Metralla Rosa con Carla Tofano
Juanita Euka is a powerful presence on the London music scene. It has been said that beauty is the sum of all its parts and this is clearly the case with Juanita, whose unique cultural make up is an absolute delight. She was born in The Congo and, thanks to her father’s job as a diplomat, she spent time in Madrid as a baby before going on to grow up in Buenos Aires where she lived from the age of two, until moving to London at the age of fourteen. Her uncle was Franco Luambo Makiadi – considered to be the king of Congolese rumba and seen as one of the most revered exponents of the modern Congolese sound – and, as such, music has always been the natural choice for Juanita to express herself with, as her memories, her ancestors, the happiness of the present and the promises of a future teeming with possibilities, all converge in her song. While Juanita may have had her first and most significant epiphany in Argentina, in which she discovered that singing was her great love, primary talent and main vocation, it was in London that she began to discover her musical heartbeat, as she became one of the outstanding voices on the city’s Afro-Latin scene.
Her journey as a vocalist began with the Afro-Peruvian band, Malambo, after which she went on to become a cornerstone of WARA before, more recently, putting her powerful vocal chords to use with dynamic cooperative projects such as London Afrobeat Collective and Animanz. Her overwhelming voice, with its almost unique range, and her determined, energetic and captivating presence make Juanita and her varied musical influences hard to miss. And indeed, one needs look no further than her recently released first album, Mabanzo, to experience her perfect blend of eclectic influences, from Congolese Rumba to Tango, via a melting pot of Cumbia, Salsa and Bolero. In 2020 the single ‘Alma Seca’ was used as the opening track in season three of the BBC series, Killing Eve and, days after her album was finally released, Elton John played the track ‘Mboka Moko’ (an ode to her memories of the Congo) on his radio show, RocketHour.
It is an album full of fusion and experimentation and, as such, no two songs are the same. And, just like Metralla Rosa, which aims to create bridges between English, Spanish and Italian, Mabanzo also embraces multilingualism as part of its cultural identity, presenting a delicious compendium of subjects sung in Spanish, English, French and Lingala. In this interview you will witness two sisters of Afro-South American descent laugh, cry and get drunk on feminine feelings and feminist vindications whilst planning assertive actions that were inspired by their desire to inhabit a more conscious, congruent and altruistic world.
And now, enjoy the interview!
Watch Interview | Listen to Podcast
This interview was recorded on the 4th of April 2022 and released on the 15th of April 2022
Related Links
Juanita Euka: YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp | Strut Records | Strut Records YouTube
Bands mentioned
Malambo | WARA | London Afrobeat Collective | Animanz | Franco Luambo Makiadi | Celia Cruz | Oscar d’León | The Spice Girls | Fela Kuti | Mercedes Sosa | Luis Alberto Spinetta (El Flaco) | The Beatles | José Alberto Iglesias (Tanguito) | Soda Stereo | Sarah Vaughan | Ella Fitzgerald | Eva Ayllón | Chabuca Granda | Eliane Correa | Carlos Gardel | London Lucumi Choir | Adele | Beyoncé | Christina Aguilera | Diana Ross | Rosalía | Édith Piaf | Interactivo | Bamboleo | Los Van Van | Issac Delgado | Pablo Milanés | La Lupe | Lya Reis Guerrero | Cher | Yeukai Makoni | Grace Jones | M’Pongo Love
References during the interview
Afro-Caribbean Music 01:17 | Malambo 01:24 | WARA 01:29 | London Afrobeat Collective 01:33 | Animanz 01:36 | Mabanzo 01:46 | Franco Luambo Makiadi 02:16 | Celia Cruz 02:22 | Oscar d’León 02:28 | Rumba 02:30 | Congolese Rumba 02:33 & 06:30 | Democratic Republic of the Congo 03:38 | The Spice Girls 05:12 | Pineapple Studios 05:18 | The Stage 05:22 | Music of Cuba 06:43 | Kinshasa 07:13 | Zaire (history of) 09:15 | Racism in South America 10:01 | Racism in Argentina 10:44 | Fela Kuti 13:55 | Toni Morrison 15:42 | Beloved 15:54 | Rock Argentino 16:47 | Mercedes Sosa 17:02 | Luis Alberto Spinetta (El Flaco) 17:38 | Belgrano 17:48 | Chiquititas 18:05 | Cris Morena 18:09 | The Beatles 18:26 | Amor de Primavera por Tanguito 18:40 | Soda Stereo 18:51 | Sarah Vaughan 20:06 | Ella Fitzgerald 20:07 | Eva Ayllón 20:09 | Chabuca Granda 20:12 | Diana Ross 22:02 | Baño De Oro 25:23 | Eliane Correa 26:22 | Tango 26:36 | Carlos Gardel 26:38 | London Lucumi Choir 27:18 | Lucumí (Santería) 27:27 | Yoruba 27:28 | Salsa 30:03 | Lingala 33:30 | Adele 34:02 | Beyoncé 34:03 | Christina Aguilera 34:10 | Diana Ross 34:18 | Rosalía 34:33 | Camarades 35:16 | Spanglish 35:26 | Swahili 35:39 | Kikongo 35:54 | Édith Piaf 37:37 | Interactivo 38:00 | Bamboleo 38:01 | Los Van Van 38:03 | Issac Delgado 38:09 | Pablo Milanés 38:13 | La Lupe 38:19 | Yo No Me Voy 41:26 | Alma Seca 42:54 | Greg Sanders 43:09 | Lya Reis Guerrero 43:18 | Killing Eve 43:21 | BBC America 43:44 | Zoe Fayaud 45:19 | Strut Records 46:14 | Quinton Scott 46:18 | Sueños De Libertad 46:29 | Mboka Moko 46:32 | Nalingi Mobali Te 46:38 | “Mom, I Am a Rich Man” 47:28 | Cher 47:30 | Yeukai Makoni 51:01 | Grace Jones 51:06 | Dandy 51:28 | Sapeur (La Sape) 51:48 | Brazzaville 52:04 | Soukous 53:54 | M’Pongo Love 54:50 | Ọṣun 55:52 | Yemọja 56:05 | Alejandro Jodorowsky 56:52
All images and videos used during the interview by kind permission of Juanita Euka.
Production by Carla Tofano & Toby Deveson | Subtitles & translations by Valentina Sarno & Alessandra Greco | Onset artwork: Photography by Toby Deveson & drawing of Carla by Alexandra Veres | Title music written and performed by Maya Petrovna
If you would like to make a donation to Metralla Rosa, please use this PayPal link. Your generosity will help us to continue producing free content and will primarily be used for the creation of English, Spanish & Italian subtitles. Thank you so much.
Juanita Eukasi presenta magnificamente sulla scena musicale londinese. Si dice che nella mescolanza ci sia più gusto e quella di Juanita, una mescolanza di culture molto particolare, è assolutamente deliziosa. Juanita è nata in Congo, e, a causa degli impegni diplomatici di suo padre, quand’era ancora neonata si trasferì a Madrid per crescere poi a Buenos Aires, in Argentina, città dove visse da quando aveva due anni fino a quando, quattordicenne, se ne andò a Londra. Nipote di Franco Luambo Makiadi, considerato il re della rumba congolese e uno degli esponenti più stimati delle sonorità moderne del Congo, per Juanita la musica è sempre stata un canale naturale di espressione in cui convergono i suoi ricordi, i suoi antenati, la felicità del presente e le promesse di un futuro radioso, ricco di possibilità. Fu in Argentina che Juanita trovò la sua epifania più significativa, dove il canto le si rivelò come il suo grande amore, il suo miglior talento e come la sua principale vocazione, anche se fu a Londra che la cantante iniziò a scoprire il suo personale battito musicale, trasformandosi in una delle voci maggiormente di spicco della scena afro latina della città.
Tutto cominciò come vocalist nel gruppo afro peruviano Malambo, poi diventò elemento fondamentale della band WARA, e più di recente la sua voce potente si è dedicata a stimolanti progetti di cooperazione come il London Afrobeat Collective e l’Animanz. La sua voce dirompente, la sua presenza decisa, energica e accattivante, e le sue variegate suggestioni musicali che attraversano un registro ampio e favorevole che non molti cantanti possono permettersi il lusso di rispettare, fanno di Juanita un’artista difficile da superare. Infatti, nel suo primo album pubblicato da poco, Mabanzo, coesistono ritmi diversi, dalla rumba congolese al tango, passando per la cumbia, la salsa e il bolero, in modo da ottenere una perfetta decantazione di tante influenze così eclettiche. Nel 2020, il suo singolo ‘Alma Seca’ ha fatto parte della colonna sonora alla terza stagione della serie Killing Eve, e nel periodo in cui l’album venne finalmente lanciato sul mercato, Elton John ha diffuso la canzone ‘Mboka Moko’ – un inno ai suoi ricordi in Congo – nel suo programma radio Rocket Hour.
Non ci sono due pezzi uguali in questo album pieno di fusione e di sperimentazione e, allo stesso modo in cui questo show, Metralla Rosa, abbraccia la possibilità di creare ponti tra l’inglese, lo spagnolo e l’italiano, Mabanzo, l’album del debutto di Juanita come solista, abbraccia il multilinguismo come parte della sua identità culturale e offre una deliziosa sintesi di brani in spagnolo, inglese, francese e lingala. In questa intervista vedrete due sorelle, discendenti dall’Africa e dal Sudamerica, ridere e piangere, ubriacarsi di senso di rivendicazione femminile e femminista, e programmare azioni decise mosse dal desiderio di vivere in un mondo più consapevole, coerente e altruista.
E adesso, godetevi l’intervista!
Guarda l’Intervista | Ascolta il Podcast
Questa intervista è stata registrata il 4 aprile 2022 e rilasciata il 15 aprile 2022
Link correlati
Juanita Euka: YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp | Strut Records | Strut Records YouTube
Bande menzionate
Malambo | WARA | London Afrobeat Collective | Animanz | Franco Luambo Makiadi | Celia Cruz | Oscar d’León | The Spice Girls | Fela Kuti | Mercedes Sosa | Luis Alberto Spinetta (El Flaco) | The Beatles | José Alberto Iglesias (Tanguito) | Soda Stereo | Sarah Vaughan | Ella Fitzgerald | Eva Ayllón | Chabuca Granda | Eliane Correa | Carlos Gardel | London Lucumi Choir | Adele | Beyoncé | Christina Aguilera | Diana Ross | Rosalía | Édith Piaf | Interactivo | Bamboleo | Los Van Van | Issac Delgado | Pablo Milanés | La Lupe | Lya Reis Guerrero | Cher | Yeukai Makoni | Grace Jones | M’Pongo Love
Riferimenti durante l’intervista
Afro-Caribbean Music 01:17 | Malambo 01:24 | WARA 01:29 | London Afrobeat Collective 01:33 | Animanz 01:36 | Mabanzo 01:46 | Franco Luambo Makiadi 02:16 | Celia Cruz 02:22 | Oscar d’León 02:28 | Rumba 02:30 | Congolese Rumba 02:33 & 06:30 | Democratic Republic of the Congo 03:38 | The Spice Girls 05:12 | Pineapple Studios 05:18 | The Stage 05:22 | Music of Cuba 06:43 | Kinshasa 07:13 | Zaire (history of) 09:15 | Racism in South America 10:01 | Racism in Argentina 10:44 | Fela Kuti 13:55 | Toni Morrison 15:42 | Beloved 15:54 | Rock Argentino 16:47 | Mercedes Sosa 17:02 | Luis Alberto Spinetta (El Flaco) 17:38 | Belgrano 17:48 | Chiquititas 18:05 | Cris Morena 18:09 | The Beatles 18:26 | Amor de Primavera por Tanguito 18:40 | Soda Stereo 18:51 | Sarah Vaughan 20:06 | Ella Fitzgerald 20:07 | Eva Ayllón 20:09 | Chabuca Granda 20:12 | Diana Ross 22:02 | Baño De Oro 25:23 | Eliane Correa 26:22 | Tango 26:36 | Carlos Gardel 26:38 | London Lucumi Choir 27:18 | Lucumí (Santería) 27:27 | Yoruba 27:28 | Salsa 30:03 | Lingala 33:30 | Adele 34:02 | Beyoncé 34:03 | Christina Aguilera 34:10 | Diana Ross 34:18 | Rosalía 34:33 | Camarades 35:16 | Spanglish 35:26 | Swahili 35:39 | Kikongo 35:54 | Édith Piaf 37:37 | Interactivo 38:00 | Bamboleo 38:01 | Los Van Van 38:03 | Issac Delgado 38:09 | Pablo Milanés 38:13 | La Lupe 38:19 | Yo No Me Voy 41:26 | Alma Seca 42:54 | Greg Sanders 43:09 | Lya Reis Guerrero 43:18 | Killing Eve 43:21 | BBC America 43:44 | Zoe Fayaud 45:19 | Strut Records 46:14 | Quinton Scott 46:18 | Sueños De Libertad 46:29 | Mboka Moko 46:32 | Nalingi Mobali Te 46:38 | “Mom, I Am a Rich Man” 47:28 | Cher 47:30 | Yeukai Makoni 51:01 | Grace Jones 51:06 | Dandy 51:28 | Sapeur (La Sape) 51:48 | Brazzaville 52:04 | Soukous 53:54 | M’Pongo Love 54:50 | Ọṣun 55:52 | Yemọja 56:05 | Alejandro Jodorowsky 56:52
All images and videos used during the interview by kind permission of Juanita Euka.
Produzione di Carla Tofano e Toby Deveson | Sottotitoli e traduzioni da Valentina Sarno & Alessandra Greco | Arte sul set: Fotografia di Toby Deveson e disegno di Carla di Alexandra Veres | Musica scritto ed eseguito da: Maya Petrovna
Se desideri fare una donazione a Metralla Rosa, utilizza questo link di PayPal. La tua generosità verrà usata principalmente per la creazione di sottotitoli in inglese, spagnolo e italiano e ci aiuterà a continuare la produzione di contenuto gratuito. Grazie mille.
Juanita Euka tiene una presencia poderosa en la escena musical de Londres. Dicen que el gusto está en la mezcla y la suya, su muy peculiar mixtura cultural es una absoluta delicia. Juanita nació en el Congo, y gracias a las faenas diplomáticas de su padre viajó a Madrid siendo bebé y creció en Buenos Aires, Argentina, ciudad en la que vivió desde los dos años y hasta que se mudara a Londres, a los 14. Sobrina de Franco Luambo Makiadi, considerado el rey de la rumba congoleña y uno de los exponentes mas venerados del sonido moderno congoleño, para Juanita la música ha sido siempre un canal de expresión natural en el que convergen sus memorias, sus ancestros, la felicidad del presente, y las promesas de un futuro rozagante de posibilidades. Fue en Argentina que Juanita tuvo su mas significativa epifanía, en la que el canto se le reveló como su gran amor, su mejor talento y y como su principal aspiración vocacional, sin embargo, fue en Londres que Juanita comenzó a descubrir su propio latido musical, convirtiéndose en una de las voces más destacadas de la escena afro latina de la ciudad.
Como vocalista todo comenzó con la agrupación afro peruana Malambo, luego pasó a ser parte fundamental de WARA, y mas recientemente su potente voz estuvo al servicio de dinamizantes proyectos cooperativos como London Afrobeat Collective y Animanz. Su arrolladora voz, su presencia decidida, enérgica y cautivadora, y sus variopintas influencias musicales que atraviesan un registro amplio y afortunado que no muchos cantantes pueden darse el lujo de honrar, hacen de Juanita una cantante difícil de pasar por alto. De hecho, en su recién estrenado primer álbum, Mabanzo, desde la rumba congoleña hasta el tango pasando por la cumbia, la salsa y el bolero coexisten, logrando una perfecta decantación de tantas y tan eclécticas influencias. En 2020 su sencillo ‘Alma Seca’ dió apertura a la tercera temporada de la serie Killing Eve, y a los días de haber sido finalmente lanzado el album al mercado, Elton John compartió en su programa de radio RocketHour el tema ‘Mboka Moko’ — una oda a sus memorias en el Congo.
No hay dos temas iguales en este album lleno de fusión y experimentación, y así como este show, Metralla Rosa, abraza la posibilidad de crear puentes entre el ingles, el español y el italiano, Mabanzo, el album debut de Juanita en solitario, también abraza el multi-lingualismo como parte de su identidad cultural y presenta un delicioso compendio de temas en español, en ingles, en francés y Lingala. En esta entrevista verás a dos hermanas afro descendientes y sudamericanas reír y llorar, embriagarse con sentimientos de revendicación femenina y feminista, y planificar acciones acertivas movidas por el deseo de habitar un mundo mas consciente, congruente y altruista.
¡Y ahora, disfruten la entrevista!
Ve la Entrevista | Escucha el Podcast
Esta entrevista se grabó el 4 de abril de 2022 y publicada el 15 de abril de 2022
Enlaces relacionados
Juanita Euka: YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp | Strut Records | Strut Records YouTube
Bandas Mencionadas
Malambo | WARA | London Afrobeat Collective | Animanz | Franco Luambo Makiadi | Celia Cruz | Oscar d’León | The Spice Girls | Fela Kuti | Mercedes Sosa | Luis Alberto Spinetta (El Flaco) | The Beatles | José Alberto Iglesias (Tanguito) | Soda Stereo | Sarah Vaughan | Ella Fitzgerald | Eva Ayllón | Chabuca Granda | Eliane Correa | Carlos Gardel | London Lucumi Choir | Adele | Beyoncé | Christina Aguilera | Diana Ross | Rosalía | Édith Piaf | Interactivo | Bamboleo | Los Van Van | Issac Delgado | Pablo Milanés | La Lupe | Lya Reis Guerrero | Cher | Yeukai Makoni | Grace Jones | M’Pongo Love
Menciones durante la entrevista
Afro-Caribbean Music 01:17 | Malambo 01:24 | WARA 01:29 | London Afrobeat Collective 01:33 | Animanz 01:36 | Mabanzo 01:46 | Franco Luambo Makiadi 02:16 | Celia Cruz 02:22 | Oscar d’León 02:28 | Rumba 02:30 | Congolese Rumba 02:33 & 06:30 | Democratic Republic of the Congo 03:38 | The Spice Girls 05:12 | Pineapple Studios 05:18 | The Stage 05:22 | Music of Cuba 06:43 | Kinshasa 07:13 | Zaire (history of) 09:15 | Racism in South America 10:01 | Racism in Argentina 10:44 | Fela Kuti 13:55 | Toni Morrison 15:42 | Beloved 15:54 | Rock Argentino 16:47 | Mercedes Sosa 17:02 | Luis Alberto Spinetta (El Flaco) 17:38 | Belgrano 17:48 | Chiquititas 18:05 | Cris Morena 18:09 | The Beatles 18:26 | Amor de Primavera por Tanguito 18:40 | Soda Stereo 18:51 | Sarah Vaughan 20:06 | Ella Fitzgerald 20:07 | Eva Ayllón 20:09 | Chabuca Granda 20:12 | Diana Ross 22:02 | Baño De Oro 25:23 | Eliane Correa 26:22 | Tango 26:36 | Carlos Gardel 26:38 | London Lucumi Choir 27:18 | Lucumí (Santería) 27:27 | Yoruba 27:28 | Salsa 30:03 | Lingala 33:30 | Adele 34:02 | Beyoncé 34:03 | Christina Aguilera 34:10 | Diana Ross 34:18 | Rosalía 34:33 | Camarades 35:16 | Spanglish 35:26 | Swahili 35:39 | Kikongo 35:54 | Édith Piaf 37:37 | Interactivo 38:00 | Bamboleo 38:01 | Los Van Van 38:03 | Issac Delgado 38:09 | Pablo Milanés 38:13 | La Lupe 38:19 | Yo No Me Voy 41:26 | Alma Seca 42:54 | Greg Sanders 43:09 | Lya Reis Guerrero 43:18 | Killing Eve 43:21 | BBC America 43:44 | Zoe Fayaud 45:19 | Strut Records 46:14 | Quinton Scott 46:18 | Sueños De Libertad 46:29 | Mboka Moko 46:32 | Nalingi Mobali Te 46:38 | “Mom, I Am a Rich Man” 47:28 | Cher 47:30 | Yeukai Makoni 51:01 | Grace Jones 51:06 | Dandy 51:28 | Sapeur (La Sape) 51:48 | Brazzaville 52:04 | Soukous 53:54 | M’Pongo Love 54:50 | Ọṣun 55:52 | Yemọja 56:05 | Alejandro Jodorowsky 56:52
All images and videos used during the interview by kind permission of Juanita Euka.
Producción por Carla Tofano & Toby Deveson | Subtítulos y traducciones por Valentina Sarno y Alessandra Greco | Arte en el set: Fotografía por Toby Deveson y dibujo de Carla por Alexandra Veres | Música por: Maya Petrovna
Si deseas hacer una donación a Metralla Rosa, utiliza este enlace de PayPal. Tu generosidad nos ayudará a continuar produciendo contenido gratuito y lo recaudado se utilizará principalmente para la creación de subtítulos en inglés, español e italiano. Muchas gracias.
Cantante | Compositor | Activista Cultural
15th December 2024Artist
15th August 2024Actriz | Creadora Teatral
20th May 2024Poeta | Escritor | Antropólogo
15th March 2024Butoh Dancer | Choreographer
1st March 2024Editor | Fotógrafo | Librero
1st January 2024Journalist | Author
26th November 2023Baterista | Músico
1st April 2022Músico | Activista Cultural
1st March 2022Artist
15th February 2022Curadora de Arte
15th January 2022DJ | Musician | Music Producer
15th July 2021Ceramic Artist
1st July 2021Artist | Fashion Illustrator | Art Tutor
15th June 2021Músico | Cantante | Sanadora
2nd June 2021Artist
15th May 2021Actor | Writer | Director
1st May 2021DJ | Music Promoter | Events Producer
15th April 2021Historiadora | Feminista | Escritora
1st April 2021Artista Plástica
15th March 2021Artist
1st March 2021Artist | Art Tutor
15th February 2021Artista Digital | Programador
1st February 2021Compositora | Pianista | Productora musical
15th January 2021High Cardinal of the Global Order of Satan
1st January 2021DJ | Productor Musical | Performer
15th December 2020Ceramicist | Artist
1st December 2020Escritora
1st November 2020Photographer
15th October 2020Artista Plástica
1st October 2020Shoe Designer
15th September 2020Writer | Actor | Director
1st September 2020Artista | Diseñador | Artesano
15th August 2020Baterista | Percusionista | Surfer
1st August 2020Podcast Creator | Life Coach
15th July 2020Artist | Art Historian
1st July 2020Periodista | Acróbata Aéreo | Yogi
15th June 2020Art Critic | Writer | Speaker
1st June 2020Artist | Designer | Maker
15th May 2020Directora de FLAWA | Socióloga
1st May 2020Visual Artist | Art Historian
15th April 2020TV Presenter | Producer | Mental Health Activist
1st April 2020Artist | Entrepreneur | Author
15th March 2020Performance Artists | Dancers | Models
1st March 2020Wine expert | TV presenter | Author
15th February 2020Artista | Dominatrix | Tarot
1st February 2020Visual Artist
15th January 2020Attore | Ballerino | Modello
1st January 2020Directora Editorial | Escritora | Músico
1st January 2020Actriz
15th December 2019Músico | Cantautor | Poeta
1st December 2019Artist
15th November 2019Artista Visiva
15th November 2019Artista Plástica | Historiadora del Arte | Curadora de Arte
15th November 2019