by mariana marcaletti
Herald staff

The last time the Latin Grammy-winning Spanish singer Paloma San Basilio set foot in Argentina was a dozen years ago, when she shared the stage with actor José Sacristán to perform in the musical El hombre de la mancha. A long period that seems to be no time at all for her: “Although 12 years seem an eternity for most people, I don’t have the feeling that a lot of time went by, thank God,” the singer says in a Herald interview.
Apparently, her absence has encouraged her audience to see her, as the tickets for her first gig next Friday are already sold out. But there’s no need to worry, because a new show was added the same day at 11pm.

A naked gig. The concept of the show can be summed up in three letters: PSB, which stands for Paloma San Basilio and also for piano, saxophone and bass. “It’s a great idea to perform a huge concert, with the greatest songs of all times. The artistic concept is about a small jazzy format, with fewer instruments that can dialogue with the voice, combined with a simple setting. The more direct, the better. Music itself will be conveyed in a pure state, as if it were naked.”
This show is an evolution of herself as an artist, she states. “It seems to be a paradox, but the more experienced I get, the less elements I need. Sometimes, I have the sensation that I need to feel lighter, to be by myself with my capacity to tell stories. And, if I do this, I believe I am going to feel more at ease on stage. I like taking up my time to be quiet, more relaxed, to talk to people, tell anecdotes, enjoy my performance.”
In an intimate show, San Basilio lets herself go in a gig that brings together songs that belong to her entire repertoire. “The tracks are also connected with the concept PSB: a summary of my name, of my career. My intention is to condense the soundtrack of my life: the hits I used to sing when I was a little girl, the ones that I discovered during my teenage years, the greatest songs that have had an impact on me as an adult. Latin America’s music form a major section of the show. I will also include the music from my big musicals, because they are also a relevant part of my life. And, of course, I will perform some of my 35 songs.”

Live is better. Paloma San Basilio has great expectations for next Friday’s show because she is keen on performing live. “Carrying out my own show is different from musicals. In musical comedies, you have the so-called fourth wall, the audience on the other side, you have to act as if they weren’t there, but deep down you know they are over there. You can feel them breathe, you need them. In live shows, I am the soul of the story, which will develop because of me. I must stand up in front of an audience, stare at them and make them believe every word I say. I can talk to them, they can talk to me. There is a great deal of feedback in live gigs, whereas in musicals it’s all about the actors and the plot. But I must not forget that the musical’s fourth wall teaches you many things that make you vary your solo show.”
Her preference of live shows is also connected with the liberty it entails. “I am a free bird. When I am put into a cage, I begin to feel uncomfortable. I like being in a studio up to a certain extent. I wouldn’t be able to carry out a meticulous job as many singers do, who go over and over again every single word or phrase. If I were obliged to do this, I would die! When they force me into it, I can’t wait to call it a day. I like responding to life out of an impulse: I like singing out of intuition, I don’t like programming too much in advance. When you do without the improvisation’s bird, you tend to do a boring job, and my capacity to relate to what I am doing can decrease”.
Also in order to keep her inner bird alive, she likes changing, trying different musical styles: she has sung jazz, lyric, classical and ballads. “I enjoy performing a variety of registers because I believe there are many sides within us and we only pay attention to a small part. We tend to be focused on one area, ignoring other fragments of our own self. That’s why I like changing: altering my style, my movements. It all gives me a sensation of self-regeneration. It helps me to feel that I am not betraying myself, that I am not forgetting any fragment of me”.
Her intention to recreate herself is not only about discovering new parts of herself, but also to avoid typecasting. “When you begin singing, you show a specific kind of voice and then producers try to label you in some style or genre and you end up trapped in it. It’s difficult for many artists to get away from it. My way of escaping is through live shows. That’s why I love recording live shows, I have five or six live albums. In them, nobody chooses the repertoire but me, and I can be freer to move into different musics, and enjoy them all.”

Unresolved matters. But Paloma San Basilio’s freedom is not complete, because there are a lot of limitations in the artistic world. “I’ve done whatever I wanted, inside an order. I have been pretty rebellious and independent. But, in the end, we are all influenced by other people, they talk us into some direction. I believe being completely free is an impossible mission. But, at least, I try. Or, when you aren’t so free, try not to realize it (she laughs).”
Aware of the problems of her profession, Paloma San Basilio seems to take things easy. “I believe I learnt how to deal with the music’s world. I can reach a balance thanks to the education from my family and college, I studied physchology and philosophy, and the fact that although I am in the spotlight, I am still a watcher. I am still researching, looking for, learning, reading stuff that I am interested in. The music’s world, to me, is a great channel, a huge space, where I can dump my emotions. But, of course, in music’s river, there are different ways, diverse paths to get to the same shore. I think artists must remain down-to-earth and know that our music belong to us up to an extent and that we must criticize our own work.”
Apart from the troubles to achieve her undisputed position in music, San Basilio also had to cope up with her role as a mother, as a grandmother, which she stills finds hard to handle. “It’s really hard, I surely do it all wrong. Honestly, this  is too complicated. I believe the concept of the family as a couple with children should be reconsidered nowadays because the society has changed. Now that most women work, spend long hours outside their homes, have their own lives, develop themselves as human beings, it’s really hard being a mother and a professional at the same time. There are always absences, guilt, blame, it’s not simple.”

‘I won’t be here for a long time’. When asked if there are unfinished business she would like to resolve, San Basilio answers: “There certainly are many, but I have stopped worrying about them, trying to enjoy what I do. Every day that goes by is a miracle, we constantly discover new things, get emotional on stage, make somebody feel the same way that you do. All these seems so fascinating to me. Therefore, I don’t spend too much time wondering what I have to do in the future, imagining goals to achieve because probably I will never get what I want.”
Still, she says to be a sensible dreamer, like the song she used to perform in El hombre de la mancha that goes “we can dream the impossible.” She says: “I have always dreamt of the future with my eyes wide open, thinking that the dream is bound to come true. If we feel our dreams like ours, then we must fight for them. I think dreams are closer to us than we think of. It’s wrong if we feel satisfied only with the utopia, we must try it. The unforeseen can come up, surprise you, in a good way”.
But nothing lasts forever. And Paloma San Basilio believes the end of her career will come to an end soon. “I don’t think I will keep on singing for a long time. I haven’t set a deadline yet, but if I feel it’s time to finish my career, I will and I guess it will not be in 10 years’ time. Due to a cause of natural evolution, there will be a moment when I will feel like doing something different. Probably I will take up some lessons to keep on learning, enroll in college, travel, paint or hang out with my grandchildren.”
Considering that her career is expected to finish soon, and that she hasn’t hit Argentina for several years, next week’s gig is a chance to meet Paloma San Basilio in person. When you run into her, not only will you find an endowed singer, but also a kind and soft woman who promises a fine show with the greatest successes of her repertoire, songs that are already a classic such as Beso a beso, dulcemente, Dama or Como el viento. Will you miss it?

profile
— Her career began in 1975 when she hosted the TV show Siempre en domingo.
—She has participated in musicals Evita, My Fair Lady and Víctor Victoria. Thanks to these performances, she is considered by Spanish critics as “the queen of musicals.”
—In 1991, she performed a duet with Plácido Domingo in Miami, releasing a video and album (Por Fin Juntos: Paloma y Plácido).
—She has released more than 30 albums over 35 years, including Paloma, La Fiesta Terminó, Quiéreme Siempre, Como un Sueño, Clásicamente Tuya and her latest production Encantados.