Leticia Sala on the composition with Rosalía: “She is a person who supports her friends, her close entourage a lot”

Freshly published Macy’s Swans, a collection of stories that show us the emotions of her life which include her beginnings in motherhood, her relationship with social networks or her adult life. And it comes with a few words of Rigoberta Bandini one of his regular readers.

A book in which there are musical notes, another of her great passions. And not just as a listener. Leticia is a composer and has shared a studio with artists such as Rosalia, the father of Natalia Lacune and of course we haven’t stopped talking to her about that side of hers and getting to know her opinion as a composer of songs like that of Shakira.

There is music too. Do you usually listen to music while you write?

I wrote this book in silence. It’s more rewriting, which I do more with the music. I like that the first draft is quieter and the rewrite is set to more music.

There are musical notes in the book, Rosalía, for example, with her nails… it’s not so much her trademark anymore.

I really liked it when he explained why, because he didn’t want to not be able to play the piano in the performances because of his fingernails. A good reason. I wrote this story a long time ago and at that time I was very present. I swear one idea led to another. I started writing about nails just because, because I was in Miami and a girl I met inspired me, and all of a sudden I thought, if I’m talking about nails, I have to talk about Rosalía. I loved this moment of fan fiction where you put a person you admire in a story and invent that something happened to her, which I obviously wrote for her.

Here, when do you agree?

We met in a session with Ana Torroja, from Mecano because El Guincho, who is part of the same group of friends, really likes what I write in general, she is a person who has always supported me a lot and asked if I wanted to be in session with Ana Torroja because he was starting to make the leap as a producer and had produced several songs for her. He said to me: ‘It’s really cool that your way of writing is very concise and that you are able to introduce a lot of information in a very short sentence and that’s very good for the music’. And I said yes, of course, meeting Ana Torroja, she is iconic, I remember the day I saw her. We composed several days. While Guincho and Rosalía were doing El mal querer, at one point he asked Rosalía if she would come to the session to compose with Ana and we were, with Alizzz, the four of us composing. It was hilarious. Incredible things are created in the studio. It’s something I want to write about. I had a draft, but I hadn’t finished it and it’s such a cool song, that I thought I wouldn’t leave it badly written, but I wanted to do it well. Rosalía was there and she told me that she loved the way I wrote and she told me that she would like to write with me and that’s where it comes from. Baghdad y Car. He is a super busy person, but he is a person who is very supportive of his friends, his close entourage and he has always supported me a lot. I support her too, she doesn’t need any support, but she’s a very generous person in that sense.

And how did Aitana come about, which is a completely different style?

Total. From that moment the music industry was interested in me as a lyricist, which was a very cool thing, I think that in Spain there is little this figure of a person who has no idea about melodies, but he really likes the letter part. They asked me if I wanted to write for artists and I said yes. This is where Aitana emerged, this is where Natalia Lacunza emerged, this is where Anaju emerged, this is where Gómez emerged, this is where Chanel emerged …

I worked with Chanel, which will come out later, you never know.

Chanel? Did you compose for Chanel?

I said something that hasn’t come out yet, but I worked with her, it will come out later, you never know. I was also in camps for Camila Cabello, for Shakira, things that we will never know later.

You took composition seriously, didn’t you?

Yes, I always say this is my third step. For me, the books first, then there’s the brand, if they ask me to give them a speech or write a poem, I like that too, and then there’s the music. I love it and would love to continue doing it. I also do a bit of coaching with the artists because not only do I tell them the word or the phrase, but since I only think of the ideas, I don’t think of the melodies, it suits them very well. I help them a lot to lower the idea.

I would like to write with Aitana again now.

Going back to Aitana, how was it with her?

GOOD. I met her when she had just left TO, very early. I see her as a super humble, super cute, super close girl. I would like to meet her now. I have changed a lot, but I am convinced that she has changed a lot. I would write with her again now. She was 19, but still, super professional, super good, with ideas. She said they weren’t good words, but that’s not true, they were very good words.

Which artist surprised you after meeting him?

I loved Natalia Lacunza because she’s a person who draws her work from something very emotional and that’s something I love. It’s something that I appreciate. If he has to cry, he does. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll tell you, he writes a lot from the heart. He is a person who does not need much help with letters because he has a lot of inner world.

Were you very disappointed?

Well, no. Yes, it’s true that the music industry is the bonfire of the vanities, but I think my figure is a figure that does not threaten them because I am not the one of the melodies and I never put my ego in the studio because I I’m always going to help, for me it’s real helping work. And whatever they let me wear, I’ll do it. I wasn’t as disappointed as there wasn’t that much of a problem. I always take second place and I love it. And I think artists appreciate not feeling trampled on by someone coming in to pose their idea because nothing could be further from what I do.

You are a close friend of Paloma Wool who dresses Amaia a lot, have you met her?

Not yet. We talk to each other and that’s always super nice and I hear a lot of good things about her, but we never had the opportunity to meet, but I would like to because I love her.

In your book, there’s a scene where you dance Post Malone naked in front of the mirror waiting for the musk oil to be absorbed to prevent stretch marks…moment.

Total. I consume all kinds of music, really. With my air like that blonde, you wouldn’t think I like French rap and I listen to French rap lyrics all day. I consume everything and I love it and it was a real image of me with my kick, listening to Post Malone and I thought to myself, why say another artist if it was Post Malone?

Fleetowood Mac, on the way to Joshua Tree for an ayahuasca rite, it’s very generational and not exactly millennial.

Note that Fleetwood Mac hit hard in my generation, I think we all listen to Fleetwood Mac.

Lately someone I admire a lot is Judeline

Who would you like to write a song for now?

Well lately someone I look up to a lot is Judeline and since she has this thing that reminds me a lot of Rosalía in the best way because she has her voice and she’s a strong girl I would love That. In a letter to kings, I would like it.

As a lyricist, what do you think of Shakira?

My first reaction as a mother was, oh the kids, but that the other boy would have thought of the kids too. In the end, I ended up thinking that in the future, music and lyrics are a place of expression and that we have to stop censoring so much. It may or may not sound good to you, but it’s good that people have ovaries and ova to write about whatever they want. I feel like there is some kind of censorship and everything has to be politically correct.

This is where social media is to blame.

Total, and this is why the networks must serve as a catapult, but they no longer serve as a place of creation. It worked for me, but not anymore. Literature and music must have a place of expression and bring out emotions, and there are all the emotions, it’s not just the bright, the pretty, it’s also hatred, envy, you have to get her out. Then the reader or listener will make their own judgment and that Shakira took this away, let her take away a thousand more and take away whatever she wants. We can’t censor these things and then in my internal forum I can think whatever I want, but let her post and take it down.