Marina Rossell: “I get paid for doing what I love most.”

Since she was a little girl, singer-songwriter Marina Rossell (Castellet i la Gornal, 1954) has dreamed of dedicating herself to music. Born into a peasant family, she entered the working world at the age of 12 working in a bookstore, but what she didn't know then was that her dream would eventually come true. With her first salary, she already showed promise; she bought a guitar: "I took it with me on the first day, but I paid for it in installments, three or four times." Four years later, she went to Barcelona to discover the world: "I worked as a nurse among other jobs that came my way." That's how she supported herself in the capital and paid for music theory classes: "Above all else, I was drawn to music. I went to a lot of concerts and followed all the singers of the Nova Cançó."

"Then Lluís Llach heard me and I did the first parts of it, also by Ovidi Montllor. That was fantastic, beastly," he says. And he adds: "It was a time when the dictator was in charge, and Llach's concerts were sometimes banned and sometimes not, and therefore they were crowded," explains Rossell in statements toCompanies. So he learned quickly within the industry. Little by little, he built his artistic career: "I quickly became involved and saw that I could make a living from it. Everything was very natural, nothing forced."

The artist has recorded twenty albums, some of them with international distribution. In fact, traveling the world meeting inspiring people is one of the best things that has happened to her life. Rossell assures that music is much more than her job: "It's incorporated into me. I relate everything to music. I pay a lot of attention to what's playing everywhere, for example, when I watch a movie or when I go somewhere I always pay attention. I don't set out to do it, but I hear it." There's a presence that I hear. It's an innate ability and, therefore, she assures that it's "impossible to separate work life from personal life"; in fact, since she likes it, she doesn't see it as necessary.

"It's a wonderful job and very well paid, because people pay an entrance fee to come see my work, which is the most wonderful thing for me. I get paid to do what I love most, which is music and singing. I'm privileged," the singer emphasizes.

As for personal finances, Rossell considers herself a thrifty person: "I don't deprive myself of anything, but I don't waste pennies because I know how hard they are to earn. I don't buy something and then not wear it. If I buy something, it's because I'm sure I'll use it." It's an "instinctive" behavior, she emphasizes, and it depends on your family and your upbringing: "I know there are a lot of people who don't have money, and so I value it." In this sense, she has always been very forward-thinking and didn't buy her home until she had all the money together: "I didn't want to pay it in installments because I was afraid I wouldn't have any gigs then, and that I wouldn't be able to pay it off and lose everything." So, she spent many years living in rented apartments until she bought "a small penthouse for the family" in Barcelona, ​​​​which became the best purchase she has ever made.

In her case, however, she clarifies that she hasn't suffered from not playing: "I don't suffer now, because I'm older and I've already made a life for myself. And in general, I've always been doing things," and she assures that she's always been lucky. In fact, since work is her passion, she's not considering retiring: "Now I want a few concerts in nice places where I feel good. And that's true because it's always full and it's a pleasure. That way I also rest and can do other things." For example, she likes to be part of a social life and participate in protest events: "The other day I went to support the volunteers who were going to the boat to Gaza. I really like going to solidarity events."

At 72, Rossell explains that her dream is "to continue singing and feel loved by the public and the people around her." In fact, one of the things she's most proud of in her career is having paid for her own life since she was 16 and having been able to do the job she loves most in this world: "music and singing."