From an episode of The International Pop Underground∙Presented by Anthony Carew
Interview
The International Pop Underground: Ela Minus on Finding Light in the Present-Day Dystopia
When Ela Minus was at work on her second album, the image that kept coming to her was one of "turning a light on".
So, for her follow-up to her 2020 debut acts of rebellion, the producer/songwriter settled on DÍA as its title and —if you will— guiding light.
"Día, which is 'day' in Spanish, the definition is: 'a period of time defined by the presence of light'," she explains. "I thought: 'that is the record I made'."
In conversation with Anthony Carew on The International Pop Underground, the 34-year-old Bogotá-born, New York-based artist (real name Gabriela Jimeno Caldas) talks about finding light in dark times, releasing her debut album in lockdown, and using music to navigate the contemporary dystopia.
"There's a lot of questioning in [DÍA], a lot of turmoil and feelings of confusion," she offers.
"The confusion of this time [in history] is definitely ingrained in all of the songs I've [written since 2020]. Even if I'm not singing literally about those subjects, all of the feelings that arise because of that context are implicit in the songs."
Feature image: Fabrizio Colque
