En su nuevo álbum, Granada recibe a Raúl con luz de primavera, le pone entre las manos el sol de Plaza Nueva; mientras, le dice que le quiere la Torre de la Vela y descubre en su perfume barquillos de canela. Luego resbala por el hilo que alcanza una cometa, porque hay magia por el aire rondando en las aceras (1).
Y es que Raúl Alcover no es un músico más, sino un cantautor lírico granadino que ha sobrevivido a décadas de cambios en la industria, manteniendo intacta su esencia. Los premios, reconocimientos y nominaciones están ahí, aunque lo que realmente cuenta es su apertura a mezclar géneros preservando el alma musical de su ciudad.
Desde los quince años, cuando se metió de lleno en el colectivo cultural andaluz Manifiesto Canción del Sur, ya estaba claro que no iba a ser un artista de manual: era un inconformista, un explorador de sonidos. Su versatilidad es muy amplia: folk, flamenco, bossa nova, jazz, pop, rock, balada… todo cabe en su universo.
Artistas como él no hacen música solo para complacer, sino por compromiso social y necesidad vital. Su nuevo trabajo Toda la noche oyeron pasar pájaros fue presentado en octubre de 2025, y estará disponible en CD en enero de 2026. Ha sido producido por Pablo Salinas.
Con todo lo anterior en mente, y con la mayoría de las preguntas centradas en este último álbum, comienzo mi entrevista:
MARÍA: Raúl, primero me gustaría que volviéramos a tus inicios como músico. Creo que tenías quince años cuando te uniste a Manifiesto Canción del Sur ¿es correcto? ¿Cómo recuerdas aquel momento?
RAÚL: Me uní a Manifiesto con apenas quince años y supuso despertar mi conciencia andaluza y pelear por mi tierra.
M: Tu apellido es Alcover y has comentado antes que tu familia viene de Granada y de fuera de Granada ¿por casualidad tienes algún parentesco con el poeta mallorquín Joan Alcover?
R: Que yo sepa no. De todos modos Alcover es un apellido común en las zonas catalana y mallorquina.
M: En tu obra hay una presencia constante de la poesía. Sé que has trabajado con versos de Lorca y de Javier Egea. ¿Qué lugar ocupa para ti la poesía dentro de la música? ¿Crees que la poesía es un territorio paralelo al de la música, o que ambas se funden en un mismo fluir de expresión?
R: Hago canciones que como sabes se componen de letra y de música. Cuido la letra tanto o más que la música. Y van de la mano.
M: Sí, se nota… Por cierto, en este último trabajo ¿quién es el autor de la letra de las canciones?
R: Las letras son mías excepto Rastros (3) y Ella no sabía nada (2)…de Javier Egea. El disco llevará más temas. Es un adelanto y un guiño a Javier, con el que hice Noche canalla, una de mis canciones más famosas y mejores.
M: ¿La musicalización de Noche canalla ocurrió antes de la tragedia de Javier o a posteriori?
R: Mucho antes de morir…En 1981. Noche Canalla nace independiente. La Tertulia organiza un concurso de letras de tango argentino en Granada y se decide que quien debe poner música a la letra ganadora sería yo. Y ganó Javier con ese poema.
M: ¿Entonces Noche Canalla es un tango? Fantástico…
R: Que yo hice balada.
M: Otra musicalización tuya de un poema de Javier Egea, Ella no sabía nada (2), la acabo de oír; tu musicalización y la grabación la hacen todavía más especial, qué belleza.
R: Quería hacer de ella una breve sinfonía.
M: ¿Quién ha diseñado la portada de Toda la noche oyeron pasar pájaros?
R: La portada y diseño del disco es obra de Lady Desidia.
M: Gracias por responder a las preguntas de El Artca.
R: Gracias María.
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Graná es de grana: tanguillos granadinos con toque de cumbia, letra y música R. Alcover (1)
A la deriva, pop-blues letra y música Raúl Alcover
Ella no sabía nada, sinfonía breve de Raúl Alcover con letra de Javier Egea (2)
Teresita, vals-bulería inspirada por la pianista colombiana Teresita Gómez, letra y música R. Alcover
Rastros, bossa nova: música de R. Alcover, letra Javier Egea, guitarra Miguel Ángel Corral (3)
Geología, rock sinfónico inspirado tras leer un relato de María Alcázar, letra y música R. Alcover (4)
THE MUSICIAN THAT CARRIES THE SUN OF PLAZA NUEVA IN HIS HANDS
By María Martínez Sánchez
In his new album, Granada welcomes Raúl with spring light, it puts the sun of Plaza Nueva in his hands, while telling him that the Torre de la Vela loves him, and he discovers cinnamon wafers on its perfume. Then he slides down the thread that reaches a kite, because there is magic in the air singing on the sidewalks. (1)
Because Raúl Alcover is not just another musician but a lyrical songwriter-singer from Granada who has survived decades of changes in the industry, keeping his essence intact. The awards, recognitions and nominations are there, although what really counts is his openness to mixing genres while preserving the musical soul of his city.
From the age of fifteen, when he fully immersed himself in the Andalusian cultural group Manifesto Canción del Sur (Manifesto Song of the South) it was already clear that he was not going to be a standard artist: he was a nonconformist, an explorer of sounds. His versatility is very wide: folk, flamenco, bossa nova, jazz, pop, rock, ballads… everything fits in his universe.
Artists like him do not make music just to please, but out of social commitment and vital necessity. His new work, Toda la noche oyeron pasar pájaros (All night they heard birds passing by) was presented in October 2025 and it was produced by Pablo Salinas. It will be available on CD in January 2026.
With all this in mind, and with most questions concerning this latest album, I begin my interview:
MARÍA: Raúl, first I would like us to go back to your beginnings as a musician. I think you were fifteen years old when you joined Manifesto Canción del Sur, is that correct? How do you remember that moment?
RAÚL: I joined Manifesto when I was barely fifteen years old and it meant awakening my Andalusian conscience and fighting for my land.
M: Your last name is Alcover, and you have mentioned before that your family comes from Granada and from outside of Granada, are you by any chance related to the Majorcan poet Joan Alcover?
R: Not that I know of. In any case, Alcover is a common surname in the Catalonian and Majorcan areas.
M: In your work there is a constant presence of poetry. I know that you have worked with verses by Lorca and Javier Egea. What place does poetry occupy in your music? Do you think that poetry is a parallel territory to that of music, or that both merge into the same flow of expression?
R: I compose songs that, as you know, are made up of lyrics and music. I care about the lyrics as much or more than the music. And they go hand in hand.
M: Yes, it shows… By the way, in this latest work, who is the author of the lyrics of the songs?
R: The lyrics are mine except for Rastros (Footprints) (3) and Ella no sabía nada (She didn’t know anything) (2) by Javier Egea. The album will have more songs. It is a preview and a nod to Javier, with whom I made Noche Canalla (Rogue night), one of my most famous and best songs.
M: Did the musicalization of Noche canalla happen before Javier’s tragedy or afterward?
R: Long before he died…In 1981. Noche Canalla was born independent. La Tertulia organizes an Argentinian tango lyrics contest in Granada and it is decided that the person who should set the winning lyrics to music would be me. And Javier won with that poem.
M: So Noche Canalla is a tango? Fantastic…
R: That I made a ballad.
M: Another musicalization of yours of a poem by Javier Egea, She didn’t know anything (2), I just heard it; your musicalization and the recording make it even more special, what a beauty.
R: I wanted to make it a short symphony.
M: Who designed the cover of All Night They Heard Birds Going By?
R: The cover and design of the album is the work of Lady Desidia.
M: Thank you for answering El Artca’s questions.
R: Thank you Maria.
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Geology (lyrics by Raúl Alcover) (4)
I contemplate on the mirror the geology of my image, the bark cracks of the passing of the years with the shadows of earthquakes I have lived, the kisses of oblivion, the marks of much laughter and disappointment, the creases guard my eyes, in my eyelids, signals of sadness and joy, in between my eyebrows there are faults reversed in harmony. Now I am soil in evolution, rock that does not provoke any wind of jealousy, nor does it make to doubt, and consience and reasoning are the ones who marked my forehead with their mineral finger, with their mineral finger. I discover on the mirror and on my face an atom of time, a valley of sanity, a river of enthusiasm and freedom, an unforgettable volcano of passion. And even though the mirror does not speak, it knows my earthquakes are born in the human depths of the heart, I search without fear my face on the mirror, and point at the path my tears should follow, the grooves they would open until they reach my mouth salted with sea drops.
Robert Lee Frost (1874 – 1963) fue un poeta estadounidense conocido por su descripción de la vida rural y su dominio del habla coloquial. Frost a menudo escribía sobre escenarios de la vida rústica en Nueva Inglaterra a principios del siglo XX, usando estos escenarios para examinar temas filosóficos y sociales complejos.
«Fuego y Hielo»(Fire and Ice) es un famoso poema breve publicado en 1920 que explora la destrucción del mundo a través de dos metáforas: el deseo (fuego) y el odio (hielo), sugiriendo que ambas pasiones humanas son igualmente destructivas y pueden llevar al fin del mundo.
Robert Lee Frost (1874 – 1963) was an American poet Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. Frost frequently wrote about settings from rustic life in New England in the early 20th century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes.
«Fire and Ice» is a famous short poem published in 1920 by Robert Frost, which explores the destruction of the world through two metaphors: desire (fire) and hate (ice), suggesting that both human passions are equally destructive and can lead to the end of the world.
De las sombras me levanto, hecho de fragmentos, con la piel marcada por historias que ya no pesan en mis hombros.
Soy el eco de mis pasos antiguos, un susurro que se vuelve voz. Renazco de cada caída, más fuerte, más vivo, más yo.
Como el ave que en cenizas halla su fuego, de cada herida brota una flor, y en mis ruinas, he plantado semillas de un mañana que espera en silencio.
Ahora soy el río que no se detiene, que rompe piedras, que cruza abismos. Resiliente, inquebrantable, soy el renacer de mi propio destino.
Y al encontrarme en esta nueva piel, me abrazo sin miedo, sin juicio ni duda, sabiendo que, en cada cambio, en cada quebranto, es mi verdad la que finalmente desnudo.
Porque soy tierra fértil, mar profundo, tempestad y calma, viento y raíz. Me reconstruyo, me deshago, me elevo, eterno ciclo de fuerza sin fin.
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Poema musicalizado con letra de Carmelo G. Zerpa
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Imágenes de Edward Fielding (editadas)
By Carmelo G. Zerpa
From the shadows I rise, torn to pieces, with the skin marked by stories that no longer are hevy on my shoulders.
I am the echo of my ancient steps, a whisper that becomes a voice. I am reborn from each fall, stronger, more alive, more me.
Like the bird that finds its fire in ashes, from each wound a flower sprouts, and in my ruins, I have planted the seeds from one tomorrow that waits in silence.
Now I am the river that does not stay still, breaking stones, crossing abysms. Resilient, inquebrantable, I am the rebirth of my own destiny.
And so finding myself in this new skin, I hug myself without fear, without judgement or doubt, knowing that, at each change, at each sorrow, it is my truth I finally strip.
Because I am fertile land, deep sea, tempest and calm, wind and root. I build myself, I disolve, I elevate, eternal cicle of strengh without end.
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Poem set to music with lyrics by Carmelo Zerpa
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Images by Edward Fielding (edited)/ Translated from Spanish by Mar Martínez
Di Carmelo G. Zerpa
Dalle ombre mi alzo, fatto di frammenti, con la pelle segnata da storie che non pesano più sulle mie spalle.
Sono l’eco dei miei antichi passi, un sussurro che diventa voce. Rinasco da ogni caduta, più forte, più vivo, più me.
Come l’uccello che trova il fuoco tra le ceneri, da ogni ferita nasce un fiore, e nelle mie rovine ho piantato semi di un domani che attende in silenzio.
Ora sono il fiume che non si ferma, chi rompe le pietre, chi attraversa l’abisso. Resistente, indistruttibile, sono la rinascita del mio destino.
E adesso che mi ritrovo in questa nuova pelle, mi abbraccio senza paura, senza giudizio o dubbio, sapendo che, in ogni mutazione, in ogni rottura, è la mia verità che finalmente ho messo a nudo.
Perché sono terra fertile, mare profondo, tempesta e calma, vento e radice. Mi ricostruisco, crollo, mi rialzo, ciclo eterno di forza infinita.
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Poesia musicata con testi di Carmelo G. Zerta
Fotografie da Edward Fielding (editate) /Tradotto dallo spagnolo da Mar Martínez
Un día ya no seré un verbo, seré un nombre o un pronombre inexacto, alguien generoso, quizás me recuerde con algún adjetivo… Seré un singular solitario, yo que tanto amé el plural de los encuentros…
. No podré elegir ningún adverbio que me corteje. No seré presente, ni escribiré en futuro. El pasado será el único puente que me vincule a la historia. No tendré casa, ni ropa, ni joyas, ni posesión alguna.
. Otros habitarán mis espacios, caeré en la desmemoria de los muertos. No dejaré más hijos que aquellos que en mí descubrieron un gesto maternal.
.
Algún árbol por mí plantado quizás sobreviva al maltrato humano y respire cuando yo no pueda hacerlo. Alguno de mis libros quizás sea leído o simplemente mantenga una puerta.
. Mis fotos nada dirán a los ojos de los desconocidos que se desharán de todas ellas. Se perderán mis viajes en la nada, y mis amigos, mis mascotas y mis afectos.
. Quizás algún vestigio de mi paso habitará esa “nube” que no produce agua, ni granizo, ni nieve, ni sombra y que dicen que guarda retazos de lo que para nosotros fue importante.
. O quizás ni eso… Nada seré para nadie en esa nada que envolverá mi todo.
Poema musicalizado con letra de Ina Molina
Biografía breve
Nació en Las Palmas de Gran canaria. Es Diplomada en Magisterio, Licenciada en Pedagogía y Máster en Logopedia; escritora, poeta, comunicadora y dinamizadora cultural. Escribe desde niña y recuerda que el mejor regalo era un cuento. Ha publicado en solitario el poemario Versos heridos (ArtGerust 2014); el libro de relatos Nada es lo que parece (Aguere/Idea mayo 2022); Afurgad, las voces del agua (Editado por el Ilustre Ayuntamiento de Firgas, 2022); el poemario Las esquinas del tiempo (Beginbook, 2022); La mujer del espejo, Relatos al límite (Beginbook Ediciones, 2024) y Un paseo por las emociones (2016 Letras y Sonidos) a tres manos. Ha participado en diversas Antologías de narrativa y poesía, de ámbito local, nacional e internacional. También ha formado parte de proyectos multidisciplinares de pintura, música y palabra. Correctora, prologuista y colaboradora en obras de otros autores y en varias revistas literarias. Ha participado en diversos programas de radio. Conductora y contertulia de varios programas de TV local. Miembro de diversas asociaciones culturales y literarias. Integrante y coordinadora de la directiva del grupo de teatro aficionado El Ómnibus, Teatro del Pueblo (actriz, codirectora y correctora de guiones). Apoya y colabora con la Asociación Canaria de Integración de Salud Mental Espiral a quienes ha donado los beneficios de la venta de una de sus obras. También apoya al Taller de teatro del Centro Penitenciario Las Palmas. Algunos de sus poemas han sido musicados por el cantautor Luis Fajardo y por el Grupo Folclórico Tabaiba.
Participó en diversas actividades de la Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) de Guadalajara 2025.
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Fotografías de Galileo Contreras
By Ina Molina Pérez
One day I will no longer be a verb, I will be an inaccurate noun or a pronoun, someone generous, may remember me with some adjective… I will be a singular loner, I, who loved the plural of encounters so much…
.Breve biografia
I won’t be able to choose any adverb to court me. I will not be the present, nor will I write in the future. The past will be the only bridge to link me to history. I will have no house, no clothes, No jewelry, no possessions at all.
. Others will inhabit my spaces, I will fall into the forgetfulness of the dead. I will not leave any more children than those that discovered a maternal gesture in me.
. Some tree planted by me may survive human abuse and breathe when I can’t. Some of my books may be read or just keep a door.
. My photos will say nothing to the eyes of strangers who will get rid of all of them. My trips will be lost in nothingness, and so my friends, my pets and my affections.
. Maybe some vestige of my passage will inhabit that “cloud” that does not produce water, no hail, no snow, no shadow, the cloud they say it keeps pieces of what was important to us.
. Or maybe not even that… I will be nothing to anyone in that nothingness that will envelop my everything.
Poem set to music with lyrics by Ina Molina
Brief biography
She was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She has a Diploma in Teaching, a Degree in Pedagogy and a Master in Speech Therapy; writer, poet, communicator and cultural promoter. She has been writing since she was a child and remembers that the best gift was a story. He has published solo the collection of poems Versos injured (ArtGerust 2014); the story book Nothing is what it seems (Aguere/Idea May 2022); Afurgad, the voices of the water (Edited by the Illustrious City Council of Firgas, 2022); the collection of poems The Corners of Time (Beginbook, 2022); The Woman in the Mirror, Tales to the Limit (Beginbook Ediciones, 2024) and A Walk Through Emotions (2016 Letters and Sounds) in three hands. She has participated in various Anthologies of narrative and poetry, locally, nationally and internationally. She has also been part of multidisciplinary projects of painting, music and words. Proofreader, prologue writer and collaborator in works by other authors and in several literary magazines. She has participated in various radio programs. Host and talk show host of several local TV programs. Member of various cultural and literary associations. Member and coordinator of the board of directors of the amateur theater group El Ómnibus, Teatro del Pueblo (actress, co-director and script editor). She supports and collaborates with the Canarian Association for Mental Health Integration Spiral to whom she has donated the profits from the sale of one of her works. She also supports the theater workshop at the Las Palmas Penitentiary Center. Some of her poems have been set to music by the singer-songwriter Luis Fajardo and by the Tabaiba Folkloric Group.
She participated in various activities at the Guadalajara 2025 International Book Fair.
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Translated from English by Mar Martínez / Photos by Galileo Contreras
Di Ina Molina Pérez
Un giorno non sarò più un verbo, sarò un sostantivo o un pronome impreciso, qualcun generoso, magari ricordami con qualche aggettivo… Sarò un singolare solitario, Io che amavo tanto il plurale degli incontri…
. Non potrò scegliere nessun avverbio che mi corteggi. Non sarò presente, né scriverò in futuro. Il passato sarà l’unico ponte che mi collegherà alla storia. Non avrò casa, né vestiti, Niente gioielli, niente oggetti.
.
Altri abiteranno i miei spazi, Cadrò nell’oblio dei morti. Non lascerò più figli di quelli che in me hanno scoperto un gesto materno.
. Qualche albero piantato da me potrebbero sopravvivere agli abusi umani e respirare quando io non posso. Alcuni dei miei libri potrebbero essere letti o semplicemente tenere una porta.
.
Le mie foto non diranno nulla agli occhi degli sconosciuti Si sbarazzeranno di tutti loro. I miei viaggi si perderanno nel nulla, e i miei amici, i miei animali domestici e i miei affetti.
. Forse qualche traccia del mio passaggio abiterà quella “nuvola” che non produce acqua, niente grandine, niente neve, niente ombra e che dicono conserva pezzi di ciò che era importante per noi.
O forse nemmeno quello… Non sarò niente per nessuno in quel nulla che avvolgerà il mio tutto.
Poesia musicata con testi di Ina Molina
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Breve biografia
È nata a Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Ha il Diploma di Magistero, la Laurea in Pedagogia e il Master in Logopedia; scrittore, poeta, comunicatore e promotore culturale. Scrive fin da quando era bambina e ricorda che il regalo più bello era una storia. Ha pubblicato da solista la raccolta di poesie Versos feriti (ArtGerust 2014); il libro di fiabe Niente è ciò che sembra (Aguere/Idea maggio 2022); Afurgad, le voci dell’acqua (a cura dell’Illustre Consiglio Comunale di Firgas, 2022); la raccolta di poesie The Corners of Time (Beginbook, 2022); La donna allo specchio, Racconti al limite (Beginbook Ediciones, 2024) e Una passeggiata tra le emozioni (2016 Lettere e suoni) a tre mani. Ha partecipato a varie antologie di narrativa e poesia, a livello locale, nazionale e internazionale. Preso parte anche a progetti multidisciplinari di pittura, musica e parole. Correttore di bozze, prologo e collaboratore in opere di altri autori e in diverse riviste letterarie. Ha partecipato a vari programmi radiofonici. Conduttrice di talk show di diversi programmi televisivi locali. Membro di diverse associazioni culturali e letterarie. Membro e coordinatore del consiglio di amministrazione del gruppo teatrale amatoriale El Ómnibus, Teatro del Pueblo (attrice, co-regista e sceneggiatrice). Sostiene e collabora con l’Associazione Canaria per l’Integrazione della Salute Mentale Spiral alla quale ha devoluto il ricavato della vendita di una sua opera. Sostiene inoltre il laboratorio teatrale presso il Centro Penitenziario di Las Palmas. Alcune delle sue poesie sono state musicate dal cantautore Luis Fajardo e dal Gruppo Folklorico Tabaiba.
Ha partecipato a varie attività alla Fiera Internazionale del Libro di Guadalajara 2025.
Tradotto dallo spagnolo da Mar Martínez / Foti di Galileo Contreras
El Artca 