On June 15th, the Barcelona-based singer-songwriter Paula Simón presented her debut album, Fever Dream, in Seville. To promote this release, she’s currently embarked on a "mini tour" covering four cities in Spain. Here’s everything about her latest performance.
We arrived at the Sala X (or La2) in Seville at half-past eight in the evening, just as the scorching sun began to give way to the evening's summer breeze. Upon entering the venue, we saw a high stage set with a drum kit and several guitars, and a merchandise stand offering tote bags, t-shirts, hats, and more. Gradually, the audience began to fill the space, mostly women in their twenties, though a few middle-aged listeners stood out.
The evening was opened by Marla Cross from Jaén, who mentioned that she met Paula ten years ago online as they both posted song covers on YouTube, although they had never met in person until the day of the concert. It was an acoustic set, featuring songs from her first EP, Serendipia, as well as her latest single, La Deuda. She also sang two unreleased tracks, covering themes quite relevant to current society. The first, Si supieras, narrates the fantasies one imagines when "falling in love" with someone at first sight on public transport; the second, Yonki del estrés, explores the intersection of anxiety and ambition. Her performance was engaging and intimate, with the singer-songwriter making the audience laugh multiple times while explaining her lyrics.
The stage lights dimmed again, and when the smoke machine turned on, Paula Simón appeared. Some die-hard fans rushed to the edge of the stage. The show opened with Hypnagogia, a pop-rock track she released back in 2016, which later became part of her first EP, Remembrance, in 2019, just like the following song, Your Face.
The first song from this new album was too late which she usually performs with her father Jaume, who couldn't be there that night in Seville. Before she sung fever dream, Paula explained that this was the last song she wrote for the album and that it gave her project its name. Perhaps the most special moment of the night was during a small acoustic segment where she played the guitar version of her song playing god. During this part of the concert, she usually sits on the floor with the audience, but this wasn't possible at the Andalusian stop due to the height of the stage.
Kingdom falls was the song that best showcased Paula's impressive live performance: the emotion in her voice and the powerful instrumental reverberated throughout the venue. The trio composed of without you (produced by Joje), sell my soul, and Getaway lightened the atmosphere, though, as the composer herself noted, these songs are lighter only in terms of their instrumentation. The concert closed with what seemed to be the “fan favorite”, afraid of heights, which Paula explained it started as a love song but was modified after a breakup.
Once the recital ended, the audience approached the merchandise stand to congratulate the singer and purchase various items. MGIM picked up a CD that, for just 10 euros, included a booklet, a polaroid, a signed card, and a tour poster. A reminder of the dedication that independent artists put into their projects, which thrive thanks to listener support, and that everything done with love and passion ultimately turns out well. The next stop on this mini tour is Madrid, where Paula Simón will perform on June 29th at Cadavra Club.