10 Questions For: David Feito

INTERVIEW

Spanish rock is a usual treat for the readers of Sounds European!. Today, our interview section brings a talk with one of the most acclaimed names of the rock scene in Spain. He was part of a very big band, with which he shot to stardom in his country and even abroad. Recently, he started to sail solo – and we love his work so far! These are our 10 questions for David Feito:

Sounds European!: Tell us a bit about your history with music. Who were your musical influences? When did you know that this was the path you wanted to take? When did you start playing the guitar? And what about singing?

David Feito: Hello!!!! I started playing the guitar when I was very young. When I was six or seven, my grandfather built a guitar fit to my size. There has always been a lot of fondness to music at my home. When I was a bit older, I started studying classic guitar at the Conservatorio de Oviedo, and at the same time I started composing music and having my own bands. My first band was Xemá (when I met Raquel [del Rosario, lead singer of El Sueño de Morfeo]), with which I published my first album, "Del interior". Then, we met Juan [Luis Suárez Garrido] and we formed El Sueño de Morfeo. And now, I have started my solo career, releasing my first album "En el otro lado" last October.

SE!: You were the guitarist of El Sueño de Morfeo (ESDM), one of the most popular Spanish groups in the recent years. You were successful not only in Spain, but also in Latin America. How was it to have reached so many people with your music? With ESDM, you represented Spain on the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Did you enjoy the experience? What do you take from the time with the group to your solo career?

DF: With ESDM, I've lived incredible, indescribable things, and I got to play at unforgettable places, both in Spain and in Latin America. All I can tell you is that I've learnt a looooooot, and I really value what it means, nowadays, to be able to make a living out of music. Our Eurovision experience is another one of those things I was talking about. For us, it was incredible to be part of one of the most important music shows in Europe. I take thousands of moments [with ESDM] which, as I said, make me value the chance to present my new album to you.

SE!: Let's talk about your solo career. What challenges appeared when leaving a group behind and stepping up as the main artist? How have you felt on your first live performances as a frontman? What is the most rewarding aspect of this new role?

DF: The challenge is constant. I honestly don't take it as a "test" or "something to achieve", but as an opportunity that life gifts me – to be able to keep making songs and, with them, trigger emotions in the people who listen to me. It is clear that this process of adapting to being in a "main role" requires a different kind of work, but I enjoy very much every time I have the chance to sing those songs.

SE!: Last October, you released "En el otro lado", your first solo album. What musical styles have you experimented with for this project? What can we expect when listening to the album?

DF: I believe that, on this record, you can listen to the more "rockish" version of David, and, beyond any musical style, what I really wanted to achieve was very honest songs where feelings prevail over everything else.

SE!: For your debut album, you've been multifunctional: a writer, a composer, a producer and a guitarist, besides singing. How was the experience to go through, basically, all phases of the production process of an album? Was there any part you enjoyed the most? What was the hardest part of such a job?

DF: This is a tremendously crafted and personal work, and that required me to take part of all phases of the album. I've enjoyed each one of them a lot, but writing the songs has frankly been a heartwarming experience, and a way to bring out all I had inside. Maybe, one of the hardest moments was to choose the single. So big is my attachment to these songs, that picking only one has been really hard.

"I believe writing about a heartbreak or a life less perfect than what we're told makes people feel empathy towards the songs, and then people make the songs theirs"

SE!: About your work as a songwriter, you have said you like to write songs for "the losers". What are "songs for the losers"? What are your favorite topics, both to write about and to play? Do you have a moment or place in particular to write music?

DF: It's not that I like to write them. I just believe that, sometimes, we search for a shelter or solace in music when we're not fine, and actually I strongly believe in music as therapy. In this sense, I believe writing about a heartbreak or a life less perfect than what we're told makes people feel empathy towards the songs, and then people make the songs theirs. Asturias is my shelter, and where I have written practically all the album. It is my home, and I have the luck of living in a natural paradise, enormously evocative when it comes to writing music.

SE!: Spanish rock scene is one of the most prolific and with the best quality in the continent. In your opinion, what makes Spanish rock so special? What artists of the genre influence your work?

DF: We're on a very hard moment for music, whatever genre it is. Radios find it hard to support music in Spanish language, and it's really hard for new bands to promote their work. Opposite to this, we have social networks which allow us to reach people more directly and with no intermediates. Even when it is a slower way, in my case, I feel glad of having the support and love of the people through social networks.

Regarding the influences, I am for years listening to rock in English – The Killers, Kings of Leon and Muse. But I also listen to bands which sing in Spanish – such as M-Clan and Lori Meyers. And I explore different styles, such as blues and soul, which complement the music I've always listened to – always more acoustic, folk and pop-rock.

SE!: If you could choose anyone, who would be some Spanish and international artists you'd like to collaborate with?

DF: By now, with ESDM, I've had the privilege to collaborate with several artists, and those have always been tremendous experiences. To name one, I'd like to have the chance to sing with Tarque (from M-Clan).

SE!: What are your professional plans for 2016? What can your fans expect from you?

DF: For 2016, I'd like to promote my album – the more people who know about it, the better. In that sense, we are preparing a series of concerts which you can know about on my website. What you can expect is some musicians working our skins off to transmit all the feeling of those songs.

SE!: We would like to post a song of yours to close this interview. What is your favorite song of yourself, and why?

DF: I have 11 favorite songs, because the record has 11 songs, hehe. Still, today I would like to introduce you to my second single, "Dominaremos el mundo", which talks about people who fight to achieve their dreams and, through a love story, recognizes that when you find THAT person you love, you're able to rule the world because of him/her.