Suzanna Abellán is Barcelona-based singer/songwriter, guitarist, who earned a degree in Modern Music from ESMUC — and then spent the early part of her musical career in a number of acclaimed Barcelona-based bands including Radio Malanga, Rootsmama, Tokyo 22, Funk All Stars, Future is Female and a number of others.
In 2011, Abellán relocated to Morocco, and in 2014, the Spanish-born singer/songwriter and guitarist won a Rock Fusion Meditel Morocco Music Award (MMMA) for “Ana Bikhir,” a collaboration with Amine Ayoubi. After spending four years in Rabat, Morocco, Abellán returned to Barcelona. Upon her return, she participated in the televised talent competition La Voz, eventually becoming a semifinalist. Participating on La Voz led to increased visibility and a national profile. Coincidentally, around the same time, Abellán felt an increased desire to write her own material, centered around her own experiences and feelings.
HIT RADIO MUSIC · AMINE AYOUBI – Ana Bikhir
Last year, Abellán, performing with the mononym Suzanna released her 12 song Genis Trani-produced full-length debut, SOULFYAH, which featured collaborations with Rapsusklei, Mr. Wilson, Mei Seme and others. Thematically centered around autobiographical stories, the album quickly established Abellán’s sound as a solo artist — a slick synthesis of reggae, trap and soul. “Paipái” the first bit of new material since the release of SOULFYAH further cements the Spanish singer/songwriter and guitarist’s sound. Featuring skittering and thumping beats, strummed guitar, twinkling synths, a sinuous bass line and an infectious hook paired with Abellán’s soulful and jazzy delivery, the song may remind some listeners of a reggae-tinged version of Missy Elliott‘s work with Timbaland — in other words, lush, sultry and simultaneously futuristic and contemporary. Interestingly, the track is the first time Abellán sings lyrics completely in her native Spanish.
The song features a message of liberation and celebration in which its narrator learns to say no to anything that diminishes or interferes with her quest for liberation — including letting go of toxic and stagnant situations that don’t contribute anything to her, forging new paths and so on. And as the Spanish-based artist explains in a statement, the lyrics speak of deeply personal experiences ranging from disappointment and gratitude.
Directed by Abellán, the recently released video for “Paipái” was filmed during COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines across the European Union. Inspired by the aesthetics of Carmen Miranda, specifically “Rebola a bola” in the 1941 film Weekend in Habana, the video was shot on a roughly 40 Euro budget, in which she used a caulk gun and a sewing machine to create her costumes, as items in her own home, including bed sheets, stuffed animals, her cat, plants and so on to create the video’s overall aesthetic — playful, sultry and boldly DIY.
