Joan Manuel Serrat, iconic figure of music in the Spanish language, received the 2024 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts in a ceremony in which he shared a reflection on his career and his values. In his acceptance speech, Serrat evoked his humble beginnings and the effort of his first years, remembering his time in various jobs to support himself during university. “During my university years I had to resort to the most varied casual jobs,” he expressed, a phrase that illustrates his perseverance and the sacrifices that marked his path to success.
Serrat thanked his family and friends for their unconditional support, especially mentioning his wife and children, who have been a constant in his life. This family gratitude reinforces the image of Serrat not only as a committed artist, but also as a person deeply rooted in his relationships and affections. “I come from a humble family that gave me the best that can be given to someone,” he said, highlighting how those simple values were what fueled his dreams and drove him to pursue a career marked by authenticity.
The singer-songwriter also reflected on his creative process, highlighting the importance of observation and the senses as sources of inspiration. His ability to capture the everyday and transform it into songs that resonate with thousands of people is one of the most notable characteristics of his work. “I am a person who is very happy about life, about living songs and singing them,” said Serrat at the Campoamor Theater, making it clear that his art is, above all, a celebration of life and an expression of his deepest experiences and feelings. deep According to him, writing comes from observation and a meticulous application of the senses, an approach that has allowed him to create songs that, beyond borders, transmit a universal essence.
Serrat is a complex figure, marked by the connection between his roots and his international career. In its youth, Spain was going through significant and often tumultuous changes. His generation witnessed repression and censorship, but also democratic transformation. Serrat’s music, born within the Catalan Nova Cançó, became a symbol of resistance and expression of freedom, values that the artist continues to vehemently defend. During his speech, he emphasized his connection to the “dreams” that brought him to where he is today, reflecting on his journey from modesty to becoming one of the most important voices in Hispanic music. Despite everything, he did not hesitate to also show his concern and discontent with the times in which he has lived: “We live in a time of unsupportive and hostile.”
His musical performance
The 2024 Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony not only celebrated Serrat as an artist, but also as a figure who represents the cultural and social spirit of an era. His work has influenced generations of artists and continues to be a reference in Spanish-speaking music. With songs like “Mediterráneo” and “Cantares”, he has managed to express not only a deep connection with his land, but also with the human condition in a broader sense, becoming a musical poet who carries the stories of his people and his time to the whole world.
Serrat closed his speech by especially thanking his loved ones, who accompanied him every step of his career and who, in his words, gave him “the impulse of dreams” that took him there. But also with a great musical performance, performing her song Those Little Things, accompanied by a violinist.
In his life and in his art, Serrat presents himself as a “supporter of lives,” a phrase that encapsulates his philosophy of making the most of every moment and creating from the observation of everyday life. This last distinction, the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, is a recognition of an artist whose cultural and emotional impact will continue to resonate for years, in Spain and throughout the Spanish-speaking community.
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