Sparklmami’s new single “quisiera” is one of the most emotionally precise things she’s released yet. Out now via Verve Records/slowplay, the track is her own version of a traditional bolero, steeped in the genre’s inherent romance and inextricable rhythm, but redirected entirely. Rather than a lover, the song is addressed to her mother, carrying a deep yearning to bridge the emotional and generational distance between them with mutual understanding. It’s a powerful reframe of a classic form, and it lands exactly as intended.
“quisiera” is the latest preview from ‘in this body,’ Sparklmami’s debut album arriving June 5. The record is a guided meditation on identity, childhood memory, and the familial, cultural, and geographic forces that shape who we become. Sparklmami mines her own psyche and spins surreal imagery from it, each song a portrait of her life filtered through a dream-like soundscape of generational and cultural music that colored her upbringing.
The album was built collaboratively and organically. Executive producers Eddie Burns and William Corduroy anchored the rhythm section alongside Alec Trickett on percussion, Josh Jessen on keys and synths, and Kenneth Leftridge Jr. on saxophone, with the full band improvising and building songs together symbiotically under Sparklmami’s direction. Contributors from a wider musical community include Nico Segal of The Social Experiment, Alex Santilli of Thee Sacred Souls, Raphael Olivier, Adlai Reinhart, and Chris Misch.
The momentum around this album has been building steadily. Last month she opened for Joy Crookes and rusowsky in Chicago, and supported rusowsky for a sold-out hometown show at Thalia Hall. She also rejoined “running” for a re-release featuring a remix from LA producer Mndsgn and a live version recorded with her Chicago band, followed by a California and Texas run with Rio Kosta.
This summer, Sparklmami plays a hometown show at Chicago’s Millennium Park Summer Music Series supporting Patrice Rushen on June 25, then headlining dates in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right on July 8 and in Los Angeles at Moroccan Lounge as part of Jazz Is Dead on July 22.
‘in this body’ Tracklist:
- no te vayas
- fajas
- vaga
- running
- quisiera
- penso en voce
- grounded
- it was 5 am
- in this body
Upcoming Live Dates:
June 25 – Chicago, IL – Millennium Park Summer Music Series (supporting Patrice Rushen)
July 8 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
July 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge (Jazz Is Dead)