"A night of drinks, a crazy night / I kissed other lips, forgot your mouth / I stained your image, I got lost on my own. And that's the story." The song "Noche de copas" by Juan Calderón, previously interpreted by singer Maria Conchita Alonso in a psychedelic music video from 1984, has become the musical phenomenon of the moment. All thanks to Nueva Línea, a modest village orchestra from Arafo, a municipality in Tenerife with 6,000 inhabitants. The version performed by its four vocalists has reached 40 million views, climbed to number 3 on Spotify, and has been danced to by singers and influencers of all kinds: Quevedo, Lis Padilla, Carlos Baute, Lola Lolita, Xuso Jones...
"This is madness. We are overwhelmed," confesses José Marrero, manager, director, and saxophonist of the orchestra. It's not easy to reach him. The first meeting is postponed because the orchestra is summoned by the president of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, who receives them with honors for "taking the name of Tenerife around the world." The second meeting is delayed because Lalachus invites the group, on air and with the approval of David Broncano, to a program on La Revuelta. Marrero's phone runs out of battery due to the calls and messages he receives at that time.
The orchestra was formed in 2003, with the idea of performing at Canarian village festivities with female singers. "It was always intended to have female soloists in an environment of men where there is still a very macho sector," Marrero states. Since then, the lineup has undergone numerous changes each season until reaching the current formation, "the one that has hit the jackpot," where four twenty-something women from the island take control of the stage, none of them having performed together for even a year: Sofía Marrero, Raquel González, and Alicia Padilla are from Güímar, and Mayte Cabrera is from Fasnia. The group is completed by Juan Carlos, the bassist, also from Güímar; Sergio, the percussionist from Santa Cruz; Luisa from Candelaria; Marrero himself and his daughter, both from Arafo. "I also include my wife, who spends eight hours on social media, posting live videos, insisting," he adds.
TikTok has been key in this whirlwind. So much so that Marrero has started studying its algorithms. It was they who noticed that Sofia's voice was appearing in more and more videos. And that these were being shared at lightning speed. And he further boosted it. "The two songs went viral, and people started copying our little dance. And the funny thing is that it came from a rehearsal, where we came up with some moves for TikTok. And overnight, everyone started copying it," explains the manager.
"The success of the girls has been the simplicity of things. Not complicating things. The audience now demands things that are far from elaborate, from stretching and super filters. That makes them authentic, real," Marrero believes. Meanwhile, events are happening at a dizzying pace. The young women have their first photocall at the Army Awards, the internet anti-awards organized by the hooded figure Ceciarmy and presented by Santiago Segura to recognize "the most outstanding trends" on social media. There, they perform Un beso by Willy Calderón, another of their hits.
The group has already been booked for the Carnivals of all the islands, has secured a concert at the Plaza de Toros in Madrid for February 1, and is considering various offers from promoters in Valencia, Galicia... "We are being called to perform in Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica... even Oxford! And even in Sweden, where I didn't know they had village festivals," Marrero acknowledges.
New distribution contract
Gone are the days of earning ¤3,000 per performance - to be divided among the group members - at the village festivities. On the other hand, they are facing unprecedented problems for them, such as the complaint from Puerto Rican singer Tonny Tun Tun, who claims that New Line is using his version of "Noche de copas" "without permission." According to Marrero, the matter is now in the hands of Universal Music Spain, the company with which the orchestra has signed a distribution contract. Former members of the group, now reunited in another orchestra, Grupo Primera Marcha, have also protested, claiming that they now take the stage "without dictatorships."
"Of all the lineups it has had, the current composition of the orchestra is the youngest and the closest. Perhaps they don't have the show as well-prepared, but that makes them a bit more endearing. They make you want to love them," says MIA (Miriam Bienes), a singer from Tenerife who was tempted several times to join Nueva Línea. "They tried to recruit me, but due to the repertoire, I was more focused on other topics," she confesses.
The singer Tiara Hernández was part of the group, with a prominent role, but she left the band just before their meteoric success. Far from feeling envious, she has become one of their biggest supporters on social media. "Proud of my colleagues. I celebrate their achievements as my own," she declares.