Venezuelan artist Joaquina Blavi showed her interest in music from a very early age. She started singing at the age of four, playing the piano at eight, and on the eve of her 20th birthday, she is preparing to sing with Andrea Bocelli.
On Tuesday 2 July the singer turns 20, and on Friday 5 July Joaquina will perform alongside maestro Bocelli and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s BST Hyde Park. This concert marks the 30th anniversary of the career of the Italian tenor, who is the first classical music artist to headline the festival.
“We are going to sing one of his songs in Spanish. I am preparing a lot because I feel eternally grateful to the maestro for giving me this opportunity,” said Joaquina in an interview with La Opinión. “It is an honor for me to be in his presence and sing with him.”
Joaquina is a Spanish pop/rock artist. In 2023, she released her first album titled “The best years (diary notes)”demonstrating her great talent as a singer-songwriter. Like contemporary artists such as Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, and well-known singer-songwriters such as Joy Huerta, Kany García and Alanis Morissette, her lyrics recount experiences of everyday life and love, especially from the perspective of a teenager and the path to adulthood.
Recently, Joaquina released her new single titled “Pessimistic”a song that addresses long-distance love and the experience of traveling to a new city for the first time.
“I wrote this song last year in a hotel room in Madrid during my first trip away from home for work. I was alone in a city I didn’t know well, and one night, while my friends went out, I stayed in the hotel with my guitar and started writing thinking about a person who was far away from me,” Joaquina recounted.
“I imagined myself with that person, walking around the city and experiencing all these new things together. Being away from her made me realize that if I ever lost her, it would break me.”he added.
Like a plane without brakes
Although her career is just beginning, Joaquina has had several experiences that mark the career of a rising artist.
This year he had his first concerts in Spain and Mexico, both with sold-out tickets. He also performed at the Santiago Bernabéu performing “My favorite person” alongside Alejandro Sanz. On June 13 of this year he joined Kany García in Puerto Rico for the Best New Artist Showcase of the Latin Recording Academy, and recently, Spotify named her a member of “RADAR Latin America Class of 2024”.
In November 2023, Billboard magazine highlighted her as “Latina Artist on the Rise”That same month, Joaquina won her first Latin Grammy in the category of Best New Artistbecoming the youngest to receive this recognition and a nomination as a singer-songwriter.
Even though she sees the giant steps she is taking in her career, things keep happening that excite her, including a recent event on national television involving singer Katy Perry.
Camila Galavis, daughter of Juan Pablo Galavis, contestant of the 18th season of “The Bachelor”, auditioned for American Idol and sang the song “Rage” Joaquina faced Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, managing to pass the audition.
“It was a shock to me. I grew up watching American Idol and to have someone sing one of my songs on that show is incredible. Plus, I grew up listening to Katy Perry, she was my childhood idol. To know that Katy Perry listened to one of my songs is incredible.”said Joaquina.
Pride in their roots
For Joaquina, who came to the United States from Venezuela when she was 8 years old, these achievements are a way to pay homage to her Venezuelan roots.
“Even though I travel a lot for my work and my success, I always carry with me the representation of Venezuela”said Joaquina. I am very proud of my Venezuelan roots and the values and customs that my parents instilled in me. Although I grew up outside of Venezuela, in Miami, being Venezuelan is something that fills me with pride and I will always look for a way to represent my country in a high way.”.