Paola Rivero (electric guitar), Alicia Ros (singer and bass) and María Talaverano (singer and keyboard), they are the members of the latest music group to sneak onto our radar: “Cariño”. The female band is a breath of fresh air and has been part of the Coachella Festival cartel since 2020. In fact, they are the only Spanish presence. Which does not surprise us because they are a real fantasy. With only 12 songs in their discography, they live a total success. Tickets are sold out and we have been conquered by their good vibes and natural and ironic lyrics.
We talked to them to get to know them better:
Tontipop, “neighborhood pop for the low”… you have been cataloged in many ways, which one do you feel most comfortable with?
We no longer feel so identified with either of those two things. I think we don’t have a motto like that to identify with, but in general we are pure pop. As we say in our bio, we are three friends making music.
You met on Tinder, can you tell me the story?
María and I met on ‘Guapa’, which was a Tinder-type social network that existed before and we met, but nothing happened. So we became friends, we liked the same music and we thought about starting a group. One wrote poems and the other knew how to make music. And when we went to see a “Good son” concert, we saw Alicia so pretty, so short and so singing and we said this is the person we need inside her.
Why did you choose ‘Cariño’ as the name of the band?
Honey was a filler that we used a lot at that time. He also matched the concept very well with the songs.
What is the best thing about working with friends? And the worst?
Gossip, that is our base of friendship, gossip. We had a good time. Trips are more like excursions than work. Also, when you play at festivals and meet other colleagues and it’s quite Camp Rock. Being a band is the key to dedicate yourself to this.
You were interested in participating in the Benidorm Fest but it was not possible, tell me a little, why did you see each other there?
We didn’t see each other at Coachella and suddenly we are. We stayed at the gates of the Benidorm Fest so it could have gone out.
But are you going to Coachela, nervous about sharing a poster with Harry Styles and Billie Eilish?
It’s pretty crazy, we don’t quite believe it. We want to get there to do it. The cancellation has extended the wait. You get more nervous, you have more songs to play, more things to prepare, but we are going at a good time because we are about to release the album and we are very sure of the songs.
“We would love to collaborate with Karol G”.
Would you be cool if a colab came out?
Of course. With Karol G, but there are a lot of bands that we love.
In Spain you have sung with Natalia Lacunza and you have said that you wanted to collaborate with bad gyalHow is this going? Is something cooking?
That’s the only thing I think will not happen to us.
going back to the festivalsyou have played in several, which one do you like the most?
The contemporary which is a midget festival where we played for the first time. And one of the greats is Primavera Weekend. It was amazing to play on it, we had a lot of fun at the Robin Hood campsite.
“This year we recommend going to Primavera Sound and Madrid Brillante”.
Now that we are reorganizing plans in them, which ones do you recommend visiting our readers?
Primavera Sound, I don’t know if there are any tickets left, but it’s quite powerful and Madrid Brillante. It’s a new festival, it’s its second year, and it’s got cool people. Many colleagues are involved and we are going to go even if we don’t play a little dance. Julieta Venegas goes.
Continuing with the recommendations, can you tell me a singer/group to sign?
Vanessa Zamora, “The Good Son” and Mexican Axolotls. This group belongs to the producer of our latest album, Juan Pedrayes, and his sister.
Do you feel part of a new music scene?
We feel indies. We have transcended that world, we can be heard in other scenes, but our essence is indie.
Why do you think they like your songs?
Because they are true, they are things that happen to us and to people too. It’s easy to empathize with both the songs and ourselves.
You have stated that your lyrics come from the internet, how is your composition process?
We meet at home, we bring ideas and we develop the three of us and then we go to the producer to get the best sound out of it. We follow exactly the same process as before, the only thing different is that the times have been longer and we record in good studios.
Last month you released “I don’t agree”, can you tell me about it? It is the continuation of “If you want”.
It is a song that is a bit self-critical of when one is in a loop of self-destruction and realizes it.
One of the songs with which we have cried the most on the album and with which we have cried the most on ‘Cariño’ because it is like realizing that it is not the world that is against you, but that it is really you who have a problem and you have to start solving it because this is super important to move forward.
What is the theme of Cariño that makes you most excited?
“I don’t agree” is very special because it is the one that most strikes a chord. Also, it was one of the songs with which we started to make the album. We did it even before, in rehearsal. It was something very natural and very beautiful, we have a lot of love for him.
You sold out the first printing of t-shirts with the logo in Japanese, how is the merchandise? Will you get new?
We have other types of t-shirts and sweatshirts, but I think that this t-shirt will always have to be on sale because it is like our iconic one. It was a roll that we did because it gave us money to be able to do merch at the beginning. Paola designed them and the three of us prepared the packages. It would be cool to wear the same roll in the following ones.
Photos | Dear