What’s Romeo?

Romeo
Hello, I’d like to explain Romeo to you, if I may. None of us is just one thing, and nor is Romeo.
Romeo, now, is this project, but before he was my cousin, my friend, and my artistic mentor. Romeo died in an accident not long ago, and now Romeo is my tribute to him, my way of expressing my gratitude to him for the support and love which he gave, and continues to, give me.
As an artist, I had never felt that I was what I’d wanted to be, a musician by trade. I realised that after years of trying to be a rock star, it just wasn’t what I wanted. But at the same time, I knew that I had to sing, singing is my freedom, it’s like breathing to me. I was working as a singer, but the artistic part of me had become blocked, and then I became pregnant.
Just before the birth, I heard about the death of my artistic mentor, cousin and soul mate. At the time, I think I couldn’t process my grief, as I was focused on the birth, but I found myself always wondering, ‘why did he die? Why him?’.During the birth itself something profound happened, and I’d like to explain that to you. While I was having contractions, I suddenly experienced a different pain, a pain that somehow I knew. A pain which I felt in my bones. But in that pain was epiphany. I understood in those moments of pain why he had gone, and what he had gone to do. He went to become an umbrella, an umbrella to shield both me and son from whatever may come. In the same moment that I realised this, that pain disappeared. Just one hour later my son, Guillem, was born; with loving parents and Romeo, our umbrella, to protect him.
Romeo is serendipity. After this moment of connection during the birth, Romeo once more became my artistic mentor. I realised that I wanted to do something for him, in exchange for everything he has always done for me. And then these songs came to me, fluidly, organically, and I decided to shape them into this album for him.
Romeo is now a group of four very talented musicians and me. Musicians who are humble and sincere enough to surrender to the emotions in the music, and to play without ego.

Romeo is a live performance recorded in a studio. As we are all jazz musicians, no two performances are alike, each reacting to our audience and our environment. We hope, and believe, that each song can provoke a different response in each rendition.
Romeo is the hope which is born in pain.

article posted by:Cecilia Giménez, Ceigimenez

Links