VIP No.2 / 2024 Interview with Susana Cala

For this edition of VIP, we spoke with Susana Cala, the Bogota-based singer-songwriter who has just released her debut album, Arial 12, which she will be presenting on November 28 at the iconic Jorge Eliecer Gaitán Theater in downtown Bogota. Susana recently opened for Morat on their South American tour, an invaluable experience for one of the artists poised to become one of the next big names in the celebrated pop scene of the capital.

1. Before these launch shows, you were on tour with Morat in Chile and Argentina. How was that experience? What did it tell you about the state of Colombian music today?

Opening for Morat has been an incredible opportunity, not only because I got to sing in front of so many people and feel that excitement, but also because I got to be so close to such a big production and artists who are perfectionists when it comes to putting on a show. I think seeing that up close has motivated me to put on the best show possible. It's been a huge learning experience. Also, seeing a Colombian pop artist singing in stadiums around the world says a lot about what's happening in general with Bogota pop, which I think is kind of crazy. Colombia has a very urban culture, but especially in Bogota, pop is starting to emerge again, and that's cool.

2. How would you describe what is happening with Bogota pop today? Thinking about what artists like you, Morat, TIMO, and other key names are doing today.

We come from a time when we listened to music without really understanding what we were singing about. I think it's becoming very important again to be able to identify with what the songs are saying. I think that's what this type of Bogota pop music project is doing: putting everyday feelings back into songs so that people can feel them, live them, and go to a concert and sing along, really feeling it with everything they've got.

3. The launch of Arial 12 will be in one of the most iconic venues for Bogota culture. What would you say this theater means to you as an artist and as a song?

For me, it's huge, it's the biggest thing I've ever done in my life, so I think it's going to be really impressive to put all the work that went into the album into a show on that stage. The fact that it's in a theater means that you immediately have to change the way you think about the concert and perhaps support it in a more theatrical way that fits in well with the space. It's a theater that has also brought in incredible artists that I admire, so it's awesome.

How do you plan to bring all the work you've done over the years on Arial 12 to the stage? Has it been very difficult to translate it into a theater format?

We're in Bogotá, which is my home, so I want to make it the most beautiful and special thing in the world for my friends, my family, and the people who accompany me in my city. I think that's additional pressure I'm putting on myself, but it's nice because it also challenges me to start a tour with everything. The most important thing is the music, so the musical arrangements we're doing are different, the band accompanying me is bigger than ever, and in that sense, it's incredible. The fact that it's in a theater also requires scenery, art direction, and very special lighting design, and we're doing all of that. Each area is very complex, and what we're doing is dedicating time to each one so that everything turns out incredible and the essence and story of the album and my music in general can be translated into this show.