In the second of a series of quick QnAs with artists performing at Womad NZ this year, Amparo Sanchez (Spain) takes some time out to answer a few questions. 

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In the second of a series of quick QnAs with artists performing at Womad NZ this year, Amparo Sanchez (Spain) takes some time out to answer a few questions. 

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After 11 years with her influential band Amparanoia, vivacious and powerful singer Amparo Sánchez has embarked on a striking a solo project. Expanding on her exuberant roots-reggae-Cuban style, she called the album Tucson-Habana – highly appropriate, considering the dry Americana influence of her collaborators Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico.

What (or who) did you want to be when you were growing up?

When I was a child, I always had the dream to be a singer one day, I had it really clear from my childhood. I was born in a small village in the South of Spain, in Andalucia, and together with my father I remember that each day we passed by the popular bars of our village, to listen to the folkloric singers who were singing flamenco from the early morning to the late evening. Coming home, I tried to do the same watching myself in the mirror. My grandparents also motivated me to become a singer, my grandmother always told me that our daily pain we all sometimes have, whether is physical or mentally, is so much easier to carry when you keep on singing…

What are you reading at the moment?

I am reading for the moment ‘The Mysteries of Coincidences’ by Eduardo Zancolli, a great Argentinian author.

Whats’s currently playing on your iPod?

On my iPod I am listening to the latest Calexico-album ‘Algiers’.

What are you looking forward to most about coming to New Zealand?

I am really looking forward to discover the people of New Zealand because I believe that people are everywhere the most fascinating thing to discover. Of course, I am also interested to listen to stories and to learn a bit more about Maori culture, and to enjoy the great nature and beauty your country has…

Can you give a brief account of the idea behind your work?

Musically my music is a fusion of Latin American music and American music, the folk music from the borders between Arizona and Mexico, it’s also an influence of the south of my country and the Mediterranean regions in general… My songs and lyrics tell little stories that want to give force and energy to everyone listening to it, they try to transmit a positive energy too, they are an invitation of experiences, sentiments and thoughts…

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Amparo Sanches perform at Womad NZ, Taranaki, March 15-17, 2013