praised Casal's "talent and courage" for overcoming disease and returning to the stage with such "strength and sensuality."
The singer's passage through China was also recorded on Weibo by Internet users who claim to have cried at the Poly Theatre due to the intensity of her performance, and despite the lyrics being in Spanish.
Now back in Europe, Casal has been discovering the music of Bon Iver, is working on two new songs and is cooperating with a Serbian pianist.
"I still need to write that ultimate song, the best in the world, that one that everybody wants to listen to," said the singer. "I always feel like I'm just a beginner, there's still so much to learn and experience, so many audiences and collaborations to discover," said Casal, who will take memories of China with her as she leaves.
"I'll remember children smiling in parks, Beijing duck, huge buildings, the kindness and the professionalism of the Chinese people, and the kindness of the Spanish ones I met along the way," she said.
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