Guille Toledano gave fans a taste of his debut album at an intimate showcase event on the terrace of Estudios 5020 in Madrid, hosted by Sony Music. The 25-year-old singer, who rose to prominence on the Spanish talent show Operación Triunfo, will release the album, titled 'El Toledano', on October 23.
The event combined a sound menu with an actual food menu, reflecting the concept behind the record. Before performing, Toledano spoke for just over a minute to thank supporters, saying the album had a lot to do with the two things he loves most in the world, music and cooking.
Music and food as parallel passions
Toledano said he had always lived his two passions in a fairly similar way, because they resemble each other. He explained that music carries you to memories, moments, people and places, and that cooking works exactly the same way, since a smell can take you back to childhood, to a place, a moment or a person.
That idea, he said, was why he decided to combine both things in the album. He described 'El Toledano' as a fictitious place, though not entirely fictitious, since it will later become the tour where fans enter, listen to the songs and taste them as if they were the menu of a restaurant. He called it a very personal menu of everything he is right now, built from his songs, his references and his two great passions. He closed by saying he hoped people could taste a little more of him that day, that they would like it, come hungry, and love the music played for them.
Three songs performed live
Toledano performed three songs at the showcase. The first, 'Mil mariposas', was his introduction to the public after leaving the Operación Triunfo academy. He debuted the song, which deals with breast cancer, on May 21.
He followed with 'Ya no me avisas', performed live for the first time, a track with the kind of energy he is expected to bring to the national pop scene. He closed with 'Ven y báilame', another previously released single that he described as his favourite of the three.
What comes next
Operación Triunfo is Spain's long-running televised singing competition, which has launched numerous national pop and pop-rock careers since its debut in 2001. Toledano appeared on its most recent edition before striking out on a solo career built around his own songwriting.
The showcase, and the menu built around it, offered an early sense of what he has been preparing in the studio ahead of the October 23 release of 'El Toledano', with a tour set to follow the concept established by the album.
