WOMEN ON THE VERGE: Iberian Female Talent on the Rise

In the last few years, in an attempt to catch up with the US-based powerhouse that has become Latin music, Spain’s musical output has been in overdrive. While Karol G overtakes her male counterparts as reggaetón’s most successful artist, it’s no surprise that women – most notably Rosalía and Bad Gyal - are at the crest of a wave of outstanding Spanish talent. As this wave hits British shores this month, with a plethora of Spanish showcases at Brighton’s Great Escape, we talk to the female artists making a name for themselves with their unique brand of bi-lingual pop.

by Amaranta Wright

It’s official: women singing in Spanish is now the Thing. Karol G made it so when, earlier this year her album became the first-ever by a woman singing entirely in Spanish to reach Billboard No. 1. The Colombian’s appearance in London this June will also make her the first reggaetón artist to sell out the 02 twice, leaving behind male counterparts J Balvin and Bad Bunny in her wake. In the last few years, Spain’s musical output has also been in overdrive. Spearheading this movement are Rosalía, who has taken her brand of Latin-Spanish pop from niche to global and Bad Gyal, killing it with 13 million monthly listeners. Yet these pop princesses are merely the tip of the iceberg of a plethora of outstanding Spanish female talent with a unique artistic profile.

Many came before, such as the amazing Rosario Flores, La Mala Rodriguez and Concha Buika, who paved the way with sounds unifying flamenco, hip hop, African, jazz and soul. And this month, at The Great Escape, you’ll hear the next generation of Spanish artists adding their take on urban, electronica, rootsy rock and funk. The Brighton music festival that places new artists on the global industry’s radar has chosen Spain as its lead country, and five out of the nine Spanish acts being showcased are women. These were selected from more than 300 Spanish applications, reviewed by The Great Escape artistic team and The Spanish Wave, an organisation set up to promote Spanish music abroad.

“It was really organic that the majority of acts chosen were female,” says César Andión, The Spanish Wave’s Head of Talent. “It’s what's happening in Spain: women are making the best and exciting music and probably the most exportable as well. They are the today and future of Spanish music locally and overseas.”

Here, five young women hoping to catch the industry and public’s attention with their bi-lingual brand of pop on the stages of Brighton - SILA LUA, MAVICA, LALA HAYDEN, EVA RUIZ and ONA MAFALDA - tell us their stories.

ONA MAFALDA

"I am what I do," is how self-described compulsive composer, inevitable lyricist and optional instrumentalist Ona Mafalda identifies. Her music often leads to comparisons with artists such as Lorde, Mitski, Florence and the Machine and Lana del Rey and her hypnotic live performances at Primavera Sound, Inverfest, Festival de La Luz and as the opening act for Coldplay on their 2023 tour, Spanish language. Read full interview here

EVA RUIZ

Born in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, Eva Ruiz has the ability to paint pictures with words and sounds, through her distinctly graceful, smooth yet powerful voice. She also portrays Jenna in Culpa Mia, a hit Amazon Prime Original series and Prime's no.1 non-English title worldwide. If singing and acting wasn’t enough, as a model, Eva has featured in Vogue Spain, GQ Spain and in campaigns for Calvin Klein and Uniqlo to name a few. Eva is currently working on her debut EP which will be released via Human Re Sources as well as continuing to film. Straight after The Great Escape, Eva heads off on a Spanish headline tour presented by Mercury Wheels at Live Nation Spain. Read full interview here

MAVICA

Originally from Cartagena in south-eastern Spain, London-based Marta Casanova blends folk, indie, pop and electronic sounds. In September, Mavica’s debut album 'Sometimes a Person Never Comes Back (but that’s okay)', received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard Latin, CLASH, C-Heads, Early Rising, Paste, BBC Radio 1, KCRW and got her on the cover of Spotify's 'Radar Indie' and Tidal's 'Global Rising' playlists. A frequent live performer, Mavica has played festivals Primavera Sound, Mad Cool and O Son Do Camino and has opened for Alice Phoebe Lou, Roo Panes, Blanco White and Low Island. Read full interview here

LALA HAYDEN

Having gained notoriety and popularity fronting indie outfit Anteros, Catalan-British singer-songwriter Laura 'LALA' Hayden is now diving deep into her solo project under the guise of Lala Hayden. Empowering, powerful and self-reflective, Lala's Blondie-inspired brand of pop has seen early support from Spotify, NME, DORK Magazine and more. Following her debut at The Great Escape, Lala will be performing her London and Barcelona headline shows to herald the release of her debut EP 'Girl Becomes'. Read full inetrview here

SILA LUA

Born in Galicia, Sila Lua started her musical career while studying music production in London and released two EPs ('The Black Door' and 'Vía') before 'ROMPE', her sea-culture inspired debut album. Her songs can be heard on the soundtrack of various TV shows and series such as Netflix's 'Elite' and Atresplayer Premium's La Edad de la Ira and have accumulated +8M streams on digital platforms. In January 2023, Sila Lua launched her ROMPE TOUR, an all-female show which will travel across Spain with 22 stops, including some of the most relevant national festivals like Mad Cool, Son do Camiño and Riverland. Read full interview here