Lluís Llach

Biographic note

Lluís Llach i Grande (Girona, 1948) is the most important contemporary Catalan singer-songwriter, not just because of his long musical career, but also thanks to his connection to political, social and national causes. A son of the village of Verges in the Baix Empordà, Llach is an artistic and political reference point in the second half of the 20th century in Catalonia. He started his career as a singer-songwriter in the late 1960s in the group Els Setze Jutges, which brought together various musicians from the Nova Cançó movement. His profile started to grow after he took part in recitals and concerts, and some of his first compositions like L’Estaca soon inspired both the approval of the public and the disapproval of the censors of Franco’s regime. During the dictatorship he was exiled in Paris for a period, where he played on various occasions at the famous Olympia. From the French capital, Llach’s popularity continued to grow and became international with concerts in countries like Belgium, Germany and Mexico.

Back in Catalonia during the transition to democracy, performances such as his show at the Palau d’Esports in Montjuïc in 1976 or his concert at the Liceu in 1979 confirmed the importance of Llach’s music and lyrics for thousands of Catalans. A few years later in 1985, his performance at the Camp Nou before over 100,000 spectators became the largest in his career. Llach recorded, gave concerts and collaborated with other musicians until 2007, when he decided to retire from the stage. The singer-songwriter brought the curtain down on his career with two farewell concerts in Verges. Since these performances, Llach has played in public very occasionally, and he has concentrated on other areas such as literature, politics and philanthropy.

His work

Llach discovered music thanks to his mother, and he started by playing the guitar and then the piano. In the late 1960s, inspired by the French chanson of singer-songwriters like Jacques Brel, he started to write and compose. Llach has developed a musical personality that combines sensitivity, lyricism, commentary and politics. Political and social commitment has been a constant presence in the artist’s discography. Performing solo with the guitar or the piano, or accompanied by a band, Llach has left dozens of songs. Some, especially those linked to the struggles for freedom, have become anthems in Catalonia’s contemporary popular music: L’Estaca, Itaca, La Gallineta, Venim del nord, venim del sud… Throughout his career, Llach has collaborated with many musicians and artists. His joint work with Miquel Martí Pol, with whom he was friends until the poet’s death in 2003, stands out. This close relationship resulted in records such as Ara mateix, Un pont de mar blava and Món Porrera.