#it actually is a crime that natalia hasn't released a solo single in over a year

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

VIVIFEST SEMIFINAL 1 CONTESTANTS

here are the rules, in case you don't know what this is about. as the title suggests, here are all the songs that will participate in the first semifinal!

here is the poll to vote for your favourite :)

NO HAS VENIDO A SUFRIR - NIÑOS MUTANTES

niños mutantes ('mutant kids') is an indie pop band from granada formed in 1994 and composed of juan alberto martínez, nani castañeda, migue haro, and andrés lópez. they are staples in the genre.

no has venido a sufrir ('you haven't come to suffer') is an existencialist song about shielding someone from suffering in life, having an optimistic tone full of light.

2. ROMANCERA - GUITARRICADELAFUENTE

guitarricadelafuente ('little guitar of the spring'), stage name of álvaro lafuente, born in benicàssim (castelló) but with an aragonese heritage, first became known for his version of the popular cuban song guantanamera [a fucking masterpiece, i strongly recommend it] in 2019, and since then he's been going song, with a very particular sound inspired by old hispanic songs with traditional themes and musicality, and of course, with the guitar always at the center of the music.

romancera (a type of traditional hispanic poetry) is an ode to the city of barcelona, where álvaro grew up, with lyrics alluding to its charm and the mystery and fantasy of its nights, sounding as ethereal as the lyrics are meant to be.

3. ESA TAMBIÉN FUI YO (QUIERO ACORDARME) - ALBA RECHE

alba reche (aka the love of my life), born in elx (alacant) became famous through the singing contest / reality show operación triunfo 2018, where she was the runner up [for some reason totally unrelated to my obsession to this show more people from here might appear later on <3], and since then she's became a staple in the spanish indie pop scene, and especially in queer and pride contexts. she has also recently started a podcast where she interviews other indie artists [i really recommend it it's great!!!].

esa también fui yo (quiero acordarme) ('she was also me (i want to remember)') is a gut wrenching song where she recounts traumatic experiences she's had but that barely remembers (because of trauma), and reconciles with her past self as a form of healing. its a lot, and it's incredibly executed.

4. ANSIEDAD - GINEBRAS

ginebras ('gins') are an indie rock band formed in madrid in 2018 and composed by [my girlies] magüi berto (vocals), sandra sabater (guitar and vocals), raquel lópez (bass), and juls acosta (drums). they're probably the most well-known female indie rock band right now, to the point this october they are doing their first song in the largest venue in madrid, the wizink center [and of course i'm going to see them <3]!

ansiedad ('anxiety') talks about precisely that, anxiety, and how shitty it is. it has very straight to the point lyrics, and such a fun beat and music, it's great i love it.

5. LO BAILAO - NIA

nia, whose full name is estefanía correia, was born in las palmas de gran canaria (canary islands) to a canarian mother and a father from guinea bissau. she became known through winning operación triunfo 2020 [told you there were more], and since then she has been on multiple tv shows and has performed in various award shows. prior to her breakthrough, she worked in the spanish version of the lion king!

lo bailao ('what's been danced') alludes to the spanish idiom 'que me quiten lo bailao' ('may they take away from me what's been danced'), which funnily enough was the title of the song that represented spain in eurovision 2011 [an underrated bop tbh]. it means more or less that, no matter if things go right or wrong, at least you had fun through it and that's what matters. just as the idiom, this song is fun and a perfect summer bop!

6. ME HE PILLAO X TI - ANA MENA & NATALIA LACUNZA

[when i tell you i have the biggest grin on rn. prolly my most listened song this year &lt;3]

ana mena, born in málaga, is THE spanish pop girlie right now (alongside aitana), she's making numbers and having hit after hit. she recently released her second album, bellodrama, and has been breaking records ever since. she is very influenced by italian music and in fact has tons of songs in italian, and her most known songs are spanish versions of italian songs (both bops btw, they're un clásico and música ligera, i highly recommend them).

natalia lacunza, born in iruña, was a contestant in operación triunfo 2018, where she ended up third, and since then she's become royalty in the spanish indie pop scene. she has collabed with at least half of spanish indie pop artists and groups (among them guitarricadelafuente in her first single ever!), most of them queer (like her), and her solo stuff is just mind blowing. she also recently passed the 1 million listeners mark in spotify!!

me he pillao x ti ('i've fallen 4 u') is a fun pop song about unrequited love and that feeling of having a crush on someone who you can't pursuit cause they already have a partner. it's absolute brainrot, i love it.

7. LUCKY - SHEGO

shego (yes. like the kim possible character) is an indie post-punk band formed in madrid in 2021 and composed by maite, raquel, charlotte and aroa. they are best known for its aesthetic, attitude and sardonic tone in their songs, and have collabed with big names in the indie world like zahara and, of course, natalia lacunza herself.

lucky talks about going back to something (or someone) that you know its bad, but can't help to. however, the song is positive, trying to convince the listener that this time it'll be the last time.

8. POR PRIMERA VEZ - NEREA RODRÍGUEZ

nerea rodríguez, born in barcelona, first became known through being a contestant in operación triunfo 2017, and since then she's been busy: she's become a professional voice actor, she's composed songs for disney movies, she's been a main actress in the spanish musical la llamada for 5 years now, and on top of that, she's been releasing music on her own.

por primera vez (for the first time) is a pop-rock song about all the 'firsts' in a relationship and how they can also turn into 'lasts'. the aesthetic and beat reminds of the y2k trend, started in spain by aitana in 2021 or so.

9. NO QUIERO - ANNE LUKIN

anne lukin, born in iruña, first became known - just as the previous artist - through being a contestant in operación triunfo 2020. since then she has released an album, and has delved into her own sound, uniting more melodic elements with 80s-style electronic stuff.

no quiero (i don't want to) talks about the dread of not wanting to die alone but not knowing how to love, all with a synth-like sound.

10. LA FUNCIÓN - ROI MÉNDEZ

roi méndez, born in santiago de compostela (galicia), was a contestant in operación triunfo 2017, and since then he's released an album and has collabed with bands and artists like sinsinati, veintiuno, and ainoa buitrago.

la función (the show) is an intimist ballad about hiding your true feelings behind a façade and being unable to be your truest self because of that. it's his first song like this, so he chose to be vulnerable for once.