It seems easier to explain what Adriano Galante does not do than what he does. Luckily he recently released his first solo album, Toda una alegría (Halley records), throwing a cape into the sea of proposals that the founder of the group Seward manages in his day to day, and that go from theater to music passing through poetry, without forgetting his collaboration in the social and cultural movements of a Barcelona from which he drinks at the same time that he feeds it with his daring proposals, such as the songs in this work. In his new phase, singing in Spanish, he is accompanied by a choir of friends who enhance his very personal and poetic voice, which gives body to songs with titles such as De ti, de todo or Un corazón que dice they will sound on September 23 at the festivities. de la Merce
How did the record come about?
Seward has been my lifelong group, but it has entered a slow, adult moment, in which we have had many records, many concerts, and I continue with the same speed. I also wanted to publish something with my name and in Spanish because I have always sung in English, my mother had lived there and it was a very maternal thing, and she had been researching how to sing in Spanish for a long time.
What has led you to Spanish?
It has changed my way of understanding music and listening to it, of listening to other groups and artists that I hadn't listened to before. English has always been my unconscious part, but Spanish is my most present self, my most direct face.
He takes great care of his voice, he even uses it to hide the words.
It's not that the way of saying the words has changed, because with Spanish sometimes you don't fully understand either, the words are a bit broken, and a lot happens live too, people are like 'wow, what are you saying? '. But I like to arrive from another place. Sometimes Spanish is very colonial, because it has its history, this invasive presence that sung English, despite also being colonial, does not have so much. Castilian, in Iberian music for example, is very grounded, like percussion.
His new album allows reaching a more open public.
Seward was an explosion from the first moment, we didn't expect it to reach so many people, although it is true that his music demands much more attention. People sing at concerts with the songs from Toda una alegría because it's much easier to follow the melodies, the choruses. And it's beautiful, a gift as an artist.
Being in a thousand places at the same time is part of his character.
I don't like this role of artist or musician who only relates to other musicians. What we do as cultural workers is a social duty, it is rare to dedicate oneself only to music as if that were going to save the world. No, we also have to do things with people and be part of the city, the neighborhoods, the communities.
Does this image of art fit in Barcelona?
Yes, Seward's early years were much more outward-focused. We had a manager from England and we always went abroad. But, five or six years later, we began to be part of what happens here, of all these communities. All of this "No shut up" with Valtònyc and Pablo Hasél connected us with these realities.
There is a very good generation of musicians in Catalonia.
I would really give to make three or four records with all the people I like. It is a very powerful moment also because of the connections. We have to generate these connection spaces if they don't exist, sometimes it's a bar, sometimes it's a theater or a room.
What meeting spaces are there right now?
There is the FOC in the Zona Franca, it is very interesting, and the Pumarejo in l'Hospitalet. Or La Cañada, in Poble Sec, a bar where everyone who comes down from the Teatre Lliure and the Mercat meets. The people of Muriel in Gràcia also wanted to create a space like this, and they are succeeding. It is important to create these spaces because, if not, in a city that in the end is not that big, you lose yourself. And if a person comes to the city we have to try to connect with them because they also need to establish roots, make contacts, feel at home. The city is a radar, there are many unexpected connections and it's time to stay awake.
