Nach: "Sometimes I sit in the stands of the San Blas court and see myself at 13 playing basketball"

Nach has returned. The Alicante artist, a leading figure in Spanish rap, has broken a seven-year silence with 'Destino', an album that blends the orchestral elegance of strings and pianos with the energy and emotion of his most intimate verses. From his lifelong neighbourhood, San Blas, where he discovered rap and still finds peace and inspiration, the musician confesses that Alicante "is the backdrop of his life" and the place he always returns to reconnect with his essence.

"Right now, I'm in the neighbourhood, and coming back feels like reliving dreams and hopes from when I was a child," Nach explains. "It was here that I discovered rap and fell in love with it. This neighbourhood connects me with the child I still carry inside, the one that gives me excitement and the desire to enjoy."

'Destino' is the result of a process of personal search and maturity. Nach describes it as "a fusion between the timeless and the contemporary", in which he wanted to unite his essence of classic rap with nuances of current music. "I wanted to maintain who I am, but play with other sounds. There are orchestral elements, strings, pianos, and also percussion and more modern details. That mix was the challenge and the motivation," he states.

The album features artists as diverse as Manuel Carrasco, Alice Wonder, Trueno, Nampa Básico, or Acapella. "I didn't want to go into others' universes, but rather have them enter mine," he explains. "Each collaborator brings a different colour, but without losing my essence. My voice and my verses are what define my rap."

The album, he confesses, is nourished by personal experiences and reflections accumulated over these years. "I've tried to live things, feel them, think about them. In this work, there are lights and shadows, past memories and future projections, but also a lot of awareness of the present. Life goes by very quickly, and that is reflected in my lyrics."

Over the years, Nach feels he has gained calmness and depth. "I used to be more impulsive, with more rage. Now I reflect more on what I say and how I say it. But I like to see that the core remains the same. The young 20-year-old and today's Nach still share the same essence."

The rapper proudly claims his Alicante roots. "Everyone should know where they come from, what their place is, and what values it has given them. Alicante has been the backdrop for the purest and most intense moments of my life, when you're a kid. Here I learned on the basketball courts, on the beaches, in the nights of friends and foes, in everything that shaped my personality."

Among his memories are the first concerts on the Ruta de la Madera or the San Blas basketball court, "where I started dreaming that I wanted to play in the NBA, and I was convinced I would achieve it. There I played with my friends, I was about 14 years old, the first of basketball."

La Colmena, San Juan Beach, or La Mosca Tomasa are part of Nach's imaginary, which he also pays tribute to in songs from his new album like 'Mi ciudad' with Argentine rapper Trueno. The rapper also evokes the anonymous characters that fill the city with life. "People who are still there, like that man who always goes with the football on the beach, and everyone knows him. These are fantastic things, they are part of me and Alicante."

For the rapper, his favourite spot remains the court in San Blas Park. "People don't know it, but sometimes I go there, sit in the stands, and see myself playing basketball at 13. That was the happiest moment of my life; it's the most magical place in Alicante for me."

Nach also defends the strength of Alicante rap: "There have always been incredible artists here. In Alicante, the metric, the ethics, the complexity of writing deep things without losing emotion are valued. I am proud to represent my city around the world."

He acknowledges that the genre has changed a lot, but he sees it with optimism: "The good and the bad is that there is everything. You can find from more classic and underground rap to proposals that border on pop. That is richness, although it also requires knowing who you are so as not to get lost among so many styles."

Although his career has taken him around the world, Nach still feels that returning to Alicante is coming home. "When I'm at San Juan Beach, I have the feeling of being at home. It's tranquillity, it's home. And that can't be compared to anything."

The artist is now preparing a tour to present 'Destino'. The grand presentation in Alicante was supposed to be at Rocanrola in early October, but the rain cancelled the event. However, the artist has a surprise in mind; in November, he will be at the Juan Gil-Albert Institute of Culture, in a very intimate format. "I will talk about my method and sing some songs. It's going to be something beautiful and very personal," he explains.