Historias musicales | Yerai Cortes llega con su guitarra a tocar y hablar de "Popular", su nuevo álbum

·41 min·3 clips

Yerai Cortés composed his second album mentally for 7 months after severing 90% of a finger tendon.

1. Hoy por Hoy's Friday music segment 'Historias Musicales' covers Mitski's new album, a Yerai Cortés studio interview, and a survey of active octogenarian musicians. 2. Music critic Fernando Neira and host Ángels present the segment; flamenco guitarist Yerai Cortés, 30, joins live; colleague Pedro Hernández substitutes for Iñaki on the octogenarian roundup. 3. The episode asks whether great art requires youth — and answers with a resounding no, by pairing a 30-year-old debut alongside artists in their 80s and 90s still releasing albums. 4. Mitski's new album 'No Me Va A Pasar Nada' (Nothing's About to Happen to Me) is described by Neira as one of the best records of the year so far, with near-unanimous critical praise. 5. The album is a conceptual LP narrating a woman who refuses to leave home after heartbreak, with songs like 'Where Is My Phone' and 'Rules' tracing obsessive self-imposed behavior. 6. Neira highlights 'I'll Change For You,' which Mitski herself describes as a song about being 'pathetic' — the willingness to alter oneself entirely to maintain contact with another person. 7. The album's cover features a white cat about to be attacked by a tiger in the upper corner, symbolizing domestic comfort threatened by interior turbulence. 8. Yerai Cortés gained fame through the documentary film directed by C. Tangana (El Madrileño), which won two Goya Awards, before releasing his debut album. 9. Cortés describes severing 90% of the tendon in his left hand's finger in a domestic accident, rendering him unable to play guitar for approximately seven months. 10. During recovery, he composed 'Popular' entirely in his head — humming melodies and writing more lyrics than he ever had before, letting the guitar become an accompaniment to the message rather than the lead. 11. Surgeon Fernando Polo repaired the tendon; Cortés says 'my father put the guitar in my hands and Fernando put my hand back on the guitar.' 12. The album's title 'Popular' is intentionally double-edged: 'popular' as emanating from the people, and 'popular' as famous — mirroring the film's themes. 13. Cortés describes the album as a 'post-war love story' with partner Tania — rebuilding from shattered foundations and choosing each other consciously rather than through romantic convention. 14. He composed in cafés, airports, and trains to keep songs secret from Tania, who shares their home, and reveals on air that she has not yet heard the complete album. 15. C. Tangana asked if he could make a remix of one of the new tracks; Cortés told him to wait until after the promotional period. 16. The octogenarian roundup includes Van Morrison (80, releasing his 49th album 'Somebody Tried to Sell Me Rich' six months after his previous one) and Bob Dylan (84, 39th album, Nobel Literature Prize 2016). 17. Willie Nelson at 92 is preparing his 145th album, and Ringo Starr at 85 has released 'Long Road,' a new single about reunion and the passage of time. 18. The episode's tone is warm and conversational, mixing music criticism with relaxed live interview; Cortés is composed and reflective, using extended pauses. 19. Music fans curious about contemporary flamenco and its crossover with urban music will find the Cortés interview particularly rewarding. 20. Listeners who do not understand Spanish will get nothing from this episode, which is conducted entirely in Castilian Spanish.

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