Alejandro Sanz has always been personal in his songs. But in his new single “Palmeras en el Jardín” (Palm Trees in the Garden), he took an unexpected step — not only describing feelings and stories, but also providing details like places and activities.
“I swear when I made it, I wasn't sure if I was going to release it so obviously or not, but then I was like, 'This is me,'” the Spanish singer-songwriter said during the Icon Q&A at Billboard Latin Music Week. on Oct. 16. “I can't hide behind anything, and that's it. And in this process over the last year, I've also learned not to be afraid of it. So to say, there are far worse things in life than showing you have a heart.”
“Palmeras en el Jardín” is a love story. Specifically, “about love and how when you want to change everything so that another person feels good, comfortable, sometimes one thinks that… one should plant palm trees in the garden so that one feels at home, Havana. And then it turns out that maybe the palms were the least. That there were things that were more important and maybe you didn't realize it. You thought you did a lot by planting those palm trees, and the other guy thought you didn't do enough because he didn't want palm trees.”
Of course, the allusion to the palm trees, Havana and Madrid has to do with Sanz himself and his split from Cuban artist Rachel Valdés last year. But beyond that story, there's the beauty of the song itself, a ballad where Sanz's voice shines over a measured and delicate accompaniment and which speaks of the dissolution of love despite the best of intentions.
“Palmeras” is Sanz's first solo single since 2022 and will be part of her first album under her new label Sony Latin, scheduled for 2025. Sanz received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on 20 October. Listen to “Palmeras en el Jardín” below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/alejandro-sanz-new-song-palmeras-en-el-jardin-1235811926/
