(This article is a translation from the original Spanish version. This also includes translated interviews.)
Starting as a shy girl with a love for writing, rising bolero and jazz singer Brisa intends to contribute to the rise of Latin music.
Brisa, born as Brisa Bacigalupo, is a 20-year-old Peruvian singer and songwriter based in London. Her musical journey started when her cover of Natalia Lafourcade’s “Soledad y el Mar” went viral two years after being posted, causing her to begin performing at concerts. She started to write original songs such as “Laberintos” and “Melancolía” alongside her friend and producer Valentina Cailluax, getting to know different types of music from various countries. She discovered her passion for writing at the age of 12, giving her the drive to study jazz abroad in London.
“When I arrived here, my only purpose more than anything was my education and studying about jazz, everything I had always wanted to do in my life,” Bacigalupo said in a Spanish interview with The Republic (La Republica).
One of her songs, “Laberintos,” is about her experience of searching for her identity in an unknown world. This song was created from her creative process derived from both her memories and love for poetry. “This song is about arriving in an unknown world and feeling like you aren’t supposed to be a part of it,” Bacigalupo said in another Spanish interview with the Republic. “It reflects a change in my life, especially when I arrived in London and I couldn’t find myself, feeling lost. I wrote this song alongside Valentina Caillaux, and together we found the same feeling of separation in the face of those new changes our lives brought in.”
The music video for “Laberintos” is inspired by the lyrics of the song. For Bacigalupo, it was important to be able to trust someone with the history of the song’s creation, which led her to meet Rodolfo Muñante, the director of the music video. Alongside Muñante’s vision, the video was designed to mirror her time in London, from the moment she arrived with her luggage to the moment she adjusted to her environment.
“We wanted to capture that visually, and I couldn’t have picked anyone better than Rodolfo to create that vision,” Bacigalupo said in another Spanish interview with the Republic. “That was one of the first songs I wrote in this project, and I’m very emotional to share it with the world and contribute to Peruvian art, even from afar.”
Despite only having two singles released, Bacigalupo has an upcoming song that’s currently in development, which will be a collaboration with another Peruvian artist. Her most recent performance was in Barranco, Peru, on Jan. 9 and her upcoming concert will be at St. Pancras Old Church in London on Feb. 19. She has yet to have any US dates.
“To those who haven’t listened to my music, I’d love to invite you all to listen to my music and maybe feel something that I wanted to interpret with it,” Bacigalupo said in a Spanish interview with The Republic. “There’s more stuff like this coming, so stay alert!”
