Ana Tijoux (Anamaría Tijoux Merino, 46 years old, Lille, France) has turned the losses into a well to go to for water. The death of his sister in 2019 and other farewells made him think about the mark that loved ones leave behind, even when they are not there. “The education we have does not prepare us for losses,” showed the singer in a virtual meeting with EL PAÍS readers. At first there was sadness, but then came the joy of remembering and laughing together. From this duality between death and hope came the album Vida, released in January and marking the return of one of the references of Spanish music ten years after his last work.
Tijoux had not released an album since 2014 (Vengo), although the composition is always present in her life, even if she is not aware of it: “Naively, I thought I hadn't created it for a long time, and the other day I… “ I started listening to a lot of songs that I haven't published yet.” In addition, in 2023 he published a book, Sacar la voz, a title that he has already given to one of his songs and that expresses his political and social could shape a career characterized by activism. But only in the last few months have the letters become more clearly about Vida. He assures us that it is his happiest and most danceable work.
Although it has not yet been released, some previews are known, such as Tania, a song dedicated to his sister. Her energy is the substance of a song that honors her and combines nostalgia with vitality. “Loss and death always have this counterpoint,” he said during the meeting, which is part of the exclusive activities of EL PAÍS+.
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This calm and courageous attitude runs through the entire album, as well as in another already available song, Niñx. Tijoux was watching the news and it seemed to him that in the midst of so much violence, his children (he has two) needed a song “so that they don't lose hope,” so he composed these lyrics: “Forward, let's go.” Girl, let's go there / take the bridge over the river that this water will give you / rain, laughter, life, my girl / don't lose your laughter, my girl, my girl. Although her daughter was explicitly the starting point, the singer recognized that it was also a song for herself.
In her opinion, if the girl who was Tijoux saw her now, she would make fun of her. “Maybe I’ve become what I didn’t want to be,” he said. The adult world seemed very boring to him and although he lost the simplicity of children's play, he did not lose his curiosity. This has always guided her in search of rhythms that go beyond the hip-hop that catapulted her.
Although little Anamaría could not imagine her future, the truth is that Tijoux has managed to be a reference in music. Billboard magazine named her the third best rapper in Spanish in a mixed list in which she is the first woman. He appreciates the recognition, but it causes him some “conflict.” He finds it difficult to position his references in a list or to favor one genre over others, adding that the classifications may not be a good example “in pedagogical terms.”
The awards, the media exposure and the vulnerability it leads to are carried with humor. Try not to let everything be “so serious.” However, he does not shy away from the responsibility that social movements assume: “You make mistakes, but I find the task of growing together very beautiful.”
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