By José Gandue @Gandour
Those who were already following the burgeoning Ecuadorian electronic music scene recognized Renata Nieto from recent days. She is the vocalist of EVHA (The Old Man of the Andes), since the beginning of last year, under the name of Latorre, has been showcasing his solo career with delicate singles where Contemporary arts are fused with symphonic sounds of Ecuadorian nationalism, such as the pasillo and the albazo. His song To be eternal It impacted us so much that we inevitably had to include it among the 18 best songs of 2018., because of that gratifying combination of tenderness and digital seduction that we never tire of hearing about again and again. Since then, she has carefully released only three recordings on music platforms, but they have garnered enough attention that, at the time of our interview, to be on his first major tour of Mexican territory, which has included the Marvin Festival and other important dates. In the midst of her busy schedule, we managed to contact her to learn more about her life and artistic activities.
How would you explain to someone who hasn't heard your music what your songs sound like?
My songs have the essence of traditional Ecuadorian mestizo music; that is, they have a sound reminiscent of the indigenous highlands, but they also incorporate instrumentation that came to us from Europe, such as violins, woodwinds, and brass instruments. To this I add elements of contemporary music and electronic sounds.
What is your songwriting process like?
I begin by searching for a feeling or idea I want to convey. Then, I simultaneously brainstorm melodic and lyrical ideas that work well together. Afterward, I sit down with my producer, Alejandro Mendoza. For these first songs, the creative process stems from exploring the themes of Ecuadorian mestizo music, which are primarily about love. The lyrics are inspired by the approach to love found in Ecuadorian pasillos. They speak of idealized, idolatrous, sacred, passionate loves—loves that are found only once in a lifetime and are expected to last forever. Finally, throughout the process, we always strive for a balance between traditional and modern world music.
What is your live music performance like?
From the beginning, I've always conceptualized music as linked to visual ideas, especially those related to Latin American Baroque aesthetics. In that sense, the performance is designed to be a complete staging; that is, the music is accompanied by visuals and lighting that evoke the colonial spaces of Quito, these old churches, and so on. Everything has that dark and solemn feel. There are three of us in the band: I sing, and I'm accompanied by a keyboardist and a percussionist.
It's interesting what's happening with contemporary music in Ecuador, how would you describe this moment in your country's music scene?
After the golden age of Ecuadorian music (between 1930 and 1950), the amount of music being composed ceased, and from then on, there was very little production of traditional music. Artists began to make only covers, and Ecuadorian music began to be lost. I believe that as a reaction to this phenomenon, new artists have begun to emerge who are trying to propose an evolution for our music and make it more accessible to the rest of the world so that it can be enjoyed again. I think this is an important moment in Ecuador because the creative energy of our early composers has resurfaced.
Which Ecuadorian musical figures should we be following closely right now?
Mateo Kingman, Nicola Cruz, Da Pawn, Paola Navarrete (each in their own genre). I also like what's being done with EVHA for the new album.
What are your plans as Latorre in the coming months?
I'm going to keep releasing singles every two months or so. A new music video for the song is coming soon. Eternal Beings. We've just started playing the live show, we have some shows scheduled and the plan is to keep refining the stage production.
