There are not all that arebut, according to the thermometer of the Federation of Peñas Cordobesas, María José Romero, María del Mar Martos, Rosario Córdoba, Carmen Abad and Isabel España are the five most requested copleras from Cordoba on stage at the moment. They all have something in common. They were born with the gift of voice and the irrepressible desire from a very young age to share it with the public, which led them to look for a teacher to guide them. Some heard songs in their cradle, others sought the sound of the earth on their own initiative.without any family compass, but they have all fulfilled the dream of putting on the comb and the bata de cola to perform one of the most authentic and at the same time most complex genres, which draws on the flamenco, pasodoble, zarzuela or cuplé and that was born in its day from the spontaneous desire of women to share their desires, their worries, loves and frustrations in the form of a song.
María del Mar Martos sang from a very young age because it came from within her. “My parents didn’t come from this world and didn’t think I had anything special until a relative heard me and told them to take me to a copla teacher,” she says. This is how, at the age of 14, he first went to Lola Fragero’s school (Antonio Fragero had just died) and then to Manuel Roncales’ school in Seville. «I was 15 years old, I went in the car with my mother to two-hour classes four times a month and I did it with pleasure because I loved it.». According to María del Mar, she is “folkloric by birth” and “she sang for Malú as well as for Estrellita Castro Mi jaca,” she says. Her problem was that at the beginning “I was a runaway horse“, remember. For this reason, she went to Antonio Mondéjar, teacher of many artists from Córdoba, to teach her how to move “on stage, to hold the fan, to put my hand and move with the mastery that the song requires,” she says. Today, she combines her art with her work in the hospitality industry. «The copla is part of my life, it has given me a lot and has helped me on my bad days“, Explain. Mother of a child who likes to listen to her sing, she confesses that the copla “is a stagnant genre that experienced a boom with the It’s called copla program but is experiencing low days because” it lacks promotion and more young audiences. All five of them agree on that. They all have another profession that feeds them always or when bowling is scarce, as the case may be.
Image of María del Mar Martos.
Rosario Córdoba was 12 years old when she got the copla bug. «I sang in my house when no one heard me, but the neighbors told my mother“, he explains, “they raised the alarm.” His mother had stopped listening to music after the death of a brother. “She threw away the radio, so I put on the Walkman and taught myself.” She started with him teacher Juan Francisco Mata and at the age of 12 he had his first performance at the Palacio de Congresos. A shop assistant, the song is a hobby for her. «I wish I could make a living from this», she says convinced, «acting entails a lot of expenses for gasoline, car, clothes, playback and it is not well paid compared to other genres, besides, if they can they will haggle you, I suppose because they use other types of music more.»
Rosario Córdoba.
There are no favorite songs in the repertoires. They all have common references: Isabel Pantoja and the Jury, Marifé de Triana or Concha Piquerbut each one has searched until they found their style because they don’t like to imitate anyone.
María José Romero came to the copla after the dance. «Master Fragero’s daughter, who was my teacher at the academy, one day made me sing Pasodoble I love you and she told my mother
Maria Jose Romero
“I thought he had talent.” Remember that When she went to dance, she listened to the students singing copla and was amazed.. She is the holder of around twenty national awards, she has been on TV shows, but she also works in the hospitality industry. «I don’t make a living from this, it’s very difficult nowadays, people’s tastes don’t go that way, there is a lot of chimpún for the copla to gain a foothold. She doesn’t have a clear icon either. “All the great ones have something and I have tried to capture what I like most about each of them,” she says.
Carmen Abad comes from a family of singersbut he also started in a dance academy, with 6 years, until he told his mother that he wanted to be an artist and They took her to Antonio Fragero’s school and after nine months she started acting. “Since then I will not stop”. A Nursing Assistant, she lived off the song after watching television encouraged by her mother until the pandemic crossed her path and she returned to her other job. «There are many new artists betting on the copla, but It is expensive to stay, especially if you want to take musicians with you.Without them the genre is impoverished. For Carmen, the song “is everything, she is my mother, the affection of the public…”. Her work as a home help has taught her the power of this music. «I often sing to the elderly, many forget their names, but they know the songs.», he indicates.
Carmen Abad
Isabel España has been singing since she was eight years old. “When my sister got married, I told her that I would give her a special gift and that day I grabbed the microphone and went on stage to sing.” His teacher was Juan Francisco Mata, with him he polished his innate talent. Hairdresser and makeup artist, He has combined his work with the copla, but now he lives only from his art. “I do fairs, theaters and all kinds of events with a very varied repertoire,” she says, “if you add a little more flamenco, the clubs will pull you,” she says. It has two discs on the street and, like the others, she is in love with arrows. “If the copla is difficult, the saeta is even more so, but at the same time, it is so beautiful!” His diagnosis of the copla is that if there is no remedy, “it will soon be a genre on the verge of extinction.” and I hope I’m wrong.” Hopefully. Long live the song.
Isabel Spain
