Q/A: Pablo Panés

Pablo Panés playing his guitar.

Pablo Panés is a 23-year-old journalism and communication student from Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain. The music influence he had as a child in his house and his music talent made him into a TV child star. Now, years later, Panés is creating a new image for himself and his music.

Jackalope Magazine: When did you start singing?

Pablo Panés: I sang since I was born. My family has always loved music and I grew up in a musical environment. I don’t think there is a clear moment in my mind; it was born with me, and it developed while I grew up.

JM: What kind of music did you listen to while you were young?

PP: Disney music, Alejandro Sanz, The Beatles. My sisters and my mother used to play a lot of music to me and it ranged from Spanish to English music.

JM: Were your family members also involved in music making?

PP: My oldest sister used to sing like me, she even sings opera. But all the siblings we used to play piano when we were little.

JM: Besides piano, did you learn to play any other instruments?

PP: When I was little my parents forced me to play piano and I was more afraid for the grades I would get in the lessons than the grades from school. I hated to play piano because I was forced to do it, so when I was 12 I said, ‘no more,’ and I took the guitar and I learned to play it my myself.

JM: How did you learn to play by yourself?

PP: By learning from songs that I liked. But my main goal was to play guitar just to accompany my singing. So I used to go into the Internet looking for songs I liked. When I saw that I was able to play them and sing I would get motivated and I kept going.

JM: Is singing something that you have showed other people or something you have kept for yourself?

PP: When I was a kid, I used to be on the TV a lot. When I was nine years old I used to be part of a TV show from Spain called “Lluvia de Estrellas” where kids would sing. Kids would stop me on the street and ask me for autographs.

JM: How did you use to feel?

PP: Local and national newspapers used to interview me and this used to make me very happy.

JM: You didn’t feel it was weird for you to be stopped on the street?

PP: Yes, and eventually I got tired. I got tired of being the center of attention. But then I grew up, my physics changed so people stopped recognizing me as much as they used to.

JM: Are there people that still recognize you?

PP: Not that much, but there are people that still send me mail and that leave comments on the YouTube channel. Sometimes girls used to add me to messenger and I thought that was really annoying. Usually the people that look for me now are the ones who used to be children when the show was up and that have grown up.

JM: Did you ever get scared?

PP: I wasn’t scared, I just got tired of people talking about me and about me being the center of attention. I was just a kid and I started to develop a weird phobia.

JM: What was this phobia?

PP: I hated when I would walk down the street with my mother and people would ask me things. I felt harassed. I just wanted peace.

JM: Was this constant?

PP: Yes, and people sometimes still do it. I walk with my mother down the street and women come up and say to her ‘Ah you kid! He doesn’t sing anymore?’ and I just want to tell them to leave me alone. Sometimes the shadow of my past on TV follows me.

JM: How did your parents feel about this?

PP: Actually, my dad called to get me into the first show I was in…My dad died the year he called and I was called to the show the year after that. But my mom used to calm me down. It wasn’t like I was Justin Bieber, but still.

JM: Did you stop making music after this experience?

PP: On the contrary, after this time I started to compose my own songs.

JM: Do you put a lot of emotions in your music?

PP: Yes, I use personal experiences or experiences from people that are very close to me.

JM: Has there been a time when you stopped making music?

PP: Never. When I was 14 I started a band and we used to play pop/rock music.

JM: Has your music evolved since you came here?

PP: Now that I am I am staring to do things for myself. I am centering more in myself and the music I want to create.

JM: Are you creating an image for yourself and your music?

PP: Yes. I recorded a song during the summer and I will direct a video clip for it next week. I am very calm and I want to see what kind of acceptance I receive. I will do more songs and videos but slowly.

JM: Do you see a future for yourself in music or in graphic design?

PP: Well, professionally I will focus on graphic design and communication. With music I’m trying now, but it is hard in Spain due to the economy. I will do it because you always have to try.

JM: Do you have music idols?

PP: Alejandro Sanz, The Beatles, Bon Iver, The National and The Shout Out Louds. But I don’t think I have influences, I nurture myself and then I do what ever I want.

JM: Do you have goals for your future?

PP: Accomplish something with my music and with my audiovisual career. I want to travel a lot and try to not separate from my family and friends.