Carlos Rivera celebrates Mexico and its traditions in “Calavera”

Carlos Rivera launches his most recent creation entitled “Calavera”a theme inspired by the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, born from an unexpected creative experience.

The song, which mix of pre-Hispanic sounds and traditional huapango elementswas also part of the film “El Rey de Todo del Mundo” (2021), the last film directed by the legendary Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, who is also the author of the cover of this song.

“Calavera” was born from a studio collaboration with film composer Alfonso G. Aguilar, where, while playing with the rhythms of the huapango, they brought to life what Carlos Rivera calls “the lament”, a musical section marked by a powerful “Ay Laray Ra.

This fragment resonated deeply with Carlos, leading him to transform it into something more: a “Calaverita” – verses popular in Mexico, often irreverent and satirical, written as fictional epitaphs for the Day of the Dead.

For this song, Carlos decided to go beyond the usual satire, focusing on a deeper reflection on death: a “True Skull”, where The rawness and beauty of death are closely linked.

The song captures the opening of Mictlán, the underworld according to the Mexican worldview, and uses diverse instrumentation that includes rattles, donkey jaws, teponaxtles, psalterios, guitars, guitarrón, vihuela , flutes, trumpets and a string quartet.

The video, directed by Yerick Johnsson, was recorded in different locations in Tlaxcala, such as the Atlangatepec chalk mine and lagoon, as well as the old hacienda of Ometusco, in the state of Mexico.

With this new song, Carlos Rivera reaffirms his position as one of the most versatile and creative artists in Mexican musiccapable of paying homage to its roots while offering something innovative and deeply moving.