Maria Jaume: "I wanted to champion popular culture and tradition in the face of an ultra-globalized and homogeneous world."

BarcelonaA rhythmically explosive and promiscuous pop dominates the new recording adventure of the Mallorcan Maria Jaume (Lloret de Vistalegre, 1999): San Domingo forever (Halley Records, 2026). After dancing about love, cheating on the ravages of the tourist monopoly in Nostalgia Airlines (BankRobber, 2024)Now she dances and makes others dance from the heart of her town's main festival, a universe full of emotional and sonic dynamics, and a reclaiming of ancestral popular culture from the present. The official presentation will be at L'Auditori in Girona on March 21st.

When you released your first album in 2020, I won't come back to life until May.You used to express yourself from the intimacy of indie folk. Little by little, you've transformed the aesthetic of your music. How do you remember it six years later?

— I've grown up and discovered who I am, what kind of music I like, and what I want to do. That's why I think there's such a huge change. Obviously, when you're 18 or 19, you have no idea what you want to do or what you'll be like. Maybe you think you know, but in my case, it's been proven that I had no idea.

But do you recognize the validity of that initial artistic project?

— Many things have changed, but musically I find it hard to see myself in that new role. There's been a significant change, but many aspects of my personality haven't.

Tell me about the cover of San Domingo forever?

— The cover features my mother and me, and a demon from Lloret de Vistalegre. In Mallorca, we have these magical figures, the demons, who, in addition to performing the correfoc (fire run), which they also do here, do a kind of dance and then come out with a stick and a rope to hit us. The cover perfectly exemplifies what the album means to me. The photo was taken during the festivities, and all the elements appear: both my childhood and this figure of the demon as something more nocturnal and darker; it's like the duality of the festival and the town, which has many wonderful things but also some darker aspects.

San Domingo forever It's an album that leaves out the Mallorca ravaged by tourism, which is the opposite of what happened on the previous album. Nostalgia AirlinesIt's as if you wanted to talk about other things or show a different image.

— It's also a consequence of having made that album. Now that that's out in the open, I can delve into more concrete things and champion popular culture and tradition in the face of an ultra-globalized and homogenized world. It's a delicate moment, politically, and I think it's very important to try to preserve and reclaim these things that are becoming increasingly blurred. And I'm interested in reclaiming them from a contemporary perspective.

Between the shawms at the beginning and the castanets of the final jota lies the universe of your contemporaneity.

— Exactly, it's a bit like this game of starting and ending as it should be, like any ordinary festival, but there in the middle is Maria, because I haven't made a folk album as such, but an album about the festivals of my town. I've embraced all the folk elements, but from my perspective and from a pop perspective.

How did you work on the production with Joan Borràs and Lluís Cabot to achieve such an explosive sound?

— Lluís and I composed the entire album together, just like the previous one. When I compose with him, there are so many more possibilities. It's like when you talk to someone and discuss something; you can get much further than if you were just going around in circles. It's been incredibly enriching to work with him. And Lluís did most of the production. Obviously, we looked for sounds that interested us, which ones were most characteristic of the festivals, but also which ones could be adapted to our way of making music. And we found the castanets, the tambourine, which is used as percussion in many places, and the xeremia, which we even use as a keyboard. And Juan has given us a lot of space, because we do everything at home, and suddenly having a third person work with us has also greatly enriched the album and given it that extra touch. mainstream that we were also looking for.

In the song In the square You say that at the party there are "people I don't like very much and people I love the most." That's the big party and life, right?

— That's life, that's what it's all about: the town and the local festival. In fact, the whole idea came about by looking back at what had happened in recent months. I had lost people I loved very much, or who were very close to me. You lose friends, you gain new people, and you also see bonds that are strengthening over the years. The funniest thing about life and living in a small town is that, yes, there will be people you don't get along with that well and who you might not want in your daily life, but you'll have to put up with it anyway. And it also teaches us how to live with others.

Life is lived with more joy with bachata, with danceable electronic music...

— Absolutely. One hundred percent. This album has a somewhat hopeful message: it's a song of collective joy. And we wanted to make songs that could be played at the village festival.

There's a kind of yearning for lightness. There's a moment when you talk about wanting to feel that nothing matters much, and the music you choose also reflects that lightness.

— Yes, because I see the holidays as a kind of respite from all the chaos. That week at the beginning of August, nothing bad can happen. You're with friends, with family, and all you want is to forget your troubles, toast, and be with the people you love. We're in a pretty complicated time, because politically we're heading towards a rather dark place, and at certain times it's good to escape because otherwise we'll all go crazy.

You've become quite the expert on songs about impossible loves or loves that can no longer be. I remember the one about Undertow on your beach, from the previous album, which is a close cousin ofAcupuncture, of the new one.

— Yes, I feel comfortable talking about this because I think it's a very common theme in people's lives. Like this rather toxic relationship, where there's always something keeping them connected. You go back to your hometown, you run into that person again, and you think anything goes there and that you can pick things up again, but then you realize that's not even a joke.

You're also an expert at talking about long-distance relationships, or about being from Lloret de Vistalegre and living in Barcelona, ​​which is what you explain in The cards, where the Galician musician Ortiga collaborates.

— The cards It stems from that feeling of having to leave home, something we Galicians and Mallorcans share, having to go to the capital to earn a living, especially if you're an artist. Things are pretty tough in Mallorca; what's more, it seems to be getting worse because venues are closing and there are no record labels. And then there's the relationship with the capital. In my case, I'm very happy in Barcelona, ​​and it's given me a sense of freedom and a sense of well-being that I'm incredibly grateful for, but at the same time, it's like the song says: I'm in Barcelona to make a living, and when I've made enough money, I'll be able to go back home.

And the collaboration with the Ouineta Would it be somewhat of a replica of what you did with Julieta on the previous album?

— It was a bit like with Ortiga. We'd wanted to do something with her for a while. And when we started working at home with This one's for youWe felt it was missing something until we thought of sending it to Ouineta. And it went very well.

The demons are coming! It is the song that marks a break in the album, and gives way to a more relaxed second part.

— Yes, it is intended as an interlude, to break the dynamic a bit and give way to side B, as we would say in the old days. The bells are ringing and Sexy bolero Yes, they are somewhat slower, but at the same time The bells are ringing It's somewhat guitar-driven. And then, in The cardsAll the holidays reappear.

When you make albums with such meticulously crafted dynamics and such a clear thematic concept, do you intend for the live performance to be exactly the same? In other words, would you do a live show featuring only these songs?

— It would be really cool to be able to do a concert for each album. I've never made an album and been so eager to play the songs live before. It'll be a lot of fun because, apart from it being very dynamic, our intention is to be the kind of band you find at local festivals and try to put on a pretty big show.

A few years ago they could call you to open festivals, now they can call you to close them.

— [Laughs] I don't know if I'm interested in staying up until five in the morning, though.

You've made a structural change, both in your record label and management. Why?

— Well, because I needed a band that aligned with my musical approach, my style, and my ambitions. I'm very happy with my team because they support me and help me move toward the same goal, which is something I've perhaps missed in recent years.

Were you also looking to open yourself up to other circuits?

— Yes. This album is also made to be played at festivals and local celebrations, and we already have many concerts booked for this summer that have also been very much in line with this objective.

Does the success of artists like Mushkaa and Julieta also benefit you?

— The music scene we have here is surprisingly rich. I've been dedicated exclusively to music for years now, partly because I've been lucky, which is definitely something you need. But I think it's wonderful that such a small country, with such a persecuted language, has such a large audience and such a strong industry right now. I've felt very welcome here in Catalonia, and in Mallorca, of course. I'm so happy to be able to do this in my home, the Catalan Countries.

What music have you listened to in the last few months, other than yours?

— Everything. This album is the perfect example: I listen to what I've listened to since I was a teenager, which is mostly indie and sadder stuff, like Sufjan Stevens and Julia Jacklin, but also the world mainstreamBad Bunny, Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek, and also what I've listened to since I was born, like Antònia Font and La Oreja de Van Gogh.

And Miquela Lladó, who collaborates in Jota finale of the party.

— Miquela is a leading figure in Mallorca's traditional music scene: she's done a fantastic job reviving all the dance music from the Franco era with the group Música Nostra. She's brought people back to the town squares to dance. And that's why it was so wonderful that she could collaborate on this latest jota.