At 82 years old, Joan Manuel Serrat remains one of the most influential voices in Spanish music. Author of songs like Mediterranean, Lucia o Each madman with his themehe Catalan singer-songwriter He marked several generations and made his work part of the cultural memory of millions of people.
Although he said goodbye to touring with his last tour called “The vice of singing”, Serrated continues to participate in cultural meetings, festivals and public conversations.
In a conversation in 2025 with BBC Mundothe musician reflected on his career, his relationship with Latin America and the passage of time. With the friendly tone that characterizes him, he reviewed memories, experiences and some of the convictions that guided his life.
Far from any paralyzing nostalgia, Serrated He maintains a serene gaze on his legacy. His words reveal an artist aware of his history, but also of the fleeting nature of fame and the place that each work occupies in the lives of those who listen to it.
What Serrat said about the meaning of his songs
During the interview, Serrated He was asked what it means to him that his songs have accompanied important moments in the lives of so many people. “I feel partly proud and partly responsible for things happening that way, because I wrote those songs, I sang them and I had the chance to share them with people.”, he highlighted.
However, the musician also relativizes the idea that his songs alone explain the personal stories of his listeners. For Serrat, each person builds their own relationship with music.
“Fortunately, everyone’s soundtrack is different,” he explained. «Each one makes it to their own measure and in their own time. Some songs become part of the collective memory and end up being almost an anthem.»
What place does Latin America occupy in Serrat’s life?
One of the strongest links in the career of Serrated was its relationship with Latin America, a region that he visited constantly since his early years as a singer-songwriter.
“Latin America is a set of territories that have been part of my life«, he noted during the interview. «The affection of the people has made me feel part of their history and my curiosity led me to live very profound experiences in many of those countries.”.
The musician also recalled the difficult years of exile in Mexico in 1975, when the regime of Francisco Franco issued an arrest warrant against him. That stage was marked by sadness, but also by the discovery of new experiences.
Serrat and his view on the passage of time
More than six decades into his career, Serrat reflects on fame with a mixture of lucidity and distance. For the musician, understanding the passage of time was a way to keep his feet on the ground. “I have not waited until I am 80 years old to know that everything happens very quickly and that today you are fire and tomorrow I am oblivion”he said during the conversation.
For the singer-songwriter, this awareness of the transience of success is also a form of protection against the ego. “Better not to fall too much in love with something that is so fickle.”he explained.
Despite having left the stage regularly, Serrat assures that he is still active and willing to participate in causes and debates that he considers important. “I am not going to give up my visibility or my right to be useful,” stated. “I have every desire to live and defend the values in which I have always believed.”.
