Carmen Doorá, from Spain to the Latin Grammy with “organic” and environmentalist flamenco

“Music, like everything that has an exposure to the public, sends a message of how things can be done and I have always tried to reflect my thoughts as a person who cares about social causes and the world in which we live. , contributing my grain of sand,” he explains to Efe.

With a degree in Philosophy and a Superior Degree in Cante Flamenco, as well as a stage creator and composer, Doorá is the least known of a list of nominees for the “best flamenco album” of 2022, which is completed by Las Migas, Estrella Morente and her brother Kiki and Mary Toledo.

“It caught me by surprise and with great enthusiasm. They are all artists that I admire a lot and who inspire me since I started,” says Doorá about this Latin Grammy nomination, a greater feat if you take into account that he has achieved it as an independent artist. . “This is good news for music and a reason for double pride, because fellow musicians have voted for me,” she says.

“Orgánica”, the album for which she was chosen, is the third of her career after “Almíbar” (2009) and “Eco” (2016), whose title already reflected a concern for the environment that remains in this work, recorded live with the only wicks of his voice and the guitar of Paco Heredia.

“For me it is a vindication of music in its pure state, with its primitive elements and without further editing and, also, for my daily commitment to sustainability,” explains this vegan artist before the double meaning of the album’s title.

She is convinced that “small decisions are our responsibility because we are in a time of climate emergency.” On her tours, for example, if she covers short distances she uses the train, which is why she felt “offended” by the laughter of the soccer player Kyllian Mbappé and the PSG coach, Christophe Galtier, when asked if they would consider traveling in this medium instead of private planes to attend their commitments.

“It is a brutal irresponsibility. People have a greater responsibility if they have a higher economic and social status,” values ​​this artist, who in the past put on a flamenco show against sexist violence.

He says that his first flamenco school was his grandfather, “a pure-bred orchard grower” and a fan of cante that he picked up while doing his work, and that later, during his years living in Paris, he came into contact “with the African culture, the Latin, the French of course and also with the Arab”.

That is why it is not surprising that Doorá has turned “Orgánica” into a kind of alliance of civilizations in which she sings in Spanish as well as in English, French or Arabic to cover artists such as the Spanish La Niña de los Peines, the American Nina Simone or the Egyptian Umm Kalzum.

“For me there is no difference, they are great artists and singers and, when I listen to them, they transmit something very powerful to me. Flamenco for me transcends the regional; that is why I like to put it in dialogue with international artists, which is where it should be” , he points out.

As a teacher at the Antonio Ruiz Soler Superior Conservatory in Seville (south), Doorá tries to convey to her students that idea above any other, the “ability to move” flamenco.

“I tell them to always go with the truth ahead. It is the most important thing in life and even more so in flamenco, because it is born from the popular and must transmit emotion beyond virtuosity. That is why you have to study the technique and the repertoire , but even more so the ability to transmit,” he insists.

The gala of the 23rd edition of the Latin Grammys will take place on November 17 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas (USA).