It all began with a simple tweet. Two years ago, C. Tangana publicly offered to compose the anthem for RC Celta’s centennial on social media. But what many thought would remain a simple anecdote, has ended up becoming a reality. Two years later, Pucho fulfills his promise and presents us now with “Oliveira Dos Cen Anos”, a new official anthem with which the Galician club celebrates its 100 years in grand style in 2023. The artist received full support from the club from the beginning to work with total freedom, and the result is simply spectacular.
Personally and musically, the connection between C. Tangana and the city of Vigo is anything but casual. Born to a father from Vigo and a Celta supporter from birth, his close artistic relationship with the local Hip Hop and urban scene has influenced the course of his music from the beginning. Perhaps that’s why this personal love letter to the Club, to Vigo, and by extension to all of Galicia, came about so naturally. A piece from which Pucho deliberately disappears as a performer, to instead take the lead in composition and production – supported by names such as Alizzz, pablopablo, and Harto Rodríguez – as well as the visual part by directing the spectacular music video produced by Little Spain. Thus, without needing to sing a single note, Pucho becomes the total author of a work that is more marked than ever by his vision and presence.
The anthem, recorded in Vigo during the second half of this March, was born after a preliminary research phase together with important references of Galician culture. Conversations with writer Pedro Feijoo and musicians like Rodrigo Romaní, one of the founders of Milladoiro, or Alfredo Dourado, a member of other Galician Folk classics like A Roda, were vital in starting a process that culminated in Vigo, by soaking up the vibrant local folk scene guided by cultural activist Xisco Feijoo and the teaching team of ETRAD, the city’s municipal school of traditional music. An exciting journey in search of the true essence, which resulted in the incorporation of rhythmic resources and elements of Galician folklore – with percussion arrangements by Xosé Lois Romero and the contribution of the pandeireteiras Lilaina – and texts drawn from old traditional songs. With these elements, C. Tangana has created a choral work sung in Galician in which Vigo artists such as the emblematic Coral Casablanca, the pandeireteiras As Lagharteiras or even a representation of the popular celtista fan group Tropas de Breogán -with the presence of Sime, leader of the group Keltoi!- take center stage. As already happened in El Madrileño, his special sensitivity again captures all that energy and apparent simplicity of traditional music, to make it resonate universally with all the strength and modernity of our times.
Behind the scenes, Pucho doubles down. His vision immerses us in a stunning collection of postcards that take us from the air to the spectacular landscape of the Ría de Vigo, with the island of San Simón and the iconic Rande Bridge in the foreground. With a staging on par with a large film production, the piece puts into images the meeting between tradition and modernity proposed by the project, without losing sight of the special relevance of women as the central axis of Galician society and the overwhelming energy of the celestial fan base.
With the world of football immersed in a paradigm shift that seems already irreversible, RC Celta arrives at this important anniversary demonstrating that it has been able to adapt to the new times. And conscious of the importance of the moment, of this union between a centenary club and one of the most important artists of Spanish music of our times, one of the most ambitious collaborations ever seen in the history of Spanish football has emerged.
