Sing to survive

Tiktok star Chloe started singing at nine to get over an illness

LONDON-based rising music star, iamChloeMartinez, as she wishes to be known, spoke highly of her Gibraltar roots after getting a big following on social media. She said her singing career started at the age of nineyears-old when she was ill and singing helped her recover.

“When I was younger I dreamt of being a painter or helping animals as a vet, but

By John Culatto

it never crossed my mind that I was ‘born to sing’ until a near-death experience hit me,” she told The Olive Press.

“I was hospitalised at nine-years-old for several months and by singing I was able to get through my treatments and entertain myself and the nurses who

Llanito rules

RUNNER-UP in the Llanito section of a short story competition, Gabriel Moreno, revelled in the feeling of being able to write in the language of his youth.

The Poetry Brohe author told the Olive Press: “It’s been an immense joy to express myself in the language of my roots. “The story is a celebration of our singularity and randomness and a hope we can celebrate our peculiarities and perhaps also laugh at our shortcomings.” looked after me.

Winner In the newl section of the Spring Festival short story competition ‘Madre No Ay Mah Ke Una’ (We only have one mother) by John Manuel Enriles took first prize.

“When I recovered, my parents put me into an academy to learn more and it all took off from there. She started composing songs from melodies, learnt more about music theory and started creating her own lyrics.

As a lesbian, she always strives for ‘visibility’ and being open about who she is, but found Gibraltar did not stifle her talent.

“Even though Gibraltar is so small compared to other places around the world, we are so lucky to be blessed with such an incredible combination of culture and creativity,” she said.