MUSIC
JÚLIA COLOM REN EWING MALLOR C A’S F OL KL OR E
W
hen you are lucky enough to witness a live performance by Júlia Colom, you immediately realise that the Mallorcan singer has the capability of taking us to other worlds, to other times. It may be the lyrics she sings or perhaps the music that goes with them; It could be her voice, her presence on stage or, it may almost certainly be all of the above that captivates and hypnotises us when she sings. Born in Valldemossa, this young artist has managed to find a place in the music scene in her own right, at just twenty-two years old. With her music, which claims the compatibility of traditional songs with contemporary elements, she has been able to reinvent Mallorcan folklore and transform it into something that appeals to all audiences. Colom has studied at the Taller de Músics superior conservatory in Barcelona, and she gets her love for singing from her grandfather. As a child, she would sing the Sibil·la, Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco since 2010, alongside him. Now, the Mallorcan singer is performing this iconic piece on the most important stages of cities all around the world, such as New York or Berlin. Everything she does seems an elegant and heartfelt return to the origins. The Valldemossa-born artist borrows traditional compositions, plays and innovates with them, and delivers romances, boleros and melodies turned into a homage to her roots. This is what makes Colom so unique and special: her deep commitment to bringing the musical and artistic heritage of our collective imagination to the streets and stages of today. An excellent example of this is Cants, a traditional repertoire that she has performed accompanied on guitar by Martin Leiton. Moreover, she has recently starred in the documentary Sempre Dijous (in Mallorquin “always Thursday”) directed by Joan Porcel, which has won the Best National Music Documentary Award at the In-Edit Barcelona festival. Currently, Colom works on her own songs, which are inspired by jazz and mixed with different modern trends in an audacious way. An exercise for which labels are of no use if we consider that we are talking about someone capable of turning the popular songbook into a modern repertoire. It is such a pleasure to hear and feel Júlia that we cannot wait to finally enjoy her first album. www.juliacolom.com
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