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PAVVLA: Alter Egos and the Evolution of Music

Upon releasing her first album ‘Creatures’ in 2016, Paula Jornet - aka PAVVLA - was considered as one of the most important new indie acts to come out of Spain. The Catalan artist has since then continued to evolve her swoon-worthy sounds, releasing an acclaimed second album ‘Secretly Hoping You Catch Me Looking’ in 2018 and performing at venues and festivals all around the world.

We spoke to the singer-songwriter ahead of her performance at Nits del Forum, in collaboration with adidas, to talk about her growth as an artist, the indie music scene, and concerts in the age of a pandemic.

You transitioned from acting to music, anything in particular that inspired this change?

It wasn’t really that I transitioned from acting to music, but it’s that now I’m lucky to be able to also dedicate myself to music. But, I still continue to work in both industries. Music was always a hobby and writing was something that I was passionate about. I saw an opportunity to make an album and do concerts in 2016 and I took the leap! And, good thing I did, because it has brought beautiful things into my life.

Pavvla is the alter-ego of Paula Jornet, what are the main differences between the two? 

Pavvla is the name of this musical project and honestly it’s a blessing to be able to go on stage and sing and dance for a while, and just be this character that tells stories!

You’ve released two albums, Creatures in 2016 and Secretly Hoping You Catch Me Looking in 2018, can you take us through your creative process? Did you approach each album from a different perspective?

For me writing is very therapeutic and I almost write more for myself than for an album. Both albums are very much a photograph of how I was feeling emotionally and the circumstances I found myself in while writing them. After producing them, I also think that what I was listening to at that time, or what inspired me the most is very noticeable. I like to see the albums as an attempt to preserve memories in musical format. 

How would you describe the indie music scene at the moment? Where do you see it going in the future?

I think we’re at a moment in time when music genres are crossing over more than ever, and I love that. Not having labels. Indie groups can sound like what we once called Pop, and that today’s Pop is now the R&B and Hip-Hop of the past. It’s very interesting to see how music evolves. I don’t know where it will end up, but I’m sure it will continue to evolve quickly, thanks to social media and the internet. 

The global pandemic has forced us to adopt new measures in terms of events, do you think this will have a lasting effect on live shows?

Yes. I think that until we have vaccine and return to total normality, the cultural sector will suffer. I hope that when everything returns to how it was before, between all of us, the public and artists, can help the sector gain what it has lost during this time. 

If you’re in Barcelona, you can catch Pavvla with María Escarmiento live at Nits del Primavera, Sunday, September 13th.

All images courtesy of Pavvla