Belén Doctor works in graphic design, although her link with music began much earlier. After years of training in guitar and singing and going through improvised stages such as the streets and open mics, she now takes a step further with the release of IMPULSO, her first album. In this interview, Belén tells us about her musical journey, the creative process behind the album and the emotional charge that her songs go through.
You’re a graphic design student, but when did you start making music? How did you make that decision?
I studied graphic design as a way to express my emotions at work, but music has always been with me since I was 3, when I got my first guitar. When I was 11, I started teaching guitar and also singing, and I have never stopped doing it to this day. I started cover singing in open mics, playing in the streets of Granada, Madrid and Córdoba, my hometown. I started composing later on in my career.
A first album usually works as someone’s cover letter. What version of yourself did you want the world to see here?
I wanted my first album IMPULSO to be a compendium of all the things I suffered in my childhood, youth, and adulthood concerning mental health. Talking about all of this and opening up in this way was essential to the creative process. It was a story that had to be told like this, always following a common thread that made sense to me.
Have you ever thought about turning making music into your full-time job? Or do you prefer to have it as a hobby?
The music industry is a complicated world in which I possibly would not have the resources needed to manage it emotionally, but it is certainly something that I want with me for the rest of my life, as well as my job. I don’t consider it a hobby, but I don’t consider it my main focus either. I believe that everything I do can coexist perfectly, because both things are creative processes where I can express myself. I just do it in different ways.
What made you think that now was the right moment to release your first album?
The turning point to release this album was precisely having reached a moment of mental stability in my life and, thanks to that, I was able to transfer it all to my songs as well as the fact of being able to express it, something that was unthinkable in the past for fear of stigma.
What story or era of your life is reflected in this album?
As I mentioned before, the songs reflect different eras of my life, but they mainly focus on the hard times in which I saw no way out, specifically during youth. Let’s say that they tell the most difficult moments of my mental disorder and how I was able to get out, little by little, until I got to where I am today.
Do you think this album closes an era in your life or opens a new one?
This album closes a more emotional and harder era of my life, but at the same time it opens another one that will not lose this essence, although it will be told in a way that does not focus so much on what I suffer, but on what arouses my curiosity about being who I am.
What was the hardest part when creating this album?
Creating an album is a long process that requires a lot of patience. From the composition, through the production and arrangements with Javier Vallina, to the rehearsals. Then the search for a band (which I didn’t have) and, lastly, the studio recording. It is not something I was used to, but the most difficult thing, without a doubt, was the time management and trusting it would come out right, without haste and giving each phase its necessary space.
Which artists or genres do you feel have influenced your sound the most?
The influences I started from were mainly from an indie/alternative genre. Singers such as Jimena Amarillo or Alice Wonder were clear references.
Have you ever thought about singing live?
To this day, I’ve done two live acoustic concerts, and my most intimate idea (and that I hope it happens soon) is to find a band that accompanies me and to be able to offer these concerts with more musicians, as a way to create a more complete experience.
Last but foremost, are you considering releasing a second album? If so, what new aspects would you like to explore musically speaking?
The idea of a second album is more than planned. In fact, I’m already in the process of composing again, and I hope it can see the light of day soon. I would like to try different instruments and more experimental nuances, but I would not want to leave aside my guitar and my voice.
Author: Paula García Salido
Translation: Malena Llabrés Rico
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