RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Francisca Valenzuela condenses all the possible feelings of her first year as a new mother into MALDITA , her seventh studio album, which serves as a bold and deeply honest statement.
Released Thursday (July 30) under her own label, Frantastic Records, the 12-track set navigates emotions ranging from hope and love to postpartum depression and confusion in songs like “Bugambilia,” “Malacara” and “Debería Tomar Más Agua.” The album opens with its title track, and from the very first lines the artist captures our full attention: “I curse the day I was born, I curse the day I gave birth, I curse my youth, eternal ineptitude,” she sings with heart-wrenching rawness over sparse piano notes.
“The concept of MALDITA arises partly from this sense of ambivalence and contradiction,” the Chilean singer-songwriter explains to Billboard Español . “It’s about saying, ‘I’m in a great moment, in a luminous moment, in a moment of revolution, of love, of tenderness, and at the same time I’m terrified, conflicted, complicated, tense, on edge and feeling incapable.’ It’s saying, ‘I chose this moment; the world told me it would be the best moment of my life, the world told me I would know how to do it, and I don’t know how to do it. I’m suffering and it’s terrible. It feels like a curse because I fail all the time.’
She continues: “So, it’s called MALDITA because of this curse that goes beyond me, that takes over my body, my time, my energy, my heart, my mind, my everything. And it’s also called MALDITA because, when I explored postpartum themes and said, ‘OK, I’m going to dive into this taboo, this rarely discussed aspect of motherhood, this conscious perspective,’ I started to realize how motherhood — or the lack of it — is so intertwined with this feminist heritage of anger, hysteria, repression and invisibility.”
But it’s not all darkness. Like the evolution of motherhood itself, MALDITA gradually blooms to offer deeply uplifting moments, especially toward the end. Songs such as “Extracción” (which brilliantly illustrates breastfeeding) and “No Te Aburras de Mí” (about adjusting a romantic relationship to the new reality of parenthood) are followed by tracks like “Nací Necesitándote,” “Año Uno” and “Komorebi,” showcasing a mother more comfortable and confident in her new role.
With MALDITA , the four-time Latin Grammy nominee attempts to normalize a reality many women experience in silence due to shame. “There’s a cost to expressing yourself,” she states. “I have the opportunity and privilege to create a piece of work that explores something so personally significant and important for many women, something that many can relate to.”
Below, Valenzuela breaks down five essential tracks from her new album. To listen to the full set, click here .
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