Eight years later, Mafalda Veiga once again released an album, work that will be made known today, February 11, at the Albufeira Municipal Auditorium, in a concert scheduled for 21 pm.
The original album “Praia” is the eighth album by the Portuguese composer and the one that Mafalda Veiga considers to be the closest to her. «More than on any other record, these themes are a reflection of who I am as a person. I let myself write without filters», revealed to Musicália/Sul Informação.
In other words, if on the other records there might have been subjects that were not covered «by a more literary or thematic care», here he opened the notebook and put a lot of himself in the themes.
“Beach” is centered on people's daily lives. The themes are intertwined with people's days in a broad way, “which is introverted, which is extroverted, which is more joyful, ironic or fun, but which is also more profound”.
Mafalda Veiga reveals that she tried to affirm the positive, sensitive, fun side (in some themes) that life has, precisely at a time when there are too many things to regress. "Everything is so questioned that I wanted to look at this work and affirm the things that are good, that are positive, that connect us on the positive side, happiness and sensitivity, and dispel any desire to write about more negative situations." framed.
Moreover, the choice of the name for the work is directly related to the meaning that the physical location represents for Mafalda Veiga. «Being on the beach is disconnecting from everything, disconnecting from the world, and having a space that becomes much larger, a time that becomes much lighter, a connection with myself that is much more transparent, much more direct. It is based on that that I tried to build this work».
This feeling of the author is reflected in the themes and in the relationship she has with them, since “Insomnia”, which tells us about a reality she has been dealing with for many years and the ironic way in which she addresses this issue, or “Fado” where she reveals a little more about himself and his relationship with music and with the capital.
«I had an uncle who was a Fado guitarist and it was a contact (with music) that happened very early and that reminds me of many childhood things. It was the first time I wrote a fado and it gave me enormous pleasure, I put in it all the strength and intensity of the relationship I have with the city of Lisbon», he said.
Communion with fans is deepened with a special edition, which includes a notebook of stories, handwritten by Mafalda Veiga, which contains notes and lyrics of songs, memories and photographs taken by the artist. This was a project that the composer had wanted to do for a long time and, considering that it was only after the album was finished that she delivered the final result to the publisher, something that happened for the first time, it seemed to be the right time. “I had more freedom in choosing the formats and what I wanted to do,” he explained.
Feeling music as an artist but also as a fan, Mafalda Veiga gives her admirers what she likes to receive as an appreciator of others: having the opportunity to learn about the creative process, how the songs were drafted or what options were made in the arrangements. «I wanted to share all this intimacy of recording an album and recording it with those who like my work, it's a desire that I've always had and that it was now possible to achieve».
Despite Mafalda Veiga's notorious passion for music composition, 8 years separated “Chão”, her previous album, from this new work. But that does not mean that the composer has been stopped: she has been participating in several projects and recording with other musicians, even contributing to the compilation “Zoom”, in 2011, where she presented a new one.
The artist confesses that although she loves to compose, it is not always possible for her to find time to focus on new themes. «As I write lyrics and music and all the compositions, this implies an availability that I can't always have, mainly because I like to isolate myself, which requires not having commitments during a phase, nor defined deadlines, so that I feel a freedom to thought, space and time», he said.
The opportunity to isolate himself to compose eventually came up and the album “Praia” resulted. The album is produced by Fred and Mafalda herself and the freedom was left to go «experimenting and seeing what was best», and the search for the musicians who would participate in it was always done with method. «We were calling the musicians according to the environments we wanted for the songs»
The rhythm section was in charge of Fred, in a fusion with Miguel Barros' bass, which was also joined by Marco Nunes, Miguel Barros and Ricardo Riquier. “Praia” also had the special collaboration of Frankie Chavez, Filipe Raposo, Dom La Nena, Ricardo Dias Gomes and Francis Dale.
During this process, there was a concern for the production or arrangements not to override "what the songs had to be genuine when they were written".
The contributions of the guest musicians proved to be very important and creative for the construction and final result of the album, fulfilling one of the objectives of the invitation, «they were chosen because the way they play also touches me, tells me something» reveals the artist.
Another intentional choice in the production of “Praia” was to have sought that, for the most part, it should be played in a single “take”, resulting in a record closer to what is achieved in a live performance. “In many songs there is this pulse and this breathing of being all playing at the same time. It's more raw, more direct, less cerebral, but it has an emotional side that only as soon as I got it and that's what I wanted», he considers.
Live, Mafalda Veiga is accompanied by a good part of the musicians who contributed to the recording of “Praia”. This Saturday's show in Albufeira will be, as far as possible, very similar to what is being prepared to present at Tivoli and at Casa da Música at the beginning of March, with the album being played in its entirety.
But there are themes from the artist's career that will not be missing. According to Mafalda Veiga, with the help of the musicians he joined, it was easy to pick up on the other songs «with this aesthetic, a more direct pop, a little more alternative, closer to the sensitivity of writing songs and the energy that this has» and present them in a new guise.
Tickets for the show cost 15 euros. Today, the day of the show, they can be purchased at the Municipal Auditorium, from 19:30 pm to 21:15 pm. For more information or reservations, call 289 599 645.
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