Spanish singer Marta Sánchez said she would not travel to Ceuta right now to sing Spain's national anthem, calling the idea very dangerous given the difficult period the autonomous city is going through, in an interview with La Razón.
Sánchez, the former Olé Olé singer, is taking a week off in Marbella after a demanding summer. She told La Razón she had already played 38 concerts this summer, that it wears a person out, and that she now has a free week and decided it was time for Marbella and rest.
The break follows a run of dates on her tour "Gira 40 años (1985-2025)", which marks four decades of her music career and has taken her to cities across Spain and Latin America. Last Saturday she was seen at the Starlite festival with her partner, Federico León, watching a concert by her friend Pastora Soler. Sánchez said she was even tempted to join Soler on stage to sing her favourite song with her, a gesture that underlined the close friendship between the two singers.
The anthem she wrote herself
The conversation turned to the version of Spain's national anthem that Sánchez composed lyrics for, which has become a fixture at Spanish celebrations and is played at the close of shows by DJ Juan Magán. Sánchez said she had not realised that, and added that people should advocate for Spain and sing its flag proudly. She described herself as fully patriotic and said this is a moment when everyone should be.
Eight years ago, Sánchez created one of the most talked-about moments of her career during a concert at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, held to celebrate her 30 years in music. She surprised the audience by performing "Himno de España" with lyrics she had written herself.
The gesture drew huge attention because Spain's national anthem is officially an instrumental composition with no lyrics. Over the years several attempts have been made to put words to the melody, but none has ever become an official version.
Sánchez said the anthem is national heritage and that she cannot record it, but that she keeps singing it at all her concerts. Asked whether her lyrics are now more widely heard than the version written by José María Pemán, an earlier unofficial attempt at lyrics for the anthem, she agreed.
A personal, not political, gesture
Sánchez was keen to stress that her version of the anthem was never conceived as a political project but grew out of a personal feeling. Her lyrics speak mainly of love for her homeland, pride, nostalgia and belonging, and go on to express gratitude for having been born in Spain, with a pledge to carry that feeling for the rest of her life.
She said she is proud to have got millions of people talking about the anthem again, and that when fans ask her to sing it, she does so with pride. Sánchez said she has done other things for her country besides the anthem, recalling a trip to the Persian Gulf during a war to sing for Spanish soldiers.
Asked whether she would go to Ceuta now, given the hard times the autonomous city is living through, Sánchez said she would not, calling the idea very dangerous.
Life with Federico León
Sánchez recently turned 60 and said she is enjoying one of the best periods of her life. She remains with her partner, Federico León, to whom she recently said in a video that she is still waiting for her husband to ask her to marry him. She continues to praise Federico often for his constant support, always speaking of him with discretion.
