Mayte Martín: the clean voice of inspiration

The prestigious Cátedra of Flamencology and Andalusian Folklore Studies has chosen by vote of its members singer Mayte Martín (Barcelona, 1965) to receive the prize for best singer in this edition of the prizes. Being from Catalonia (northeast Spain) with a culture all its own, makes for added merit, although it’s true the capital city of Barcelona is permanent residence for a numerous community of Andalusians whose families emigrated to the north in the 50s, 60s and 70s in search of employment.

Mayte, who holds important national prizes such as that of La Unión and Córdoba, is one of the most artistically honest of those currently active. The discreet dark suit and black T-shirt. The undyed grey hair. No makeup. A dry but elegant stage presence to deliver her fine singing. Intelligence and wisdom shine through in everything she does. We’ve heard the singers with time-worn voices and dubious dental work, and okay, they don’t necessarily displease, these are details that give a certain color and substance. We continue to live in the era of fusion of old and new, foreign and local, a recipe that often yields rich flavors without losing the flamenco thread.

"Mayte’s clean vocal delivery is appreciated by those who prefer a well-worn voice because it’s not syrupy sweet but closer to painful. Oddly enough I just heard a lipstick commercial that happens to sum it up just fine: a powerful tone made easy, because that which is iconic never gets old, it just gets redefined"

But Mayte’s path is another. At the start of the 1980s the singer could often be seen on television singing for a dancer, La Tani perhaps?, and that was when I began to take an interest in the Catalonian singer. She was the most important Catalonian flamenco singer of an era in which northeners were branching out from their beloved rumba Catalana as interpreted by Peret, Antonio González and others, opening the floodgates of a varied repertoire with stars like Duquende and Miguel Poveda who continue to be successful today. I had Catalonian flamenco friends who referred to bulerías as “the rumba of Andalucía”.

Mayte Martín, singer with an original style while also rigorously classic. She achieves this difficult balance between original and traditional managing something all her own, based on forms some would call historic. The great flamenco machine fulfills its mission when this contemporary singer with an impeccable career manages to move us with little more than an appropriate guitarist such as those who have accompanied Mayte throughout her career, Juan Gómez “Chicuelo”, Raúl “El Perla”, Juan Ramón Caro, Alejandro Hurtado and José Luis Montón among others, different colors, maestros of subtlety and contemporary harmony, or Mayte herself convincingly accompanying her own singing. Also noteworthy is her album of boleros with El Moncho and her collaboration with pianist Pepe Montoliú. For a time she sang for dancer Belen Maya, daughter of maestro Mario Maya.

Mayte’s clean vocal delivery is appreciated by those who prefer a well-worn voice because it’s not syrupy sweet but closer to painful. Oddly enough I just heard a lipstick commercial that happens to sum it up just fine: a powerful tone made easy, because that which is iconic never gets old, it just gets redefined.