The story of Shego born from the desire to emulate the crazy and unbridled life of the great rock stars. A summer, Maite Gallardo I was working in an office as a secretary. She was bored, she kept watching videos on social media of bands playing live and she thought why not? She uploaded a story on her Instagram asking if anyone among her contacts would like to form a group. She then received a WhatsApp. She was Raquel Cerro.
– Aunt! How do you put that on Insta and not tell me anything?
“We had known each other for a long time and at that moment we started talking to get it on track because we had no idea. We had up to two days of mandatory rehearsal a week. After the quarantine it became a full band, although Charlotte [Augusteijn] came later,” says Maite.
The three currently make up this group that Spotify you have chosen on your list of ‘Radar Artists’ to keep in mind in 2024. For now, they have already played on stages such as Bilbao BBK Live or Sonorama and have collaborated with Zahara or Natalia Lacunza.
“Raquel and I never wanted to be alone,” he continues. “We had the idea in our head of a band. We wanted to do punk and rock. Louder sounds. We didn’t want to look like She Dances Alone. That they are fine, but we didn’t want that,” he explains. Therefore, they began to meet with friends and try different collaborations. Finally, Aroa Ay and Irene Garri, currently with solo projects, joined the band. “Charlotte arrived in the position from Irene, who was the bassist. We did a casting, although I personally had a preference for her because I knew her from Uni. We have studied Fine Arts together,” Raquel confesses with amusement.
His lyrics are traditional, casual, fresh and without filters. “We don’t have a specific objective and that makes the songs varied and come from such different points,” says Charlotte before Maite reveals some details of her next album as an example. “There is heartbreak, self-love, anger and anger. There are also moments when we choose to be the anti-heroines of our own lives. It’s like an energy of: ‘today I came and chose violence.“, he says while Raquel is heard from behind pointing out in almost adolescent slang “Literaaaalch!”.
What they do seek, and confess that it is something premeditated from the beginning, is “let the narrative be ambiguous”. “I was very clear that I did not want to speak feminine and that I didn’t want it to be intuited whether the story was being sung by a man or a woman.. This seemed very important to me,” explains Maite. “It’s shit because girls don’t stop consuming things because they speak from a male perspective. It’s something we’ve always done because there was no other. However, Men often stop consuming feminine art because they do not feel identified.“, Add.
In any case, they say that there are more and more kids at their concerts. Although the majority public is clearly different. “Normally there is our first row of lesbians. The best”says Rachel. “Then there are many young people, but there is always a group of older women who are all very excited and come to tell us things at the end. They are very nice. It never fails: there are the lesbians and them,” she adds. “They can also be lesbians, of course,” Charlotte points out.
Furthermore, the latter remembers the anecdote of a fan who made them cry last summer. The young woman said that, thanks to them, she had regained her desire to see live music. “I imagine that the Male rock bands generally have a tough audience and you’re there waiting to see when they’re going to nudge you. Or maybe you can’t even see because there are a lot of 30-year-old guys who are 1’85 and they get in front of you because they want to see their Britney Spears on duty. They just want to sweat and scream a lot. I understand that in our concerts there is more respect or sensitivity and that is why they are comfortable. It’s very cool,” Maite reflects.
Unanimously, All three claim to feel that they are not taken seriously.. “They haven’t given us a shitty comment on stage, but they do see us as little girls who have picked up some instruments and are playing at making music,” explains Raquel. “A little bird has also told us that In the world it is said that we do not make our music. That we are cute girls dressing modern and there is a mind behind that controls everything. You never think about that about a guy,” adds Maite.
Where they do recognize clear – and necessary – help is in their beginnings. “If you don’t have money you can’t record a rock album. We are now with Ernie Records, with Josinho, who we love very much. But if it’s not because of him…”, Raquel details.
And Maite goes further: “In fact, the first demos were recorded for us by Salva Cucart, from Chill Chicos, in his dormitory, which is still a private area. At no time can you go to a public studio at 20 years old to do rock because it is prohibited. It is not provided. There are a lot of bands of crazy kids that make fucking music and I think it’s amazing.. But it’s shit that more facilities are given to those who have money.”.
“Staying to have two beers after a concert is the most rocking thing we do”
Among the concerns that are running through their minds right now is finding the right tone on their social networks – “it always seems like you’re giving a face that isn’t real. We’re not going to start recording in an anxiety attack, but don’t everything is how pretty and how cool”, they say – in addition to maintaining the good vibes within the band.
Nobody prepares you for your friends to also be the coworkers you see every day of the week. And what about the rocker life they longed for? It seems very little.
“Staying to have two or three beers after a concert is the most rocking thing we do. That sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, nothing“, laughs Raquel. “Let’s see, some party or other there is. But I imagine that you need a lot of substances for the body to endure because you can’t go three days without stopping with just beers and pitis,” Maite adds before settling: “What caught my attention when I was 20 years old when I saw singers who slept in a van and gave a sweaty concert, it’s not cool at all. In fact, the van thing is not fun at all. Not even sleeping in hotels is“.