Bad Gyal is feeling opulent. It’s clear in the shimmery, seductive visuals for recent revenge banger Perdió Este Culo, the way her typically sheen, peroxide bob catches the light, and the luxurious name of her long-awaited debut album, La Joia (which means ‘the jewel’ in her native Catalan). For the Barcelona-born star, real name Alba Farelo, this project has been a long time coming. After “hustling” her way around gigs in her hometown, she broke through the internet with Pai in 2016, a Catalan-language adaptation of Rihanna’s Work. But it wasn’t until the Slow Wine Mixtape, released that same year, that Farelo understood the magnitude of her powers. Taking in digital dancehall, chest-rattling trap and Latin Urbano influences, lead single Fiebre stood out as the gem, Farelo’s femmebot, now signature Auto-Tuned vocals gliding over dancehall’s rhythmic claps, while she sizes up her options at the club: “I walked into the dancehall, I was on fire/ There were a lot of guys but I saw you the first one/ Armani t-shirt with black trousers.”
What followed has been a long and knotty relationship with Caribbean diasporic music – such as dembow and dancehall, which she was introduced to aged eight via the bombastic sounds of Sean Paul’s seminal Dutty Rock – in which Farelo has continued to operate in. As a European artist, many argued, she couldn’t ever understand the cultural context and material conditions in which these sounds were built from. It’s true; her proximity to, and upbringing in, colonial society diminishes the spirit of struggle in the Caribbean and Latin America. It’s a chasm she’s aware of, and her position has equally been accepted as complex. “In the end, I’m from Barcelona. I don’t share that reality from which these genres rose from. I simply do it as an admirer, as a fan,” she explains.
These influences are clearer than ever on La Joia. La Que No Se Mueve features Jamaican dancehall goth and Portmore Empire affiliate Tommy Lee Sparta; reggaeton royalty Ñengo Flow trades verses on the sun-soaked dembow of Bad Boy; and Brazilian funk queen Anitta makes an alluring appearance for reggaeton pop anthem Bota Niña. Like its namesake, La Joia is polished, tantalising and hard as nails; a musical exploration of the darker corners of luxury and romance. An opportunity to chisel away at the intricacies of her artistry and, as she admits, “love herself, process her life and, most of all, learn to grow”.
What does La Joia represent to you?
Bad Gyal: I love the concept of polishing a stone or a diamond; taking it out of something hard, difficult, dark and dirty. You work on it and polish it so that it turns out to be something beautiful. I feel like I could apply that to myself personally as well as the process of making the album. I worked on it, trying to make it as beautiful as possible.
I think La Joia also shows a marked development in your vocal and melodic range. Some songs, like Sexy, show bigger pop ambitions but it also feels like you’re stretching your voice more. What was your vibe in the studio?
Bad Gyal: I’m known for making music for the club, for dancing, to get that energy out. But there are also more personal songs that are intimate and emotional. In the end, I do what I feel. I never go into the studio having prepared anything. I always choose the beats or loops and then decide if I’m going to put reggaeton or funk drums, for example. The writing of lyrics and melodies all happens there in the moment, so it’s all quite fluid and organic. There are some tracks that sound more pop and other tracks that sound less so, but it wasn’t intentional – I just wanted the tracks to make sense next to each other.
What music have you been listening to?
Bad Gyal: I’ve been listening to a lot of music for inspiration! I listen to a lot of brega funk, dembow, old school reggaeton and even some Cuban son. Anything you can really dance to.
You often collaborate with other artists – why do you choose to work this way? What does it unlock in you as an artist?
Bad Gyal: I’m at such a beautiful juncture in my career where I’m given the opportunity to collaborate with artists that I’ve always admired and listened to. It was a dream to be able to have a song with Anitta or Myke Towers. But I wasn’t really guided by what was happening outside of the studio in that moment. I don‘t want to lose speed or eye contact with the engineer and producer. I always put the mic on a chair next to everyone so I can say what I want – what I need to say – and that the whole process is super immediate. I like everything to be as fast as possible. In the end, it’s been really cool because I've been able to capture moments and compose with different producers from very different genres, such as Scott Storch, Nely ‘El Arma Secreta’, El Guincho and Mercabae. I feel that this has enriched me.
What emotional space were you in when you wrote this album?
Bad Gyal: It’s been a two-year process. A lot of things have happened to me in my life and I think that the songs convey that. There are a lot of different moods: I’ve been sad, I’ve been angry, I’ve been happy. But if there’s one thing that’s been the same all this time, it’s that I've always been repositioning myself, discovering myself, getting to know myself more. I’m making myself a priority too.
“I don’t share that reality from which these genres rose from. I simply do it as an admirer, as a fan, and they give me a lot of inspiration” – Bad Gyal
Something you’ve always known about yourself is how dancehall and dembow have shaped your creative life. What do these sounds bring out in you?
Bad Gyal: I’ve always loved dancing and have always loved energetic music, so when I first heard Sean Paul or Don Omar, for example, I was like, ‘Wow, what is this?’ It makes me want to dance and I love the energy that it transmits. I also feel that, as a woman, it has brought out that feeling of self-love and wanting to express myself with my sexuality the way I want to.
How do you deal with – or work on – the ongoing criticisms levelled at you about cultural appropriation, considering you’re a European artist profiting off these diasporic sounds?
Bad Gyal: In the end I have always tried to convey that these genres have been an inspiration to me and have come to me. I can’t do anything about what I like and what I’m passionate about – this type of music is what gives me energy and makes me feel good. I also want to clarify that I understand that I am privileged and that I will never call myself a dancehall artist or reggaetonera. In the end, I’m from Barcelona. It’s a different context. I always try to do it with respect and clarify that I’m fortunate. I don’t share that reality from which these genres rose from. I simply do it as an admirer, as a fan, and they give me a lot of inspiration. That is my position.
Do you think these valid checks are warranted?
Bad Gyal: I understand it.
What makes you feel vulnerable?
Bad Gyal: Well, we all feel vulnerable from weird emotions, things that happen to us and affect us in a negative way. Nobody is free from that but it’s also necessary to find your strength, isn't it? I need to own my decisions and feelings in order to be free to do what I want to do.
In the past, you’ve spoken about people constantly having opinions about your beauty and sexuality as a woman. Do you feel like being pretty has been an asset or detriment to your career? I personally think that as a woman there is no winning when it comes to this.
Bad Gyal: It’s a double-edged sword because being pretty helps you in some ways, and in others, it limits you. People pigeonhole you in a certain way. Being pretty doesn‘t free you from having to work hard. I‘m not a model; I‘m a musician and songwriter. I write all my songs, so I‘m really clear that I’m not just a pretty face. I‘m clear about why I do what I do, and how it’s what I came into the world to do. Making music is what I’m passionate about and, well, if I‘m pretty, then I‘m pretty. And you know what? I love being pretty. I don‘t think it‘s incompatible with being a good songwriter or a boss bitch.
Would you say your music is for the body or for the mind?
Bad Gyal: Both, because they are connected, and because I also believe that everything physical has a mental aspect as well. Physical impulses at some point are processed by the mind. I have songs that are much more physical and songs that make you think about something, or someone.
“Being pretty doesn‘t free you from having to work hard. I‘m not a model; I‘m a musician and songwriter” – Bad Gyal
What does your identity as a Catalana bring to your music? How does it influence your artistic practice?
Bad Gyal: I feel that maybe it is not so much transmitted to my music, but it is transmitted to my personality. This may be surprising to hear, but I feel that Catalans are a bit cold and more reserved. It‘s harder to get through to us.
Things have changed now with the global success of artists such as Rosalía, but you’ve said Spanish artists just never get big. Why do you think that is?
Bad Gyal: It’s not impossible, but maybe it’s a bit more complicated. As you said, Spain is in Europe; we are not in Latin America. It‘s more difficult for a Spanish artist to reach an audience in certain territories because there is not only physical distance but cultural distance, and there is already a lot of incredible music coming out of other countries.
Who is your dream collaboration?
Bad Gyal: Vybz Kartel. Period.
What do you like doing outside of music?
Bad Gyal: I like to do sports, enjoy peace and quiet in my house, and spend time with my family and friends. I love eating well at restaurants! I also love the water and snorkelling.
What’s something about you most people don’t know?
Bad Gyal: I am really shy. I don’t feel so shy about things to do with my work, but in my personal life, I find myself being really timid when I meet new people.
What era would you say you’re in?
Bad Gyal: The era of loving myself. I’m starting a new stage of my life where I’m really busy but I feel happy and good about myself. It’s a good time for me. I don’t like to set very concrete goals for myself; I’m more of a person who likes to flow and achieve things that way. I’m in a place where I can continue dedicating myself to my art and to grow in what I do. I’m in my era of enjoying this beautiful life that I’ve been given.
La Joia is out now via Universal Music Latino/Interscope