The singer-songwriter of Catalan origin, born in Tucson, Arizona (USA), debuts his creations in a concert that takes place on the 23rd of April, 2022 (Day of Sant Jordi) in La Textil’s concert venue (Barcelona).
Known for his collaborations with several DJs under the artist name of Aroarer, Darià Artiola addresses inequality, ecology / pollution, and the repercussions of the protests that set fire to the streets of Barcelona in 2019 in his first solo album.
DARIÀ ARTIOLA’S ALBUM: INDIE ROCK IN BARCELONA
Darià was raised with the iconic views of the Sonoran desert on the horizon, but with the Mediterranean Sea fundamentally in his heart. The environment of Tucson, AZ shaped him, and his participation in the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus helped him discover the world of music that he loves to the core. He expresses himself singing and illustrates the reality that surrounds him with his voice.
He sings in English, even though his first words were spoken in Catalan. His Catalan upbringing came from the example of his strong mother who raised him alone, and she is the inspiration for one of the hitsof his first album: “She’s Serious”.
Within that title the listener unearths the story of many people who have had to put up with misunderstanding, machismo, and what he calls “stale jokes”, simply because of being a woman; until they decide to spread their wings and flip the script, making life more fun. As a symbol of this, a female vocalist accompanies him on this track, Lucía Layunta, singer for the local cover band Robin Surf.
At 34 years of age, Darià Artiola has already witnessed the passing of some people who are near and dear to him, and those losses catalyzed his maturity process, both personally and musically. Those experiences, coupled with the pandemic inspired the introspection that many of us felt during this challenging time. It has all prompted him to take this leap into the unknown and show his art to the world. A world, that for many residents of Barcelona (where he’s been living for 5 years) was full of fire and chaos in 2019. Night after night he witnessed destruction and social unrest, wondering how it was possible to use these methods to solve social and economic problems. Although it is evident that they exist, they are not resolved by setting fire in the name of the “revolution” and then fleeing.
He reflects on this chaos in his second single “Questions That Spin?”, and this theme serves to decorate the cover of his first album, created by the local painter, Marc Urgell, artistically known as La Face.
Release of His First Self-Titled Album
The indie rock album includes 10 songs (She’s Serious, Questions That Spin?, Feeling In Your Heart, Again & Again, Sunday Spell, Ghosts of Summer (Interlude), Something, Panic by the Roses, That’s OK and Plastic), and they each refer to many of the topics that concern his generation: Millennials.
Of course, one of the themes is ecology and sustainability, and it materializes in the song “Plastic”, where he cries out how is it possible that we treat a planet so poorly. A place we are only visiting, which is in and of itself a real present.
Darià Artiola’s first album was produced by Ignacio Miranda (IK Miranda), producer of other independent music groups, such as: Ladilla Rusa, Ojete Calor or Julieta Jones, among others; with the collaboration of the independent label Díscola Records, created by Darià, Pasquale Intinghero, and Nacho Molina. Its launch will take place on April 15th through his Spotify channel, where the single “Questions That Spin?” already appears, as well as on other platforms such as: iMusic, Deezer and Amazon Music, among others. Listen to the album here.
Album Release Party / Concert, April 23rd in La Textil, Barcelona
A little over a week later, on April 23rd, Day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Darià Artiola will present his album with a live concert at La Textil in Barcelona. The event will begin at 9 pm, and it will be a free concert. The Catalan / American-born singer-songwriter will perform his new songs in the company of Lucía Layunta, and the other 3 members / friends of the group Robin Surf, who were kind enough to share their talent for this premiere: Doctor Antonio Rubio on guitar, Albert Aran on drums and Adrià Pastor on bass. Other musicians with whom he has collaborated throughout his musical career will also take part, including his producer Ignacio Miranda, and Pasquale Intinghero.
After this launch in Barcelona, where he now feels at home, Darià Artiola contemplates being able to take his music to other parts of the country. He certainly does not rule out taking a leap back to Tucson, AZ. It’s the place where he found his vocation: music, a true therapy, that comes naturally to him, and accompanies him in that eternal discovery of daily life that surrounds us.