Strings of life

Formentera and music have danced hand in hand since the 1960s – from its incredible annual jazz festival to the live bands playing on every street corner. Here we meet two island natives with one thing in common – they both sing and play the guitar beautifully.
By Dan Prince · Photo: © Ainhoa Ezcurra
24/07/2023

PAZ AGUADO

Your earliest memory of music?
I was very young and my older cousin sang with a guitar that she had won in a raffle. I was so impressed.

Why did you choose the guitar?
The guitar chose me. It came into my arms and never left. It’s perfect because it has a sweet sound and a soft wooden body, but it can also be forceful.

Tell us about your debut album Materia Sutil.
This album is a compilation of seven songs that reveal seven seasons of the female inner landscape in search of paradise (or self-discovery). The album is a tribute to the unnoticed, a whisper in the midst of the noise and a hymn to nature, the feminine and the subtle.

Where do you love playing in Formentera?
I love the professional setup at the Sala Municipal de Cultura for concerts. Also, La Fira Artesanal de la Mola and Mercat Artístic de Sant Ferran are two of my first-choice stages – I am surrounded there by the art and creativity of artists and artisans. I also appreciate Sa Panxa and Ses Roques for continually supporting live music.

What does Formentera give you?
Its intense light, clean air and open sky give me clarity. I can feel my emotions and let them flow in the waves of the sea and observe the cycles of the Earth and the stars. In the silence, I can hear the song of Mother Earth and my own song.

MIREIA

What does it feel like when you play the guitar?
I used to feel sad or angry. But now it is my tool to show these kind of emotions. Singing is my release, the guitar is my vehicle. 

Your debut album Somriuen les Deixalles was hailed by the music press as one of the best Catalan albums of 2022. How did the passion begin?
I used to love the Catalan group Gossos but then I bought an Ani DiFranco album and the magic happened.

What is life on Formentera like? Do you feel cut off? 
Super cut off! Sometimes this bubble is great, but there are moments when it is necessary to go out and breathe. It’s very intense. You have to live here to understand it.

How does Formentera help your music creation?
It’s where I spend my life, so I drink everything in: broken bones, broken hearts, important friendships, the magic of the light and colours, nature and lying in the sun. It’s where I am able to open my notebook and write easily…

Other than music, where else does your mind wander to?
I love to learn and get obsessed about the strangest things! Chinese medicine, insects, body science – anything! I want to know more about the world, myself and improving my emotional skills.

What is the biggest compliment anyone has given you about your music?
Simply seeing the kids singing my songs at the concerts. It blows up my heart with love.

Watch Paz live at Puerto de la Savina on 24 July, at 21:30 pm

Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments