Call me old hat if you wish, but I find contemporary American music crass and devoid of musicality and interest; I seldom if ever listen to it.
Imagine my delight when one day on YouTube, I stumbled across something new and refreshingly different. It was a wondrous little group called “Isaac and Nora”, and although their father Nicholas is not featured in their performances, he always accompanies them with a guitar. Nicholas who was born in South Korea and was adopted by a French couple is a fine musician on his own.
Isaac and Nora are French, but although they do not speak Spanish well, they like to perform Latin tunes and melodies. They study the lyrics carefully and when performing, articulate as well as they can. I understand that their Spanish is not perfect, but they are charming, especially Nora who is cute and impish. She still has a tiny voice that will improve with time, but she is above all a breath of fresh air.
Isaac is now 13 and Nora is 10 and they are extremely versatile and talented. They both got hooked on music when their father and his friends gathered to play and entertained themselves with Latin tunes.
Isaac started to play the trumpet when he was 7 and Nora who wanted to join the fledging group started to sing shortly after. She is now the lead singer and plays the guitar and accordion while Isaac plays the trumpet and drums.
They live in Quimper, southern Brittany, and have recently traveled to Spain to record a few songs. They are also planning to travel to Latin America where they are very popular to perform and improve their Spanish. I am not fluent in español, but I love the way Nora convincingly rolls her rrrs’.
I particularly like their Spanish-French rendition of “Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir” (Let no one know my suffering) an original song written in 1936 by Argentine composers Ángel Cabral (music) and Enrique Dizeo (lyrics). This song was later made extraordinarily famous in French by Edith Piaf under the name “La foule”.
Isaac and Nora also sing in French and often perform locally in Brittany but I by far prefer their Latin interpretations. Their popularity on YouTube is phenomenal and they have millions of followers. I predict a bright future for these unpretentious youngsters who just recorded their first album.
If you love Latin music and fresh talents, go to YouTube, look up Isaac and Nora, and give your long mistreated ears a treat. Tell them Alain sent you… and let no one know my sufferings.
¡Hasta la vista compañeros!
Alain