Blanca Paloma is touched by audience reaction to “Eaea” 4:43
(CNN Spanish) – Blanca Paloma is set to take her grandmother Carmen and her flamenco heritage to the Eurovision 2023 stage in Liverpool this weekend.
The singer is representing Spain at the European music festival, which brings together countries from across the region and is causing quite a stir not only on that continent but also in several Latin American countries.
She has a difficult task: to surpass the third place achieved by Chanel in 2022 with “SloMo”. However, it is not impossible.
“Eaea” by Blanca Paloma: a cultural experience
Blanca Paloma comes to the tournament as one of the favorites for the hypnotic ‘Eaea’, a modern flamenco inspired by her grandmother, which Eurovision fans regard as a cultural experience rather than just a musical theme.
The video of her presentation at the Benidorm Fest – where Spain’s representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest are selected – was shared on the European competition channel and followers from different parts of the world went out of their way to praise Blanca Paloma.
“It has to be Eurovision. Culture and talent,” says one comment. Another explains in English: “This isn’t just a song, it’s an experience. A bouillon cube with a great taste of Spanish culture straight to your ear!”
And that is precisely the essence that Blanca Paloma wanted to convey. Knowing that his message reaches people who cannot understand the text because they do not speak the language brings him to tears.
“Ultimately being able to transfer what you are feeling to what others are feeling is very complicated. The fact that people from different places and different cultures have come together is because something good is created, which is emotions,” Blanca Paloma told Zona Pop CNN in an interview via Zoom.
A hymn inspired by his grandmother Carmen
The song, a flamenco, pays homage to Grandma Carmen, both in inspiration and on the cover, which shows her in a typical flamenco dress, holding a fan and wearing sunglasses.
In addition, as the matriarch of the Blanca Paloma family, the Spanish singer could not interpret anything other than what she inherited.
“It’s a song that’s very special to me because it comes from a very family legacy, straight from my grandmother Carmen, who was the matriarch of the family, the bearer of the flamenco that I inherited and that I’m passionate about own.” And now I’m sharing that with you all,” Blanca Paloma told Zona Pop CNN.
The song is a contrast, ranging from whispers to explosive displays of the singer’s vocal prowess.
“Eaea is that nod to lullabies, but more than a lullaby, it’s an anthem to wake people up so they become aware,” he adds.
The moon and Lorca as muses
One of the most emotional parts of “Eaea” is a stanza that has an analogy between death and the moon.
“My child, when I die / Let them bury me in the moon / And I see you every night / Every night less than one (ole!)”
The verse also alludes to the work of Federico García Lorca, says the singer, who admires her deeply.
“For me it was super powerful — the verse — because it coincided with a little song my grandmother sang to me, and then I wanted to pull that thread,” Blanca Paloma tells Zona Pop CNN.
“This way of writing, as if it alludes to the folklore and tradition of Spain, was a challenge for me, but at the same time I think I feel comfortable with it. Because in simple language there are ways to go deeper, and I believe that in these Letrillas, in these verses, more is said than meets the eye,” he explains.
(Credit: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
The “hunter” who empowers: the symbolism of the presentation
Blanca Paloma takes on Liverpool “with the bow”, she says, the same one she presented at the Benidorm festival.
It is a minimalist staging in which the protagonists are Blanca Paloma, her dancers, red flamenco fringes and a floor that turns white when her grandmother lulls her from the moon.
Blanca Paloma’s character on stage was born out of her personality, she says. Something that suits her more than what she previously presented at the Benidorm Festival.
“In this case, I wanted to emphasize empowerment,” he says. “To emphasize empowerment, you have to contrast it with its opposite, which is vulnerability,” she explains.
“When I start this staging, I find myself surrounded by this fringed structure – which to me is a nod to the fringed shawl my grandmother wore on her chest – to me it’s like this hug from my grandmother. This comforting dream where I show myself and dare to show my vulnerability, my fragility. And I come out of it, almost like a nudge from my grandmother, with my empowered grandmother’s caress,” she explains.
The gesture of the jacket, he says, serves to project his voice.
“For me, it’s a way of focusing and almost projecting the voice, bringing it to a point,” says Blanca Paloma.
The table is set for Blanca Paloma, as Spain is one of the well-known ‘Big 5’, she is pre-qualified for the final which takes place on Saturday May 13th from 3pm Miami time.