For Lara Fernández, aka Judeline, becoming a singer was always meant to happen. Recalling her earliest metaphysical connection to sound, she describes being consumed by emotion upon hearing music through the car radio as a child. “I’d feel a ton of sensations, get chills, and break out in tears,” the Cadiz native tells Remezcla. “I always knew I wanted to be connected to music for the rest of my life.” Music served as the portal that helped Judeline understand her empathetic nature and innate sensitivity to the world around her, as well as a means of release. Born to a musician father who was raised in the Lara State of Venezuela and mother from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, a town that’s considered the birthplace of flamenco, Judeline grew up surrounded with music from around the world and the fables of the Mediterranean. At 17, she left her small seaside village of Caños de Meca, Spain, and moved to Madrid with a dream of becoming a singer.
During the pandemic’s lockdowns, Judeline won an online music contest that allowed her to connect with producers and artists. Once in Madrid, she knocked on the doors of studios, reached out to producers, and worked with anyone who would have her. Two of her earliest collaborators are Spanish producers Tuiste and Mayo. “I was already familiar with Tuiste’s music and was a fan, so I reached out to him to see if we could work together. He ignored me at first,” she laughs. “But then I dropped a song, and he liked it. That’s where our friendship began. Then he moved to Madrid with Mayo, and that’s how we all met.” Tuiste worked on many of Judeline’s firsts, including her early track “De Una Manera,” as well as her debut EP, de la luz.
In four short years, Judeline has become your favorite artists’ favorite artist. Most notably, receiving public nods from Rosalía and Bad Bunny, as well as a feature on Tainy’s acclaimed album DATA and a guest appearance at his show in Puerto Rico’s famed Choliseo.
While her career growth may appear to have occurred overnight, Judeline has lived her entire life as a creative. She is the youngest of five siblings, with her closest being 10 years older. Due to living and age discrepancies, she spent much of her youth as a self-described loner and used the time alone to explore her imagination. “Being bored was a beautiful thing; it’s always been beautiful to explore my creativity, learn to be alone, and enjoy my alone time. My objectives were crystal clear, and I focused on building the life I wanted. It made the move to Madrid easier because I didn’t hold myself back over the fear of being lonely,” the singer shares. “Overall, it was tougher when I was a kid, but I think that alone time has helped me today.”
Much of Andalusian folkloric culture is interwoven with Arab influences, which shine through the flamenco vocal cadences and the instrumentals incorporated into Judeline’s debut album, Bodhiria. Growing up, her grandfather and uncle were, and continue to be, part of the Hermandad Del Prendimiento, a religious brotherhood in Spain that commemorates the story of The Passion of the Christ and, more specifically, the betrayal and arrest of Christ during Semana Santa celebrations by carrying a throne depicting Judas’ kiss and the moment of Jesus’ arrest. Despite not practicing Catholicism herself, Judeline’s latest music video, “INRI,” which is an abbreviation of Latin-Christian phrase meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” was directed by Nono+Rodrigo inside the Alcázar of Jerez and was adorned with sumptuous Arab and Catholic-inspired garb and aesthetics. “I wanted to represent Andalusian culture in a way that wasn’t cliché,” the singer notes. “It meant a lot to be able to go back to my hometown to film, and I’m happy with the result.”
Released in late October, Bodhiria is infused with witchy and otherworldly qualities, building a universe that feels like it exists in a dimensional plane beyond our own. The title’s prefix comes from the term “bodhi,” or enlightenment, which she refers to as a dreamy state of limbo. Pulling from her vivid dreams and utilizing her innate sensitivity as her greatest tool, Judeline created the imaginary character Ángela, through which she unravels religion, loss, and toxic love, and traverses the spiritual spaces that exist in between. “I wanted the listener to feel like they’re in a movie,” she explains. “It’s a visual album. We played with a ton of synths and deconstructed and reconstructed sounds and voices that created a witchy, fairytale-like feeling.” For Judeline, working with acclaimed producers like Ralphie Choo as well as trailblazing peers like Rusowsky, Drummie, Saint Lowe, and Louis Amoeba provided her with a well of stimulating ideas, empowered her creative direction, and helped her sharpen her vision for execution.
Ambition and idealization is a double-edged sword. I don’t think I’m at a level where my life is totally disrupted [by fame], but I’ve always been a bit innocent and trusted that people are inherently good and come with good intentions.
As the album neared completion, Judeline experienced the loss of a close musical friend after she and her team had already incorporated the sound of their breath into the opening track. “It was difficult to finish the final components of the album after our friend had passed. My views on life have completely been transformed [since], and I’m glad that he is able to be a part of this project in this way,” she says. It wasn’t until after the project was finished and she was able to take a respite from work that Judeline began feeling the pangs of grief and processed the loss.
Today, as the singer revels in the joys of her new album release and continues her Spanish tour, she also reflects on the current era of her career. “Ambition and idealization is a double-edged sword,” she shares. “I don’t think I’m at a level where my life is totally disrupted [by fame], but I’ve always been a bit innocent and trusted that people are inherently good and come with good intentions, and, unfortunately, you realize some don’t.”
Having started her career so young, those encounters helped her grow up. “Overall, I’m happy with this stage of my career. I’d like to continue to enjoy it for a little longer, but I also won’t try to stop whatever is next for me.”
