Beyond labels in music and mental illnesses

Labels always constrain, delimit. And if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. This maxim, which seems taken from a self-help book, is deeply internalized by Cristina Torres, director of the Músiques Sensibles Festival, and Laia Gòmez, coordinator of Salut Mental Barcelonès Nord, one of the associations that will receive part of the cycle's proceeds (each year, 10% is allocated to different non-profit organizations). "Labels are not good for anyone. They stagnate you and make you feel that you cannot escape the limitations they imply. Therefore, we must work jointly with the people we serve in the association and with the healthy part we all have, and thus achieve a better quality of life," explains Gòmez.

Before each concert (and this year there are six), the festival screens a video showing the work of one of the associations it collaborates with (in its past five editions, it added 25 social projects, and now six more will be added)

Socially, we focus too much on the diagnosis: whether they suffer from schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder, or… But the puzzle of a wounded soul is much more complex. "The different services that Salut Mental Barcelonès Nord has been creating have adapted to each person and each diagnosis, taking into account the different effects of the disease processes themselves and, therefore, also their dreams, their aspirations, and their life project."

For Laia Gòmez, it is key that Músiques Sensibles helps entities like hers. And she herself has been essential in this regard. "It's wonderful that it doesn't stick with the biggest or best-known ones," she emphasizes. Before each concert (and this year there are six), the festival screens a video showing the work of one of the associations it collaborates with (in its past five editions, it added 25 social projects, and now six more will be added).

"Músiques Sensibles is the sum of many people with social conscience. The idea was born in 2012, when the crisis was hitting hard. Serving as a loudspeaker for these entities that work anonymously and supporting their work seemed fundamental to me."

Cristina Torres holds one of these keychains, and looks at it while nodding. "Músiques Sensibles is the sum of many people with social conscience. The idea was born in 2012, when the crisis was hitting hard. Serving as a loudspeaker for these entities that work anonymously and supporting their work seemed fundamental to me. At first, we attended to larger ones where our contribution didn't mean much. Laia Gòmez helped us and now we focus on these smaller ones where our donation is more effective. It excites me that sometimes it's the associations themselves that knock on our door," Torres happily recounts.

The director of the cycle recounts how a project whose motto includes words like diversity, commitment, sensitivity germinated. "Músiques Sensibles was born out of several situations: the opportunity to do it in a space that was then the Foyer of the Liceu and was barely known. The editorial line already consisted of focusing on excellent local artists who struggled to find places to present their albums; supporting people who try to make a living from music and have a point of commitment. And we also immediately saw that we should incorporate this social aspect we were talking about."

STARTING BIG, WITH A 'SOLD OUT'

Since last year, the festival made the leap to the Petit Palau and this edition has started big with a juicy appetizer: on October 18, the end of the tour in the main hall of the Palau de la Música by Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés (success was guaranteed, it was sold out days before). The rest of the program will be concentrated in an intense November and will kick off on the 9th with a double concert: the presentation in Barcelona of the new work by singer-songwriter Carmen Boza, Caja Negra (Black Box), an album about breaking with everything and overcoming the inner beast; and the farewell of Intana's tour, titled with her artistic nickname, a captivating album of acoustic pop, intimate and with folk touches. Núria Moliner (as she appears on her ID) assures that "I wish all festivals had this social part." "Performing in projects like this makes me feel more comfortable. More coherent. What better than to do what I like most in the world, sing, and go a little further! -she exclaims-. It makes me even more excited." Before these two women take the stage, the video that will be projected is that of the Fundació Surt, a women's entity committed to the values of gender equity, inclusion, solidarity, and social transformation.

The next date, also with two names on the same night, will be November 10: Roger Mas, who will present the pieces from Parnàs, and a very special recommendation, young Briton Joe Dolman, who will debut in Spain with his recently released EP, Live at All Saints Church. Amen to his talent and the quality of his proposal.

Músiques Sensibles has always been attentive to emerging artists who have later grown, and boasts resounding examples such as Rozalén, Núria Graham, El Kanka, or Marion Harper. And it also bets on, at least, one international artist on the lineup: in its previous editions, names like Joshua Radin, Carla Morrison, Alela Diane… The entity associated with the recitals by Roger Mas and Joe Dalman will be Pro Vellesa Autònoma, which was constituted with the aim of being a space to guarantee the protection of elderly people, and to ensure their well-being and quality of life.

WARM VOICES

The program continues on November 16 with another tour farewell, that of Gemma Humet and her Encara. "A socially themed album that addresses the refugee crisis, the drama of war… And being able to sing these songs at a festival that makes a clear commitment to social issues is the ideal setting. The best. Empathy and wanting to help are essential," emphasizes Humet, before returning to the issue of labels that can also do so much damage in the world of music. "What a habit of putting them on you! Especially journalists. Why pigeonhole me? What fault do I have for doing what I do, feeling what I feel, and transmitting it my way? In my first album, I talked a lot about myself. It's always easier to look inward, where you come from, who you are… But in this second one, I felt the need to explain how I see the things happening around me. I always do what I feel at every moment. And I try to be as coherent as possible." Gemma will share the stage with Alidé Sans, an Occitan-speaking singer and accordionist, with warm and vibrant rhythms, who is presenting the album Henerècla. It will be a dialogue of women, and the entity associated with the evening could be none other than Diàlegs de Dones. An intercultural association that welcomes and helps immigrant women integrate.

The final stretch of Músiques Sensibles, the second half of the month, will be led by Xoel López (November 17) in an acoustic version, performing Sueños y pan (Dreams and Bread), a new exercise in creative freedom from the Galician artist. And the 'opening act' association will be Aprenem, which works on the inclusion of people with autism. El Petit de Cal Eril (day 21) will take over, with his triangular album: conceived as a trilogy of EPs (its respective foundation is Salut Mental Barcelonès Nord). And the closing will have power: The London Community Gospel Choir (day 23), one of the best gospel-soul formations in Europe. Its associated organization? Best Buddies, an international organization that fights for the social integration of people with intellectual disabilities and has been wanting to bury prejudices for years.

There are too many scourges and stigmas to overcome. But when music is sensitive, society becomes contagious.