Nicole Zignago goes for her first Latin Grammy: “It has been difficult, but I have earned it hard”

Last September 20 was for Nicole Zignago one of the most exciting days of his life, he first heard his name on the list of nominees for the Latin Grammy. The 26-year-old singer says that she was looking forward to this moment, and she remembers that since she was little she has not missed any announcement of the Latin Recording Academyas a good music lover.

He also relates that the first thing he did was wake up his girlfriend to tell her and answer the call from her excited parents. “I received messages from producers that I greatly admire, that I have had the pleasure of knowing more about, not working with them. Like Julio Reyes, Rafael Arcaute, who is the producer of Calle 13, Juan Luis Guerra, people I grew up listening to and admiring, and listening to that congratulatory message is a great VIP for me, it’s literally taking me a Grammy,” he told Infobae.

at another time, Nicole Zignago He confesses that getting ahead on his own, keeping a distance from his father, has not been the most difficult. The most complicated thing has been fighting against those who think that being the daughter of Gian Marco Zignago everything has been made easy for him. in conversation with Infobaealso referred to society in the face of the gay community and the desire to appear without masks, just as it is before her family, as she calls her fans.

Nicole, tell me how you received the news that you are nominated…

The Latin Grammys do like a pre-recorded live on their Instagram, which they launch and announce the nominees, and (while smiling) I had a hunch because you never know what can happen, and the truth is that since I was very little I have I have been very aware of the nominations because as a music fan, beyond the fact that I dedicate myself to this, my friends and I have always been super involved in who the nominees are. (That day) I got into the live, it was around 8 in the morning and when the category arrived I started to get very nervous, but I said, “if it doesn’t happen, nothing happens, we continue, nothing happens”. Y my name came out on the screen and I started to cry, at the touch I woke up my girlfriend, my dad called me, my mom called meIt was very nice, my best friends called me, it was very exciting.

Some singers say they don’t sing to win awards, what do you think about that?

Look, the biggest prize and I’m not saying that, really, to be cheesy. The biggest prize is making music and dedicating myself to it, and that more people get to know my music, connecting with my fans really is the biggest prize, but that a select group, which I greatly admire, recognize my work is also a prize. giant. Both reflect the effort that one makes as a musician, in my case as a singer-songwriter.

It was one of your big dreams, so…

Yes, you always dream about it and see it on television, being there is like that Hollywood moment you imagine, on the red carpet and meeting artists you admire. Being surrounded by people who are now colleagues. It is a very special recognition. I think that someone like me, who has liked music since I was very young, was something that was on my checklist, it’s something you dream of, it’s a very nice award.

Do you know the careers of the singers with whom you compete?

I have followed the career of Silvana Estrada, she seems to be a spectacular singer-songwriter, I am nominated with a great friend who is Nabález, a tremendous composer, and now she has also decided to take up her career as an artist (singer), she does it spectacularly, she is a crack. Vale, who are twins, Colombians, I know several, others I don’t, but I have started to investigate and I have liked them a lot, for example Clarissa, it is a huge honor. It’s also very nice because you discover new talents, which is what the Best New Artist category is for, which puts us on a radar. This is the nomination and we’ll see what happens with the award, I take it as a reaffirmation that you’re on the right track no matter what happens.

Along with you, there are 4 Peruvians who will represent us at the Latin Grammys, Susana Baca, Eva Ayllón and Araceli Poma are on the list…

It is very exciting, when I saw in the news that we were there, I said what and how important that all Peruvian representatives are women. It is a great emotion, and they are also people that I admire a lot. I didn’t know Araceli, but I’m going to investigate her, and that her topics are in Quechua is impressive. I grew up hearing the name of Eva Ayllon and of Susana Baca, opening the way between all of us is very important. I feel that there is more and more community between us, no more suspicion or envy.

Gian Marco wrote that he was proud to be “Nicole Zignago’s dad.” You have struggled a lot with the phrase “the daughter of Gian Marco Zignago”, what did these words of your father mean?

Yes, when they say: ‘oh, yes, this nomination is for his father’, whatever I do they give back to my father. And yes, some doors have opened for me because my dad knew someone, and it definitely helps, yes, I’m not going to deny it at all, but it’s one thing for the door to open for you and knowing how to stay there. That, yes I am honest, I have earned it hard, and it has been difficult, and it has been a beautiful path, it has been at the point of work and a lot of study.

Little by little I have opened doors. Yes, I have struggled to get rid of that, especially in my country, because in the rest of the places, especially in Mexico, it feels nice that suddenly they are not talking about your dad all the time, but at the same time, with everything the pride of the world, a large part of the person I am is because of my dad and my mom. I’m immensely grateful to them, I’m also proud to be someone’s daughter, that sometimes pisses me off, pisses me off, because I’m human. The person I am is because of them, and over time, and with my work, little by little people will realize the work I’m doing.

You decided to keep your distance from your father, have there been times when you had to stop him to fulfill that agreement?

I remember that conversation was one by one, head-on. I told him: ‘let’s keep our distance’, and my dad has known how to respect him a lot. He definitely takes care of me a lot, as well as on a personal level, he also asks me how he has been doing (at work). It has been very nice to see our relationship go from father to daughter, from colleague to colleague, being in the studio with a producer and for him to show me his album, and for him to be nervous because he wants to know what I think, and I the same, because both We respect each other a lot and admire each other a lot. I know because he tells me. He saw me very determined from the beginning, I told him, ‘Hey, take a step back’. Or suddenly if he crosses the line, I tell him: ‘pa, pa aside, I’m fine here’ (with a big smile). Life has led me to work with the people with whom he has worked. He is very nice, I know he is very proud of me.

Just as you express yourself in your songs, you also do it on networks, showing your fans a bit of your sentimental life…

My music is very autobiographical, music is my diary, literally. I think it goes well with being vulnerable for the moments that I am going through in my life, without overexposing because in the end it is my life, but I feel that it is very nice to tell the people who have been following me for a long time, the moment that I am going through, and that they understand a little more my songs. Sometimes when I have launches and I zoom in with the family that I have been forming, it is nice to tell you that yes, I fell in love. They tell their stories to me. That’s when a nice bond is formed. Being open with my feelings is very important to me, because in the end that is my music, my music is from my own experiences.

And have you learned how to deal with naysayers yet?

I keep learning to handle it along the way, it’s weird and ugly that someone who doesn’t know about you, who doesn’t know your path, who doesn’t know about your personal life, comes to have a very clear and concrete opinion of you, it definitely hurts, but I’m learning not to read them because in the end it fills my heart with things I don’t want to feel and it diverts me from the path and the purpose I have with my music. They will be (the comments), the thing is to ignore them, it is to learn to smear yourself with butter and let it slip.

Has your dad given you any advice about it?

More than verbal advice, the lessons I learn from my parents are in actions, seeing them be the people they are. I have always seen them, sometimes there were attacks against the family that I say, how ugly. It’s one thing not to like an artist and that’s fine, but taking the time to post a hurtful message. Sometimes it makes me sad to know that as a society we are like this, that envy prevails, that pain prevails. That’s why I think it’s better to talk to people about love with your family, as a couple, than talking about your personal life that you don’t know about.

How do you perceive Peruvian society regarding equality?

Every time I go to Peru and when I see the comments, I realize that more people realize that love is the most normal thing in the world, it is the most beautiful thing, that love absolutely moves us all. I keep seeing some ugly comments, but when I start to investigate, I see that they are from other generations, it is my personal opinion. I feel that there will be an important break from my generation until later, I feel that people are changing the chip.

Do you know what happens to me? I hear the typical comment “I respect but it happens to me, I wouldn’t want to”. Or “well, I respect but if my son turns out to be gay, then no”. That’s when I say, “then you’re not respecting.” That they say, “let people do what they want with their lives, but not me”. It’s fine, but it’s not very coherent, it’s the typical: “I love you despite”. No, you don’t love me because I love freely, you love me because I am like that, you don’t love me despite, you love me because I have qualities and virtues. There a hundred that we are missing a lot, but I see a lot of growth and openness in hearts, to see that two people who love each other is the only thing that matters.

I imagine that at the Grammys you will go with your girlfriend, do you already know what garment you will wear for the carpet?

Yes, I will go with her. About clothing, notice that I don’t know, I don’t have the slightest idea what I’m going to wear that day. I probably put on makeup myself, yes, I like to put on makeup a lot, since I was very little I like it. I’ll book someone to do my hair for once before everyone is busy. I haven’t had time to think about it, but yes, you’ve reminded me, I have to do it. It will be very exciting to be representing my country there.

The Latin Grammy They will take place on November 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. Nicole is looking forward to this date, where -as she says- she will live her Hollywood moment, but above all, she will show that every effort has her reward.

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