For Guitarricadelafuente, this was a year of saying yes to things that scared him.
The Spanish singer-songwriter took his 2025 album, Spanish Leather, around the world. But his biggest leap took him somewhere entirely new: acting.
In La Bola Negra, the queer anti-war drama from filmmaking duo Los Javis, Guitarricadelafuente makes his film debut as Sebastián, a young man swept into the fascist army during the Spanish Civil War. The role changed him more than he expected.
“I had never acted before, and suddenly I was at Cannes with a film by Los Javis, surrounded by people I’ve admired my whole life,” he says. “I’m proud I trusted myself enough to do it.”
Playing Sebastián also made him think about the freedom he has to sing about desire, love openly, and express himself — freedoms generations before him were denied.
His message now: “Use your freedom, because it’s a conquest. Don’t assume it will always be there. Love who you want, say what you feel, don’t make yourself smaller, be loud if you want to be loud, make the things that bring you joy. We’re here because other people weren’t allowed to be.” @guitarricadelafuente
