One of the most beautiful voices on this year’s Coachella lineup belongs to Mariana de Miguel, aka Girl Ultra. Girl Ultra’s music mixes R&B, soul, pop, funk and club bangers. She has a song for every mood, so enjoy the track “Discrecíon” for some old-school funky soul, “BOMBAY” for a nonstop dance party, or “Punk” for an indie-rock drive. The uniting factor: Girl Ultra’s captivating, silky voice, often singing Spanish words. You can catch Girl Ultra at Coachella on Saturday, April 13 and 20. Learn more at girlultra.com.
What was the first concert you attended?
My first concert was this pop band called OV7. They’re a very Mexican niche thing. I went with my dad, and I was sitting on his shoulders. They were a Mexican phenomenon back in 2002, so that’s my first concert memory.
What was the first album you owned?
The first album that I owned was maybe Kidz Bop or something, but the one that I consciously saved my money and bought was Black Eyed Peas, Elephunk.
What bands are you listening to right now?
I’m listening to this band based in Mexico City called Las Pijamas. It’s a very punk and shoegaze-y thing, and I love it. I always listen a lot to Arthur Russell. That’s always my go-to reference for drums or sound processing. I’ve been listening a lot to this band that I just saw in a festival called Protomartyr.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I have appreciation for any kind of music. Since I was younger, my parents, especially my dad, taught me to just not have any judgment about music at all. But one thing that is hard for me, as a Mexican girl, is to relate to something that everybody thinks that everybody loves … and that’s regional Mexicano—Corridors and all this craziness going around with Peso Pluma and all this stuff. … Everybody outside Mexico thinks that everybody listens to corridos tumbados and understands it, but I do not relate to it. It’s not part of my story, but I do have appreciation for it.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I would love to see Everything but the Girl live. I also would have loved seeing Prince live, but mostly playing bass. Also, Arthur Russell. It’s well known that he didn’t really give a lot of live performances, so that must have been crazy—and probably Brian Eno.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I don’t consider anything as guilty pleasures, but I do love Mexican pop—super-cheesy music from the ’90s and from the 2000s. I know everything by heart, and I’m not ashamed.
What’s your favorite music venue?
I particularly love playing in Detroit. There’s this venue called El Club where everybody gets super drunk, and it’s just a hallway with a secret, weird, Airbnb-ish backstage, but everybody’s always super drunk and super fun. I enjoy going to Detroit; it’s just like massive destruction.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
I’ve been listening a lot to this girl called Luisa Almaguer from Mexico City, and she’s got this lyric in Spanish that says, “Somos iguales de nuestros colmillos.” That means that “we have the same size of fangs.” She’s very raw-feeling, and that’s been replaying in my head all week. The song is “Azotea.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Probably Björk. I do have a lot of appreciation for artists who allow themselves to change, and to have seasons. Björk is a clear example of that. It feels like there’s some tenderness being that transparent within her music. I can see her being super young on the debut, and then growing as a woman and as a mother. I’ve always felt very, very attached to everything around Björk.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I would ask something very personal, like: What’s Moby’s breakfast routine?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Maybe something instrumental, no words, by Ryuichi Sakamoto or something.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
The first thing that came into my mind is Disintegration by The Cure. I know it all by heart.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“daydreaming” by Foudeqush. She’s one of my best friends, and she’s amazing.
