Ileana Cabra Joglar is much better known throughout Latin America as iLe, dry. She was the female voice of Calle 13 for a decade, along with her brothers René “Residente” Pérez Joglar and Eduardo “Visitante” Cabra. Six years ago he made his solo debut and now confirms his talent with an amazing third album, called nacarile.
The album includes the theme in songswhich won a Latin Grammy and is currently It has more than 10 million views.
Another fact is that it includes the participation of Trueno, Mon Laferte, Ivy Queen and Natalia Lafourcade. However, before starting writing and recording, iLe felt adrift, affected by the restrictions of the pandemic.
confusion and creativity
“I felt like I was in a state of emotional madness. I was confused and lost, but at the same time the songs kept coming out of me. I kept writing. I kept writing. I had to let go not knowing what I was going to do or write” , he says of that period.
The result is nacarilewho manages to combine his affinity for classic Latin American genres and Puerto Rican percussion, as well as the hip-hop he honed with Calle 13, and a host of new and imaginative sounds.
As for the album title, born as a house joke, and remained It is a pun on his name and the Puerto Rican colloquialism “Nacarile del Oriente”, an emphatic exclamation that roughly translates to “Nada de eso!”. iLe realized that he also reflected the album’s provocative spirit: “It’s about embracing those moments where you feel a little lost: embrace it, but don’t stay there,” he says. “It’s like, ‘Thanks, I’ve learned a lot, but no. I’m not staying there.
On Zoom, in the middle of a car trip, headed to a town called Ciales, in Puerto Rico, iLe goes over some details of the work, starting with his idea of summoning people like Trueno:
“Some names were in my thoughts, while others were suggested to me by close people who are part of my family, like my brother Gabriel. Each song invited me to play with some colors, textures and styles. At the mention of a few names, he immediately said I thought it was great but I wasn’t too excited until they said yes I didn’t think there would end up being so many! I felt a certain musical connection with all of them although what we did it was completely different.”
-How was the argument with Trueno?
-I didn’t know how young you were, so the exchange of generational experiences was very interesting.
“I had more freedom”
-Did you already have the idea of inviting many people or did it come to your mind while composing?
-With the first two albums I did what I wanted to do for a long time, but now I see that the second one had a very rigid and structured form. On the other hand, I felt very different with this one. They can be similar emotions, but from another place. Years go by and things are processed differently. I wanted to play a little more with the melodies, just because the previous one was so upbeat. I had more freedom and tried to focus more on the melody.
-How is the year going?
-I had a first presentation of the album in Brooklyn and now we’re putting dates together for next year. I’m crazy to travel and add dates in Argentina and everywhere.
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Source: Clarin
