'Zorra', the anthem of the Benidorm Fest inherited from Rigoberta Bandini: “It seems that in Spain we have not completely overcome the time before the uncovering”

Mery Bas (55 years old) and Mark Dasousa (47 years old) have been married for more than two decades and are parents of two children.

It was not until 2018 that they also became an artistic couple.

He is a veteran producer of the Valencian music scene with Atomic Studio.

And she is an opera lover.

He asked his wife to record some lyrical vocals for one of his experimental projects.

And so the inspiration came to them to create a duo with the essence of the

synth-pop

of the eighties that marked them so much in their youth.

The song

Zorra

follows the irreverent, unprejudiced and empowered line of some of their previous songs.

It arrived on stage at the Benidorm Fest this Tuesday as one of the most listened to proposals among the 16 candidates.

And she triumphed alongside Angy Fernández in the first semifinal of the contest.

She is already among the favorites to represent Spain in the Eurovision 2024 contest.

More information

Benidorm Fest 2024: when and where to watch the second semi-final

Question:

Your success at Benidorm Fest demonstrates that it is a very tolerant format.

Accepts even heterosexuals.

Mery Bas:

Yes it is.

When I sent the proposal, I didn't expect it to be so well accepted.

Especially because of the title.

And for its message itself, for what the song defends.

Mark Dasousa:

With this path that Rigoberta Bandini opened and that we try to follow, this is going to grow.

Next year, other people will think what we thought when we saw her: “Well, we could show up too…”.

Q:

What was the feeling like going in a single night from offering concerts for a few dozen people to doing so in a full hall and in front of millions of viewers on television?

Mery:

Our age makes us take things differently, although the situation is impressive.

I was a little afraid that the people's euphoria, that desire I had to sing the lyrics, could make me lose focus.

It felt bad not being able to improvise more, but we had to respect the guidelines of the gala.

Mark:

Not much is going to change for Saturday's final, except maybe ourselves.

Let's try to enjoy it a little more.

Q:

Your proposal is reminiscent of a generation of Spanish artists connected to each other, such as Luis Miguélez, Fabio McNamara, Nacho Canut, Glamor to Kill…

Mark:

Yeah, that whole batch.

And La Mode, Pegamoides, Paralisis Permanente, Radio Futura, Golpes Bajos… And we mixed it with a more Anglo-Saxon side, from The Cure to Blondie.

Mery:

But we also draw on Madonna and Kylie and we look at non-musical aspects of current artists, such as The Weekend, Bad Bunny, Rosalía or Miley Cyrus.

Q:

Mark, is it easy to make a living from music outside of Madrid or Barcelona?

Mark:

I haven't stopped working since I connected to the scene of bands that sang in Valencian, like La Gossa Sorda [whose lyrics proclaimed the independence of the so-called Catalan Countries and used traditional instruments from the region].

For 10 years I was touring with them.

They helped me grow and I helped them.

We did not have an industry like Catalonia, more accustomed to consuming music in Catalan.

In Valencia, ideology had to be included in the lyrics of the songs because political discourse was not as naturalized as there.

Q:

Zorra

is more hedonistic and remembers, among other things, that women over 50 are not invisible...

Mery:

We are not yet on equal terms.

And that must be changed.

Q:

After your performance you explained that the message is not only feminist;

which also winks at the LGTBI+ community and all those who feel outside the norm.

Mark:

Neo, our 11-year-old son, was at rehearsals and I noticed how he watched César and Josu, our two dancers, who are dedicated to drag.

It was a look between admiration and confusion.

I realized that we were bringing him closer to other realities and distancing him from prejudices.

And his friends do it too.

At first, I was afraid that with this Benidorm Fest we would give rise to his colleagues telling him: “Your mother is a bitch.”

Mery:

And he has lived it... But the child knows how to handle it very well.

Mark:

Now the boys have a much more open outlook.

In my childhood, if a man danced he was called a “lost faggot.”

Mery:

I would have liked Neo to like dance like I liked it at his age, but he likes soccer.

Mark

: Even playing soccer, neither he nor his teammates are afraid to dance.

Because TikTok is all dance.

Q:

Did you have LGTBI+ references?

Mery:

Through dance.

Although many people from my town Ondara (Alicante, 6,800 inhabitants) had to leave there.

It must be very sad to feel ashamed of yourself.

Mark:

My mother had a hairdresser friend, Pedro.

He was gay.

In my case, the homosexual world was naturalized since I was a child thanks to him.

For me he was a great guy, who told me that he had experienced La Movida, he told me about his groups, he advised me... He opened his eyes to me without having to leave his hair salon.

Q:

Is a song like

Zorra

necessary so many years after

Who Cares

?

Mery:

Yes!

Our song should have been played earlier.

Mark:

It seems that in Spain we are always in the period before the revelation.

And we don't get over it at all.

Q:

Christian Lawyers is very busy these days with Holy Week in Seville, but are they afraid of being their next target if they end up representing Spain in Eurovision?

Mark:

We're not worried.

We didn't do this with the intention of it being an anthem.

It turned out like this for us.

People adopted her as such and it is the best thing that can happen to an artist.

It happens to very few.

We feel very supported.

We would only be concerned that Spain would be in a good position in the competition.

Not for us, because at this point we are not looking for a career.

We have our lives made.

It is not a problem for us if we are a

One Hit Wonder

and next year we disappear.

Q:

And how would you make it so funny for Poles or Romanians to shout 'Bitch' without context or understanding the lyrics?

Mery:

Music is universal…

Mark:

…and it sells itself.

With Gossa Sorda we went on tour through Croatia and the Czech Republic singing in Valencian.

We thought they wouldn't understand anything.

But they enjoyed it.

Many people also do not fully understand the English lyrics of Madonna or The Beatles... The aesthetics make the message understood.

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