Q: You have a beautiful message behind “Sand Castles”. Tell our audience a little bit more about that message.
MAGUERA: I remember when as a child I used to build sand castles, and even though they couldn’t last forever, I knew that the world would still be there and I could build a new one. Similarly now, I feel that most of us are very lucky to have the chance to look forward to better times. So much got broken this past year, but the world is still here and for the first time it looks like we have a real chance of getting out of the woods. Even if slowly. Well, let’s see, but I do feel hopeful, and I wanted to share that feeling.
Q: You’ve been in music quite a long time, having released 4 previous albums, you took a 3 year pause from releasing music. What initiated that pause?
MAGUERA: I focused on my career in sound design and composing for brands and media. I also felt the need to take a break from the music I was writing as Maguera. I wanted to work on new things, experiment, grow and evolve both technically and musically. But it was something I had to do while disconnecting from the Maguera project. “Sand castles” is in many aspects very different from the previous releases, but it still has a connection to what I wrote before. I wasn’t planning on releasing again as Maguera, but then I started working on “Sand Castles” and here we are.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve been given?
MAGUERA: As someone working all day with music and sound: “Cut out time for yourself and find a hobby outside of the music world”. I obviously considered this advice complete nonsense at the beginning.
Everyone starts as a music lover, but the moment music becomes your job, you forget to leave it behind at the end of the day. So, it’s very easy to never stop working. And, as beautiful as it sounds, it is not healthy. It takes time to learn when to disconnect from music, cause you love it of course, but eventually I learnt that it was key to keep stress at bay and avoid burnouts.
Q: What is the story behind your artist name?
MAGUERA: I wish there was a great story, but it’s very simple. Me and my friends kept distorting each other’s names or surnames over many years (still do). So Maguera is one step of a long evolution “nicknaming”.
Q: Not only are you an artist, but a sound designer and composer for film. What got you into composition?
MAGUERA: I’ve always been more into studio work, I liked writing and producing music rather than perform it. I did gigs, of course, and it was a lot of fun but I always enjoyed the creation process more. So, it was a natural transition for me to move into composing for media. The first project was with a filmmaker friend who was also just starting out and yeah, I kept following that path.
Q: What can we expect from you next?
MAGUERA: I will keep writing new music as Maguera but also with a new side project. Something more on the ambient side. I am planning to release at least an EP by the end of the year.
Interviewed by Stephanie Pankewich
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