'Amaia: plano secuencia', the book that traces the history of an artist who has never wanted to follow the script

There are artists who build a career. And there are artists who, almost without intending to, also end up building a universe around it. Amaia Romero belongs to the second category. Since she appeared on 'Operación Triunfo' in 2017, the singer from Navarre has been drawing her own path, far from many of the industry's conventions and marked by an artistic sensibility difficult to fit into a single label.

Now, that trajectory arrives for the first time on paper with 'Amaia: plano secuencia', the book written by journalist and cultural manager Luis Álvarez Borrero and published by Sílex Ediciones. The 274-page work traces the personal and professional evolution of the artist from her early years to her consolidation as one of the most unique voices in the Spanish music scene.

It is not an official biography nor does it pretend to be. The author constructs the narrative from statements by Amaia herself made over almost a decade, as well as testimonies, opinions, and reflections from people in her circle and from musicians and professionals who have accompanied her career. The result seeks something more interesting than enumerating dates and albums: to understand what is behind the Amaia phenomenon.

Much more than the story of a singer

One of the great attractions of Amaia: plano secuencia is precisely that it does not limit itself to reviewing the great milestones that the public already knows. The book also dwells on those small episodes that allow one to get closer to the person who exists behind the artist.

Because yes: Amaia was struck by lightning when she was a child while returning from private lessons. She survived without major consequences and, years later, that experience would even have an unexpected connection with her music through El relámpago.

There is also the story of Tulipán, her fish. When it died, Amaia did not want to throw it away and decided to put it in the freezer. Time passed and the fish remained there for years, almost becoming a family relic. Or that childhood story where she wanted to be a mermaid. Every time an eyelash fell out, she made the same wish: that a tail would grow. Then she would go to the bathroom, get wet, and wait to see if, this time, the magic had worked.

These are seemingly small anecdotes, even absurd, but they serve to explain something essential about Amaia: her way of looking at the world. A personality that has also ended up translating into her way of making music.

From 'Operación Triunfo' to a career of her own

The book traces that journey from Amaia's early years to the artist we know today. A trajectory that began to become popular in 2017 and continued afterwards with her albums, her collaborations, her interpretive forays, and a growing creative independence.

In that journey appear some of the episodes that help to understand how her public identity was built. Among them, her appearance on La Resistencia, where she recommended La La Love You when the group still did not have the popularity it would later achieve. A short time later, their plays on Spotify experienced significant growth.

There is also her memorable Tiny Desk, where the artist once again demonstrated that naturalness is one of her main weapons. She even used a peculiar flute made from the leg of a modified folding chair as an instrument.

And it is precisely that naturalness that also caught the attention of Pedro Almodóvar, who even highlighted that Amaia had "a naturalness that is gold for the camera." A phrase that helps explain why her career has not been limited to music and why she has also found a space in acting.

The artist behind the character

Perhaps therein lies the greatest virtue of the book: it does not try to turn Amaia into a perfect character or build an artificial mythology around her. Rather, it does the opposite: it accumulates small pieces until it achieves a more human portrait.

There is the Amaia who won Operación Triunfo. There is the singer who has released three studio albums. There is the artist who has collaborated with very different names. There is the actress who began to explore new territories. But there is also the girl who wanted to become a mermaid, the teenager who heard a strange trumpet-like sound in an empty classroom, and the young woman who turned many of her peculiarities into part of her charm.

Even her most disconcerting stories are part of that portrait. Like that time she said that she had never used a bidet, or the images and situations related to bathrooms that have accompanied some moments of her public career.

All of that shapes a personality that is difficult to separate from her work.

A book to understand why Amaia is Amaia

The volume is built through brief and dynamic chapters, which facilitates a reading that can be enjoyed both as a chronological journey and by jumping from one story to another. The work is also completed with a prologue and an epilogue by journalist and critic Emilio R. Cascajosa.

And there's the recommendation: Amaia: plano secuencia works especially well for those who have been following the artist for years, but also for those who have only approached her through her songs.

Because knowing the story of the lightning bolt, the frozen fish, the mermaid, or that peculiar flute does not necessarily change one's perception of Amaia. But it does allow one to look differently at her songs, her artistic decisions, and that personality that has turned uniqueness, sensitivity, and creative freedom into an essential part of her identity.

You don't have to be an absolute fan to enjoy the book. But if you are, you'll probably find a few stories that will make you love Amaia even more. Amaia: plano secuencia is now available in bookstores and on the Sílex Ediciones website.