The artist who's killing it with Girona's new anthem

Girona"I didn't know it was playing at Montilivi," admits Javier Parra (Vitoria, 2000), with astonishment. Or, rather, Vaskan, a DJ and electronic music producer who reworked the Girona anthem to coincide with their second promotion to La Liga in 2022. Vaskan is known for transforming Spanish and international classics into hardstylewhich have amassed over 50 million views worldwide.

The offer from the club, which came from outside the club itself, came while he was studying at Eumes, the music production school in Girona. "It was a teacher, Àlex del Amo, who threw down the gauntlet. I didn't think twice. Honestly, it was easy. The melody is very inspiring, the anthem has a very solid foundation," says Vaskan, referring to the original song, written by Josep Thió and performed by The Gruix. The new track is more danceable and features Bruna Vidiella, Victor Campoy, and Nil Canyelles, all alumni of the same school. It was the first Catalan-language release on the Rave Sons label, founded by Jaume Tardiu and Kim Riera, who were committed to introducing Catalan into the world of electronic music.

"An anthem should reach your nephew, who's seven; your brother, who's 45; and your grandmother, who's 70. It encompasses all ages. And it should motivate, of course. I know that the public, especially when it comes to football and at an older age, feels practically the same. Personally, I think renewals are good. Besides, this version doesn't replace the Girona anthem. It doesn't set it aside or erase it.

In Montilivi, in fact, it's only been played once lately: it was in Míchel's team's last victory against Alavés. And it was played because the person in charge of the audiovisual aspects, Bruno Olivé, no longer knew what to cling to in order to break Girona's curse in La Liga, where they've been in the relegation zone for practically the entire season. They'll try to break out of it in Sunday's visit to Elche (2 p.m., Movistar LaLiga). "We said that if we won, "We would play it to do something different," the club explained. Before each match, the anthem of Josep Thió and The Gruixut's is non-negotiable. The Vaskan anthem played at the final whistle.

Family business

"We wanted the anthem to be sentimental, with an emotional orchestral foundation. Then I had an idea," Vaskan continues, explaining that he entrusted the task to those he loves most. "My parents, Víctor and Virginia, are violinists, and I asked them to collaborate. They recorded their parts in a studio in Vitoria, and I did the editing from Girona. But there's also my brother, Yeray, who recorded an electric guitar with a medium-bass sound." He also participated. It's very much in the style of Girona, a club where everyone pitches in to succeed. It all fits perfectly.

Between the initial proposal, the preliminary versions, the editing, the production, and the final result, a month passed. "It really touches me when someone writes to me and tells me they've listened to it and liked it. People have embraced it with affection. It's worked and reached where we wanted it to. Well, no, it's gone even further, because it made it to the Champions League," Vaskan jokes, recalling the achievement of the Girona club. The artist loves football and even played in Alavés' youth academy when he was little. "I quit because the demands were too high," he confesses. Now, all his efforts are focused on music.

"I've only been to Montilivi once; I found it a very welcoming stadium. But Mendizorrotza, which I know well, has a better atmosphere. What's clear is that Girona has gone very far lately. And my anthem, which is celebratory and perfectly captures those euphoric moments, is about having such fantastic experiences as the ones they've had," he says. "I must return to Girona, and I will return to Montilivi. But first, I'll stop in Eumes, because I haven't yet received the title."