The Guardian has an interview today with one of my great favourites, the wonderfully inventive, quirky, Argentinian pop pioneer, Juana Molina.
As far as I know, she has one other fan on the AFTERWORD, @thecheshirecat, who I’m sure will be interested to hear she has a new album, DOGA, which will be released in November
Music wasn’t her first choice…the article mentions her earlier career.
In the early 90s, Molina was one of Argentina’s biggest comedians with her sketch show Juana y Sus Hermanas (Juana and Her Sisters), in which she portrayed a series of outre characters with some degree of John Waters in their DNA. (Some of them still go viral on TikTok, which she doesn’t let herself use because it’s too addictive.) But in 1993, on bed rest while pregnant with her daughter, she realised that if she didn’t pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a musician, she would one day be a bitter old woman railing at the pop charts. So she quit. It was as much of a shock to the nation as it would be if Kristen Wiig swapped SNL for MTV.
If you watch any of her wonderfully inventive videos you will see that she has not lost her sense of humour. And after 30 years as a musician, she is still writing catchy, eccentric, memorable songs.
Here’s the interview…
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/29/argentinian-experimental-music-legend-juana-molina-one-of-the-things-i-hate-most-in-life-is-to-be-solemn
And one of her videos–
One of the joys of the Afterword is radually discovering other contributors who share my enthusiasm for a particular singer, novelist, city, film director, architect, poet, a
Ooops, I’ll try that last Sentence again.
One of the joys of the Afterword is gradually discovering other contributors who share my enthusiasm for a particular singer, composer, novelist, city, film director, record label, architect, poet, painter etc.
And at the same time, I enjoy making new discoveries, as you all wax lyrical about stuff that you like but who I’ve never heard of.
In reality, I may be just a boring, old, Swedish pensioner but reading about stuff here on the Afterword I feel that I’m really DOWN WITH THE KIDS.
Thanks for the alert, KFD. I am indeed massively fond of Juana and, inevitably given my tendencies, a completist for regular output, so I am looking forward to a likely contender for album of the year.
I first came across her at a joint gig in 2007 at Bridgewater Hall. There was Vetiver, a fellah called Adem who has also collaborated with Lau, but I had probably been drawn by the comeback Vashti Bunyan. Then this unknown (to me) Argentinian lass steps forward to a console of loops and pedals and just mesmerises. She was trailing her future album Un Dia, released the following year, which remains one of my favourite albums ever.
Yet, while she came to me as something liked folktronica, it’s clear from her live album that she is just as comfortable with a much bigger sound (and audience). It would be a joy if she was to tour over here again.
You may need to visit Buenos Aires, i fear. I hope i am wrong,
I’ve seen her twice at Roskilde.
I must see if I can find some more clips.
Here she is in Mexico. Rocking away with vigour.