Judit Neddermann: "The recording process with Joan Manuel Serrat was a masterclass."

BarcelonaSinger Judit Neddermann (Vilassar de Mar, 1991) and guitarist Pau Figueres (Barcelona, ​​1989) have been sharing stages for many years, but until now they hadn't recorded an entire album alone. The result is Judit Neddermann & Pau Figueres (Música Global, 2025), an intimate album that brings together different traditions: from song to Brazilian music, with connections to American folk and diverse peninsular and Latin American folklore. They present it this week as a duo: on April 10 in Barcelona (La Paloma), on the 11th in Argentona (La Sala), and on the 12th at the Strenes Festival in Girona (Teatro Municipal).

Paz, what does Judit bring to your musical experience?

— Pau Figueres: It gives me freedom and security.

And you, Judith, what does Pablo bring to you?

— Judit Neddermann: Also, freedom and security, and a lot of inspiration when it comes to singing. What he creates in the moment makes me sing better than I would have if he were accompanying me. And I love that.

Was it a pending subject to make an album just for the two of you?

— JN: Last year, I celebrated my tenth career and was very conscious of the entire journey: the five previous albums with the band, and with collaborations and added musicians. Therefore, five tours with various formats and many adventures. Plus, we're going out more than before, which makes me very happy because that was one of the goals of the fourth album, and it was very clear to me that it was much better to have a portable, smaller format. Pau and I have done hundreds of concerts, and they were always acoustic versions of what we had recorded with the whole band, and now we had a very nice opportunity to record both of us solo. I always get very excited when he plays the song I sent him for the first time, and I said: we'll capture that moment, we don't need to think about it too much, and he was very happy with it. That's how the album turned out, and all this year and part of the next we'll be touring in this more manageable format, which is very inspiring and relaxes me and frees me as an artist.

It's more in line with the market right now.

— JN: Yeah.

Pau, in songs like Lucky to have you around and It's not true, it is inevitable to think of the influence of Toti Soler, for the virtuosity of the guitar, but also for the way you respect Judit's voice.

— PF: Yes, Toti Soler is a great inspiration for me, and his influence comes out more explicitly on this album. Specifically in It's not true, which is poetry set to music, and he's a master. The way he responds to the voice and how he leaves space for it—I've learned all of this from him.

Judith, the previous album, Lar, It was a concept album that revolved around the idea of refuge. On the new album, does the duet format prevail over the thematic connection of the songs?

— JN: With Lar I realized that all the songs had to do with feeling protected, feeling at home, and being very clear about where my space is. And, in retrospect, the songs on the new album are very hopeful. But it's not something I sought out before writing them. The only song that's perhaps sadder is It rains inside me, because these past two years I've had only one disappointment, luckily. But all the others are more about responding, seeing how things are going and trying to connect with the joy and hope in my life.

You talk about a disappointment...

— JN: Yes, with a friendship. Well, it's not a feeling of blaming the other person, which is the first thing that comes to mind, but rather when you realize that part of the problem is your own expectations. On the one hand, the song explores taking responsibility for things and not blaming the other person, but on the other, I wonder what we would have experienced if the other person had been as I expected.

The Guiomar of Dwarf for Guiomar What is someone real?

— JN: She's a friend of mine who's a single mother and gave birth to twins alone. I was with her at the birth. She's a very important, very special person, and I gave her the song. Guiomar's mother died, and both she and the children remember her very much even though she's not here. She explains to them that Grandma is in heaven and that... In fact, I've caused quite a stir for the four-year-olds. Guiomar has always told them that Grandma is a star, and in the song, I say, "Grandma sends you two stars." And now the children say, "But wasn't Grandma a star? We're not stars, we're here."

It's been a while now, which is a composition by Pau Lobo and Arnau Figueres (Pau's brother), where do you sing it from?

— JN: This is a grief. When singing helps you overcome the loss, you smile remembering that person. I really wanted to record it, first because I love the song, and I connect emotionally with it as if it were my own; and second because my grandfather died a year ago. I was able to accompany him until the end, and I experienced death in a very close and spiritually very peaceful way. And this happens to me: I remember him even though he's not physically here, and I can remember him with a smile.

You've made a very family-oriented album. Judito, there's your brother Enric, who's a jeweler and makes the jewel on the cover; and your sister Julia, who's...

— JN: It turns out they've become artists, and I admire them greatly. I love their artistic conception; it surprises me and represents me. I asked my brother if he wanted to make a piece of jewelry, we gave him the songs, and he showed us the one on the cover; it was incredible. And Julia is very refined and very modern.

Are your parents artists too?

— JN: They're not dedicated to it, but they've always done one thing or another. They've played in many bands. We've always been involved with art at home. My father also paints, has done theater... Family conversations are usually about music or art in general.

One of the album's unique features is the collaboration with Joan Manuel Serrat. You've performed with him many times, but you've never released a song with him on it. How did you convince him?

— JN: I felt it was time, because I had the opportunity to re-record in the most intimate format I come from a village, which is a daughter of the songs of Joan Manuel Serrat. It seemed to me like the perfect time to propose to him. And he said yes. Then he came to the studio and recorded. As natural as I say, and as great as he is. I found him very happy, very calm. A hard worker, too. The whole recording process was a masterclass For me, having a song with him is one of the things I celebrate most about my career.

What is your best memory related to music?

— JN: One of the most striking things I remember was a concert in Plaça Catalunya, during the Fiestas de la Mercè. Playing with Coetus, I was doing the hearts, and suddenly, a dancer jumped over the drums. He started dancing in front of them, and the crowd went wild. It was a moment of wonder, of saying: what power music has! We've often reached incredible places making music. For example, singing with Joan Manuel Serrat at the Palau de la Música, I remember watching us finish. LuciaI remember that moment very much.

— PF: I don't know if I could name just one, but I remember the times I used to go to Palautordera, to Arcadio Marín's workshop. He was a superb luthier. Every time he finished a guitar or made a tweak, it was magical. I felt the excitement of a little boy on Three Kings' Night.

And a memory you would like to forget?

— PF: It's hard to choose just one. For example, airports really stress me out when I travel with my guitar, because I suffer from it.

— JN: There are people who are very concerned about showing off their incredible work. It's very common to arrive anywhere and have everyone tell you about their past glories. It seems so strange to me, so unnecessary... When you arrive somewhere, you can ask how it is and do what you came here to do, because it's very dignified and precious that we're making music in so many contexts and with so many different people. But of course, there are a lot of people who need to find their bearings. And it's terrible. It seems like a waste of energy and time to me.

As if it were a competition to see who has done the most important things?

— JN: I'm not talking about the musicians, okay? Because among musicians, fortunately, there's a lot of camaraderie. In Barcelona, ​​especially, I feel like we're all colleagues, and when we meet, we're genuinely excited. I don't feel competitive; rather, everyone follows their own path, and we're happy for each other. I get that feeling more, perhaps, with festivals or promoters.

Judit, by the way, what did you think of the theatrical experience of Throwing the White?

— JN: Very good, because I was able to combine it with the previous tour, which ended in October. It felt almost like I was on vacation, because I was playing in a project where the entire production and artistic direction were handled by other people. I just had to go to the theater around the corner. Everything was set up, the crew was gorgeous, and the weight of the play was carried by the actors, because in this case, the music is a complement. I felt very calm and free. In fact, I'm really looking forward to more theatrical experiences in the future.