The cantaora from Coloma, Ana Brenes, releases her first album, 'Mientras camino', a project of nine chapters that explores deep flamenco singing.
Ana Brenes (Santa Coloma de Gramenet, 1991) has just released her first album, 'Mientras camino', a work that establishes her as one of the most promising voices of flamenco in Catalonia. The cantaora, who grew up in a flamenco family, has structured the album into nine chapters that include saetas, cantiñas, tanguillos, bamberas, and seguiriyas.
Brenes began to familiarise herself with flamenco from a very young age, when she accompanied her mother, also a professional cantaora, to the peñas and tablaos of Greater Barcelona. "Flamenco has been in me all my life; since I was little, my mother, who was professionally dedicated to singing, and my father, an enthusiast, took me to the tablaos, the peñas, which used to be many, and for me, it was normal," the artist explains in an interview.
The cantaora, from an emigrant family from Andalusia and Extremadura, always knew that her destiny was to dedicate herself to flamenco. "In Santa Coloma, flamenco was very visible, and I have always been rooted in it, to the point that I have trained in it," she adds.
Despite having innate talent, Brenes decided to complement her training by studying at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). However, she argues that the essence of flamenco is learned more through experience than through an academic title. "Music is learned more through experiences, not through a recognised title, but I wanted to do it and there it is, although to truly train in flamenco, you have to live it," she concludes.
The resident of Coloma also reflects on the harshness of the musical profession, often idealised from the outside. "It is a path that is very romanticised, but it is very hard, and in the end, almost utopian," she assesses. However, her work has allowed her to position herself within the flamenco scene as one of the most regarded artists among the young talents beginning to make their way.
Brenes defends two key ideas: the first is that music should be understood as a normal profession. "The media has scales; an artist is not measured by how famous they are, all that is separate, art works in another way." The second is that to be flamenco, it is not necessary to come from a lineage. "There is a certain kindness for those who come from a lineage, but I believe that if you have the skill and the gift to interpret this genre, you have to develop it, period," she declares.
In addition to her musical career, Ana Brenes maintains her link to education, although no further details about this aspect have been disclosed. 'Mientras camino' is already available on digital platforms and represents a firm step in her artistic journey.
For the residents of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the release of this album represents a source of local pride, seeing how an artist trained in the municipality and who drew from the flamenco of its peñas and tablaos manages to carve out a space in the musical landscape. The album can be listened to on major streaming platforms.
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