This week a new music project called Pavón appeared on Soundcloud, with the song “Itchy Skin”. We instantly got into research mode to know more, and quickly found that Analisa Corral is behind the project. We took the opportunity to ask her how it all came about. Although she is still young, she is multi-talented and has been involved in music for quite some time. This is her story of how she loves & learned making music, from writing to production.
From a very early age on, Analisa not only loved music, but also the stories behind the songs. Her dad let her listen to songs and tell the stories about them; songs from soul giants like Marvin Gaye, and 60s pop like The Beach Boys to 90s rock like Nirvana. Analisa took it all in, and started making up stories in her head while playing the piano at home. “I would play random chords and start making up a dramatic story, all while trying to find chords to match it”, she tells us.
In high school her attitude changed. “I think I really got into songwriting when a producer came to my High School for career day. He asked for students to show their talents. I didn’t volunteer because I hadn’t practiced much. Disappointed in myself, I decided to contact him afterwards. I went to his studio, where he asked me to start making up lyrics on the spot while he played piano. That was my first experience songwriting.”
By the age of 17, she was already writing songs on her own.
Through her dad she met another producer who signed her to his indie label, releasing her debut as Analisa “Wonderland” (2010, available on iTunes and Spotify). It consists of sweet, and acoustic songs with a lo-fi quality, or more honest: with limited production. The collaboration didn’t last long, due to lack of control, she says.
“I didn’t get a lot of control of the production which was hard for me since I had so many specific ideas that weren’t able to be brought to life.”
That’s when Analisa decided to learn how to produce herself. She studied classic pop songs by Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday and Brian Wilson among others. She then reaIized she also had a producer’s mind, and wasn’t just a songwriter. She started studying music at community college in San Francisco, taking classes in Music Production and getting her certification in Protools. Being a little burned out by music, Analisa started taking acting lessons as well. “But I called acting ‘the other woman‘ I was cheating on music with!”, she confesses. After some auditions and bookings, she got herself some IMDb (Internet Movie Database) credits.
And just like with acting, she took classes in making music for films. “I took some film classes at my college, and met people! You just have to be a go getter and talk to people!” So she became involved in creating music for movies and videos. Even if you haven’t heard from her before, you probably have heard her voice. She wrote and produced the gripping intro to the music video of Tyga feat. Rick Ross “Dope“. Recently Analisa is more into psychedelic guitar songs, and dreamy and cinematic environments. She quotes Lana Del Rey and A$AP Rocky’s “L$D” as examples. You can clearly hear her current inspiration in her Pavón project.
Analisa makes great use of online platforms to connect with her audience. She posts short clips of her singing on Instagram, and vlogs and live sessions on YouTube. On her channel, the demo version of “Itchy Skin” was already online for months!
And then out of nowhere there is the final version on Soundcloud, it just popped-up. The song turned into a beautiful pop ballad featuring her own voice. It’s about a girl who feels uncomfortable with who she is. She wants to change herself to get the person she’s in love with. “If I could get a new me then maybe I could get to you“. But she also realizes she just can’t. “I’ve got an itch I can’t scratch. Oh it hurts, it hurts but I can’t change“. The production by Analisa herself is just remarkable, leaving enough space to let the lyrics sink in and connect, and with the right amount of sounds and melodies to hit emotionally without being overdramatic. We believe the Pavón project is a new direction she is heading, and the right one, with all her skills (from writing & singing to recording & producing) coming together to create something special.
Analisa Corral is unsigned. For more information:
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