Interview with Carmen Carmona, singer:

"You have to draw from the source which is Camarón"

Silvia Calado Olivo. Granada, January, 2002

'Calívinacá' simply means 'gypsy, I'm a gypsy' in the Romani language of the gypsies. And that's the banner under which Carmen Carmona makes her debut in the market of recorded flamenco music. With wisdom that comes as a birthright, learning the ropes singing solo on the peña circuit, and without passing through a phase of singing for dancers, the singer is setting out on a career that takes even her by surprise, but "why shouldn't I offer my voice to the world?" With Camarón as her guiding light, but no desire to copy him, Carmen Carmona completes a triumvirate whose members are young, female, from Granada, gypsy and cantaoras.

You come from a family of singers, but not professionals. How did you get involved in the flamenco world?

In my house there's always been flamenco. My mother sings, my father sings. And many artists, friends of my father, used to come to our house like Camarón, Pepe de Lucía, Agujetas...lots of artists. And whether you like it or not, being around that from the time you're small pushes you in a certain direction. It wasn't part of my plan to become an artist and do this full-time, but why shouldn't I offer what I have to the world? Why not offer the world my voice?

And how did you decide to take this step?

It was my father's idea. An inspiration he had one day.

Carmen Carmona (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

But your mother, even with her ability, and having been considered a great siguiriyera, wasn't able to...

When she was young they wanted her to make a record, but her father said no, that she only sang for him.

Haven't you run up against that kind of difficulty?

Life changes and evolves. Gypsies used to be more backward in that sense. Thank goodness they're changing. For now I haven't found any particular difficulties because of being a woman and being gypsy. It's true that it's not the same being a man as being a woman, you don't have the same opportunities, but little by little doors open, you can be sure of that.

You belong to a new generation of women singers from Granada. Estrella Morente, Marina Heredia... Is there a common thread that unites you?

What unites us more than anything else is that all three of us like flamenco a lot. Although I know them and they've introduced us, we're not in contact.

What's in 'Calívinacá', your recorded letter of presentation?

The record has everything, it's got songs just for listening, and for flamenco-lovers. And also for a young audience that's less flamenco. There's a varied repertoire so that different kinds of people can enjoy it, not only for the usual flamenco audience. That's why it's got songs to try get young people familiarized with flamenco so they become interested in it. It's obvious that the way young people start to understand flamenco is by way of a rumba, by getting 'fused' with a little flamenco...

So you side with the fusion people?

Fusion gets criticized a lot, but everyone has to admit that there's a bigger audience for flamenco now than before. On the one hand that's good, but on the other, it's bad. Flamenco has to be absorbed via a seguiriya, a soleá... That's what flamenco is. And fusion is just another way of looking at flamenco. Young people have to begin to understand it from that standpoint. But taking the public into consideration doesn't mean I've recorded things I don't like, because if a song doesn't get you, obviously you don't record it in the same way as one that you really like. There isn't the same feeling, that shows and people can tell.

The fact that there are pop-oriented songs shows that you're attracted to other kinds of music...

I like all music. I like to fuse different kinds of music just so long as it doesn't go beyond what I feel is right. I like to add a sax to a rumba, but only if I see it's there, in its proper place. I mean I'm not going to do crazy stuff that people aren't going to understand.

Carmen Carmona (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

And do you identify yourself more with those more modern themes or with forms that are more for listening?

It depends on the moment. I get a lot of satisfaction singing a seguiriya or a soleá. But I also love a rumba, tangos and bulerías. From the record, as far as my father is concerned, I'd take the soleá. And for my friends, 'El autobús', the single, which is a real rumba and everyone likes.

What messages are there in the verses?

They're all very profound, not traditional except for the seguiriya. They're composed by different authors, among them my father (José Carmona), Francisco Fernández, Guillermo Campos and myself, I wrote 'El autobús'. And there are different messages. One is for the gypsy people, so that we don't lose our traditions but rather evolve, that there's no reason to stop studying, have a career... And the others have love themes, and about love ending...

Does the participation of the Jero family of Jerez show that there's a common language between the different communities of flamenco singing?

"In music there is no language barrier, everyone understands each other"

Musicians communicate with no problem, whether they're from Jerez or Russia. In music there is no language barrier, everyone understands each other. And yes, bulerías from Jerez is bulerías from Jerez. And Granada has some tangos that I don't think there's anything like them in other parts. Each area has its own way of understanding cante.

What's the present state of flamenco in Granada?

Granada is a city with a rich cultural life involved with flamenco. I think it's one of the provinces with the most potential for people interested in flamenco. It's rare the night there isn't flamenco going on somewhere. Sacromonte is still there active every day...

Out of that mixture of flamenco influences, between those of Granada, of Jerez, or of your own family, what flamenco artist do you most look up to?

Camarón.

But they told you not to sing like him, that people didn't look well upon that...

That was what everyone was saying but of course, he set a very high standard. As far as imitating him, you can't imitate him, but his flamenco belongs to all of us. If I've had that maestro, and I've got those little things I learned from him, why try to deny it? He did everything so well that he's the highest level you can aspire to. I don't sing like him, but he's the one who taught me to sing the way I do. Some do it better than others, but one way or another you have to draw from the source, which is Camarón.