Prepare to Smile with Micaela Salaverry’s Modern Bolero, ‘Para Sonreír’

Think of bolero and your mind sends you back to the memories of your grandparents reminiscing about the old days when they met, probably during a matinee where they had their first dance together.

In this case, the mix of bolero and pop on “Para Sonreír” creates an atmosphere where you’ll want to create your own memories, even if they’ll remind you of treason and heartbreak, as Micaela Salaverry sings of in this song. Its brilliance is in the sentiment of recovery that it gives you. Yes, opening up to feel again is a constant gamble, but even if, in the end, the only thing you get from that is pain, you already know that pain will end, and you’ll be able to smile again.

A bolero like “Para Sonreír” makes me think of Trujillo, the city where Micaela is from. It has the feeling of longing for past times, seeing kids playing outside colonial houses, with old cars driving slowly down the unpaved streets.

“Para Sonreír” was born out of improvising with Omar Camino’s guitar, who was Micaela’s teacher in college. Respecting the traditional structure of bolero, the song innovates in its production, using sound samples from children’s toys. With the melody provided by the electric guitars and precise vocal arrangements, the result is a modern bolero.

Watch/listen to “Para Sonreír” below:

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