Welcome to a new week! When we first went into lockdown last year, we loved ‘Quarantine Song’ by BIMM Dublin’s Manel Espinosa. Now, he’s back with his latest release: “Lalalá”, which has a must-watch video!
So give the video a watch and discover more about Manel’s inspiration behind the track below.
What was your inspiration when you began writing the track?
It all started with the guitar riff at the very beginning of the song and the main melody came right after. Although I wrote the song around two years ago, the main inspiration behind it was to write a positive song to help people going through hard times. I came up with the idea of “Lalalá” symbolising the attitude of focusing on the bright side of life.
It’s not about forgetting the bad stuff really, because I am realistic and life always has ups and downs. It’s more about letting those bad things aside for a moment and focus on enjoying life. Two years later, it seems that the song means even more with the current situation.
Are there any artists that inspire you when writing?
Of course! I guess it changes over time, and we could spend a day just talking about hundreds of artists, but at the moment Rosalía is a huge inspiration for me. She is an amazing songwriter; very versatile, but she has her signature sound too. Also, I think she has a clear vision and purpose in her work.
I can also name artists like Residente, Pharrell Williams, Cory Wong, Pablo Alborán, etc. I think that this particular song has some inspiration coming from Outkast and Eminem.
“One of the biggest keys is that I couldn’t really follow a normal path regarding my musical education.”
What is key to your sound and how do you make your music stand out?
One of the biggest keys is that I couldn’t really follow a normal path regarding my musical education. I started learning music from a traditional and classical perspective. I started playing percussion in traditional ensembles and marching bands in my hometown of Castalla, in Alicante.
There was no school for modern music or anything like that so I picked up the classical guitar too. From there, I started learning rock/heavy metal guitar, singing by myself and playing in bands with friends. Then, I joined a band called Pellikana where I learned a lot about reggae, ska and pop.
However, it wasn’t until 2016 that I had my first electric guitar and vocal teachers. I learnt some jazz harmony during that time, filled lots of gaps on my guitar playing, and basically relearned to sing. And finally, I came to Dublin where I discovered lots of other styles. All those inputs make my sound I would say. I don’t really try to make my music stand out on purpose but I believe all those different experiences make me sound particular.
How does your songwriting process work?
I always use my phone to record every sonic idea that comes to my mind, like short melodies, riffs or sometimes even a chord progression or chorus. And I also have a notebook where I write lyric ideas and some sort of list of possible themes or situations I’d like to talk about.
My songwriting process starts there really. If, for example, I have a riff I want to use, I try to match it with any of the topics on my notebook and I write a paragraph just talking about it. Once I have that, it’s way easier for me to write more parts to the song and create the lyrics out of the ideas written in the paragraphs.
Once I have the complete song on my DAW, I normally work it out with my partner Fernando Timoneda because he always has a different perspective, and he is less ‘in love’ with the songs and the different parts. It can vary from song to song but that’s my process as of today.
Describe your sound in three words…
Fresh, Alternative and Uplifting.
How has studying at BIMM helped you develop as an artist?
A lot I would say. I think I am way more rounded as an artist right now. I have developed my sound, and I have got into more styles of playing and genres thanks to my time here. I also have a better knowledge of the music industry and professional practices, and some lecturers have helped me a lot developing myself as an artist. I would even say that my personal project would not exist as it is today without this experience.
What’s next for you?
The one and only good thing that this situation brought me is the possibility to focus on my personal project and to start building a team around me. We are releasing a new single every month so you can expect some more music for a good while. The next song is called “Fue Tan Bonito” and it will be released at the end of February.
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