Interview | Mercedes Nasta & Rodrigo Blanco

Rapidfire Questions 1. What have you been listening to lately?

M: Lana del Rey on loop. I went to her concert on Tuesday at Foro Sol and it was incredible. I also have Lucrecia Dalt's album ¡AY! on repeat.

2. Do you have a favorite city to visit when you're on tour?

M: New York

3. What was the last song that made you cry?

M: "Bad Kingdom" by Moderat. Specifically, when the lyrics go: "This is not what you wanted, not what you had in mind."

4. Make me cry.

M: Do you realize everyone you know someday will die?

5. What was the first concert you attended?

M: As an adult, Ladytron.

6. Who would you like to collaborate with?

M: Dev Hynes

7. What's the worst advice you can give me?

M: Haha I don't know.

8. Where do you find inspiration?

M: In movies, nature, books, and museums.

9. What do you think you would be doing if you hadn't started a musical career?

M: I'd be writing scripts.

10. Recommend your favorite Mexican bands.

M: "Diles que no me Maten"

Born Loser Mag: Let's start from the beginning. How and when did the idea of collaborating to make this album come about?

M: I invited Rodrigo to record the guitar for "Pagana," the last song I made for my solo album Basalto. The session went well, and we continued to meet and jam afterward. Interesting demos started emerging, so we decided to make an album together.

Talk to us a bit about your new album, RAMA. What was the process of writing and recording the album like? And what were some of your inspirations?

M: We recorded RAMA over five years and it went through different stages. The first songs came about when Rodrigo brought an MS20 to my studio, and we started getting sounds that became the foundation for many songs. In other cases, I made some demos in my studio, which we later worked on together in Rodrigo's studio. Once the songs were ready, we polished them up with Ricardo Acasuso, who recorded the vocals and did the mixing. We were inspired by bands like The Cure, as well as Peruvian chicha music, and projects like Burial and FKA Twigs.

What does this album mean to you?

M: For me, it's an intimate album that tells the story of the last five years of my life. A pandemic happened, as well as other personal projects, but during those years, RAMA was the musical habitat that captured the changing state of my experience.

Did you learn anything specific in the process of creating this album?

M: I think I learned to be more methodical with my creative process, more organized. I definitely started the album as one person and finished it as another. I finished the album wanting to make another one, which I think is always a good sign.

My favorite song for now is "Tarantela." Can you talk a bit about that song?

M: "Tarantela" is about a state of mind where there's an inner life that can't be communicated. It's a sort of encapsulated intention, a complex but entangled mind. On the other hand, tarantella is a dance that originated in the Middle Ages to remedy the bite of a tarantula. It was believed that the cure was to dance non-stop until you sweat out the poison. Musicians would join in to play repetitive music to accompany the trance. The song is a sort of metaphor where the dance is the remedy to free the mind.

How do you see the current musical scene in Mexico?

M: It's cool; there are many bands doing interesting things. We love a project called "Diles que no me Maten."

Can we expect a U.S. tour?

M: We'd love to do a U.S. tour in 2024!

Do you have a most memorable moment that has happened to you at a concert?

M: Performing at Vive Latino in 2009 with my previous band Disco Ruido. Michael Jackson had just died 1 or 2 days before, and we prepared a tribute for him that I wrote a small rap for. When I sang it, I improvised the ending and sang "Say Michael!" pointing the microphone at the audience. The garden was full and the whole audience responded with "Michael." I repeated it three times, and each time they shouted louder. I was stunned and emotional about what it meant to be able to provoke your listeners like that.

What are your musical influences?

M: Our influences range from progressive rock, techno, abstract and conceptual pop, to slowed-down cumbia and Peruvian chicha.

What would you like to acomplish through your music?

M: On one hand, we want people to feel like dancing to it, but also when listening carefully to provoke a sense of introspection and positively affect your own experience.

What can we expect to see from Mercedes Nasta and Rodrigo Blanco in the future?

M: We're preparing the live show, and some unfinished songs are left that we're going to release at some point in 2024.

And to conclude, do you have any questions for me?

What has been a memorable experience for you at a concert?

I was at a Chance The Rapper concert in 2014, and there were two guys about to fight because one accidentally pushed the other's girlfriend. They were confronting each other when Chance started talking about how incredible music is and how it unites us all. Both guys apologized and hugged each other.