Pau Vallvé, the art of growing older

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n these days of uncertainty and pandemic, it's not common to find people who openly state they are happy. Among the fortunate who live immersed in this state of mind is singer-songwriter Pau Vallvé, who has just released La vida és ara. An album born in dark days, and which is receiving a formidable reception from the public. Vallvé will present his songs on November 18 and 19 at the Centre Artesà Tradicionàrius in Barcelona with all tickets sold out.

-- The story of this album begins when some pretty big things happen...

-- Yes. In March of last year, I separated amicably. Since I had to go somewhere, I decided to temporarily settle in my studio, where I have a sofa bed. And a few days later, the lockdown arrived, so I stayed in the studio for 75 days. At first, it was heavy, because I was alone in a basement without natural light, but in the long run, and contrary to what I would have expected, it was quite cool. It was very good for me to stop, get out of the river, and look at everything from the outside.

-- The result of these 75 days is La vida és ara, an album where you make important changes to your sound palette.

-- So many days in a basement give you a lot to think about… I realized that there were certain tics in my music that didn't quite fit with my current way of being. In terms of lyrics, my albums have evolved, but musically, many things from the first Pau Vallvé had become entrenched. When you use the wildcard of drama, or epic, or rock in a song, it's easy for it to work. I wondered what would happen if I removed these tics that no longer represent me, to see if I could make flat songs that worked well without all that.

-- There's less density, less wrapping…

-- That was another one of my tics, yes. Since I have my own studio and I'm a multi-instrumentalist, I always kept adding things to the albums, a bit like someone adding sauce to rice. But I decided that didn't represent me much either. I'm simpler, more direct, more pim-pam, and I wanted to reflect that. It's also difficult, eh! Making a song that works with three elements, instead of sixteen, is also a challenge.

-- You always record your albums alone. Why?

-- On the one hand, because it's my moment, every two years, to shut myself away and play: play instruments I like, make my own covers... And, on the other hand, because I've always approached albums as if they were installments of a diary that reflects everything that has happened to me, whether in a more literal or more poetic way. Therefore, it seems like the most natural thing to do it alone. It would be very strange for someone to write a diary with four hands...

"I have always recorded my albums alone because I consider them installments of a personal diary. It would be very strange to write this diary with four hands," states Pau Vallvé

-- Of course. I've studied jazz, I started doing metal, I've been listening to bossa nova like crazy since I was 18... I'm passionate about many different styles. Taking this into account, I asked myself questions. How can it be that my project is only an indie rock project, how did I get here, to corner myself in this corner? I'm almost closer to bossa nova than to rock. I thought it was time to update myself, to open up the range a bit more, trying to bring things to my sound and my way of doing things.

-- During this very creative and introspective confinement, you turned 39. Did that also influence you?

-- I'm always swimming, and this confinement has helped me to stick my head out, see if I'm going towards the buoy or if I've strayed, and also look at where I come from and what I've done so far. All of that made me realize that I had gotten older, that I already have quite a past, and that I am happier and more fortunate than I thought. And I have also realized that I have gotten older in another not so positive sense. There are things in life that cannot be changed and that used to make me very angry, and now they don't. Getting older is not just about achieving certain goals, being at peace with yourself, or having a certain professional success. There is also a part of happiness that is based on having given up on some battles that you cannot win. There are friends who will fail us, things that can't give any more no matter how much you want to squeeze them, facts that you have to accept even if you don't like them. That's what I try to explain in the song Suposo que això és fer-se gran.

I'm always swimming, and this confinement has helped me to stick my head out and see if I was going in the right direction, towards the buoy, or if I had strayed.

-- Here's a bit of the grace of the matter. The album is like a kind of list of all the things that have made me unhappy or caused me problems in life, and each song is like checking an item on this list. In the first two songs, separation is discussed, and there's also getting angry, not enjoying things, the fear of death, doubting the system and wanting to change it... There are 12 songs that talk about me. The thirteenth, Tothom vol ser feliç, is the only one where I talk to another person. I explain to them that everyone seeks happiness, but it's not that easy. As if after this list of things that I've had to cross off to feel good, I pass the baton to someone who hasn't achieved it yet.