Diandra Interviews Salt Cathedral Have All The Carisma

I have long followed Salt Cathedral. They are incredibly talented and have FINALLY released their debut, Carisma. It has been over a decade since they left Colombia for Brooklyn to become international, music superstars. Yet, rising to your dreams can be a bumpy road: filled unplanned pit-stops and surprising turns. Still, when you believe in your music, you are willing to take the journey ahead, and, in our interview, we discuss their path to their long-awaited debut. 

Diandra: What is your favorite memory in Salt Cathedral? 

Nicolas: We became ambassadors of the Cathedral with a really famous, Colombian soccer player. It was really nice because it felt like we are now apart of it. We are symbolic ambassadors to this place that we would go to with our parents. As a band, we were a representation of it and it feels, now, like a representation of us.
Te Quiero Olvidar [ROOFTOP SESSIONS] – Salt Cathedral

Diandra: Your parents must have been proud? 

Nicolas: I think the real thing is that Juli’s parents were really proud of her. They are very successful and are really demanding and something about seeing your parents proud of you is so nice.

Diandra: Have they seen your shows? 

Julia: They have seen so many of our shows. They are really honest, which is great and not that great. There have been times when they have been like, “What is that noise? What are you doing?” You know like, “We can’t hear your voice. It sounds like noise.” But, through the last 2 years, they have seen people singing our songs, and they love it. They are very supportive; it is just you are a little raw after a show. 

Diandra: I think Latino parents are our first bullies. They are the first ones to bring us down and the first one to build us, but they have to bring us down to prepare us for the world not building us. 

They laugh. 

Diandra: So what have you learned on your journey, so far, as Salt Cathedral? 

Nicolas: You are here for the journey. Everyday you are here to learn, and I have learned to pick up hope. Movements like, Black Lives Matters and seeing good leaders with flawless integrity, regardless of their background, gives me hope.

Julia: Young people give me a lot of hope: ones spearheading the anti-racism movement. They genuinely believe in change. It always sparks hope seeing a good person.
Salt Cathedral – a lifetime with you (Visualizer) [Ultra Music]

Diandra: I heard you are doing an Isolation Mix of Carisma? 

Nicolas: Yes, we are, basically, making a whole, different version of the record because we are not able to play it. We were thinking about how we could expand the universe of the record. Carisma, itself, is very joyful and vibrant. When I listen to it, I feel this happiness, but the isolation version gives you a spiritual energy. It dives in more and feels more introspective, which is how I feel when I was listening to Gil Scott Heron. He said, “The revolution will not be televised,” because it starts inside. It starts from within people. There is an introspection, and the record is digging inside. 

Diandra: Well, the pandemic certainly made people introspective. 

Julia: I think it made people look inside and it forced them into thought. They had to look at how they treat people and how they are treated. 

Diandra: Do you think the music industry will rethink how it treats artists? 

Nicolas: I am very pessimistic bout the music industry in general. Its very nature is not towards the artist, but I have a lot of hope for musicians to make incredible music and be brave enough to release it. This is the time for people to become willing to get rid of their nervousness and release it. Everyone understands; there is no margin of error. We are learning how to do new things. I hope there are new musicians that will become more outspoken and willing to explore new sides and spark change in their music. Make statements and bring change. 
Salt Cathedral – How Beautiful (she is) feat. Duendita & MC Bin Laden (Official Video) [Ultra Music]

Diandra: How do you think your music embodies love? 

Julia: It is interesting because our earlier work was not really about romance. It was about our collective consciousness and our humanity working together, which was the theme growing up in the late 90’s in Colombia. In Carisma, we talk about all the different kinds of love: family, friends, society, and our identities. Writing songs about the love you experience connects people to you because there is something universal to love, even though we go through our experiences alone. Writing a love song is as much a reflection of a person as it is you. 

Nicolas: It was like a love diary. The lyrics are like a journal of these past relationships and what we were going through. In terms of the production, we were trying to project that magical moment of romance as love: not just as people but of this record. It took a lot of love to make these songs and produce them all ourselves: to put a lot of detail and have patience. When we released it, I cried. It was us, for years, every step of the way. It is like having a kid. I was their nanny; taking care of these songs. 

Julia: The last song of the record is a love song to our fans. This was the second “first record” for us, but for issues with our label we couldn’t release it. After all those painful years of saying we were going to release and doing EP’s, it was like a “thank you” for staying by us. 
Salt Cathedral – PARIS (Official Video) [Ultra Music]

Diandra: It is tremendously difficult, especially as an immigrant to work your way through America AND its music scene. 

Julia: Phew! We had to hustle like crazy, especially because of our immigration status. We got jobs under the table. There were so many highs and lows. When you are in a low, keep at it, and if you are in a high, don’t believe it too much. (she laughs)

Diandra: Ultimately, what do you find to be so charming about each other and your sound? 

Nicolas: Julia is very intelligent. She can be very bubbly, and people see that she is nice, but she is also very intelligent. She uses her brilliance to connect better with people; to have empathy and see the other side of things and people. She is very smart. 

I love our music. It has integrity and curiosity. We don’t want to sell out. We want to always have an ethic idea to our music. We are going to keep moving and moving. We will never do anything twice, and that is our integrity and truth. That is our charm, and I hope the music is reflective of that. 

Julia: Nicolas has this obsession to do things with integrity; giving his best version, even if it takes hours upon hours. It is incredible to be around that and see someone whom has so much respect for what he is doing. I think our music is very technical, but it also cares about culture and humanity. 
Salt Cathedral – homespun in *isolation* Vinyl Set for DISCOGS

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