Gisela Quirós

admira: What does the guitar mean to you and what place does it hold in the way you write and perform your songs?

Gisela: I always knew the guitar would be my instrument, I don't know why. Even though I have always played the acoustic guitar, my flamenco essence was crying out for a Spanish guitar and I could not be happier to have taken the step with my new admira Lucía: it was without doubt everything I needed. Practically everything I write is born that way: guitar and voice, in private, so the guitar holds an irreplaceable place both in my creative process and in my artistic life in general.

admira: You began playing the guitar on your own and, at 16, you travelled alone to Madrid with your guitar to audition for Got Talent. What has this instrument meant throughout your career?

Gisela: I remember perfectly those first trips on the Barcelona–Madrid high-speed train, with just my bag, my guitar on my shoulder and an immense desire to take on the world. It was without doubt a beautiful stage that I remember very fondly. I started playing completely self-taught thanks to a wonderful tool called YouTube; for that very reason, the guitar has been my school, my refuge and my most faithful companion at every step I have taken. More than an instrument, it has been the engine that gave me the confidence and the courage to step on stage and really show who I am.

admira: In your shows you alternate guitar-and-voice moments with performances accompanied by a band. What does the acoustic format give you and what do you especially enjoy about playing alone?

Gisela: Of course, playing with several musicians is a real gift, but I also firmly believe that the acoustic format has a magic of its own. As Risto Mejide and Edurne told me on Got Talent España, “many times less is more”, and filling a stage with just a guitar and a voice is no easy task. I truly believe that acoustic creates an atmosphere of absolute intimacy, where the audience connects directly with the real emotion of the song and of the artist. And personally, having the freedom to slow down a bar, improvise a different ending or let a silence breathe in the song depending on what I feel at that moment… that is priceless.

admira: Your music brings together pop, bolero, bachata, rumba and other styles, always with a flamenco essence. How does the guitar influence that mix of sounds and your identity as an artist?

Gisela: The guitar is precisely the bridge that joins all those worlds. I may be writing a bolero, a bachata or a flamenco-pop track, but as soon as my hands touch the strings, out comes that pinch and that rumba flavour I carry inside. The flamenco guitar is the root that gives coherence and personality to my songs, as you can hear in my EP “AZAR”: it doesn't matter which genre I'm exploring… the touch of the Spanish guitar is the stamp that remembers where I come from.

admira: What do you look for in a guitar today, and what features should an admira guitar have to go with you in this new stage of your career?

Gisela: These days I need a versatile, comfortable instrument with a lot of light, both to write for hours and to play live in any format: from the acoustic intimacy of a wedding to a big stage like the one I recently experienced at Starlite. And… when I talk about light I am certainly talking about the admira Lucía R-ECF: it was love at first sight thanks to its colour and its essence, without leaving aside the bright, warm sound and the magnificent Fishman preamp it carries, which responds wonderfully when you plug it into the PA.

And, along those same lines and to finish the interview: if admira guitars have light, it is because there is a wonderful team building them with a lot of care and wonderful energy. In the end, music was born to be shared, and for me it is a real honour to share it with the admira family. I am sure it will be the first guitar of many!