Puerto Rican singer Ednita Nazario, known as “The Diva of Puerto Rico,” whose career spans more than a century, released her 31st album, *FuegoAlmaVida*, on Tuesday. As she told EFE, it highlights that the lessons learned from her scars are “gold.” The album consists of seven songs that will be available to the public starting July 16.
“To me, lessons are worth their weight in gold. Scars heal with gold, and it makes you a more valuable person because it ensures that the scars aren’t hidden—they’re part of our lives—and as they heal, the true light is the lesson learned,” emphasized the renowned vocalist, before beginning the press conference at the Sila M. Calderón.
At 71, Nazario said he “loves” the concept he explores in *FuegoAlmaVida* because it tells “a life story” in which he acknowledges his pain, his journey of overcoming it, and his healing, and it represents “a complete arc” of his experiences.
In addition, this release marks a new phase in his career following the formation of a partnership between the record label “Rimas Entertainment” and “Icon Unlimited Global.”
Ednita Nazario on her new album: “A woman like any other”
“On this album, I drew on many personal experiences from things that happened to me. And do you know why? Because I’m a woman just like any other,” said the artist, who was born in Ponce, a municipality in southern Puerto Rico known as ‘La Perla del Sur.’
“Desnuda y De Frente,” “Pa’ Que Duela Menos,” “Destrúyeme” featuring Black Guayaba, “Fuimos Fuego,” “Cerrando Ciclos,” and “La Vida Me Cambió”—composed by Mario Domm and Reyli Barba and performed by young Puerto Rican musicians—are the six songs on the album that the artist unveiled and shared with the fans who attended the presentation.
The seventh track is a previously unreleased surprise that will be available starting July 16.
For Nazario, the most special song on the album is “Cerrando Ciclos,” which he wrote with the idea that “in life, you have to recognize that there are times when you have to close—close chapters—in order to start over.”
In his view, “it’s very important to acknowledge difficult times and not hide them. We should wear those scars with pride because, while they make us vulnerable, they also make us human and make us more valuable people—because when we go through a difficult time and are able to overcome it, it means we’ve learned the lesson, and the more we learn, the more valuable we become.”
New Beginnings and an International Tour
The singer, whose unparalleled stage presence has made her an icon of Spanish-language pop ballads and rock, emphasized that “there’s always an opportunity to write a new story” and “love is perfect. We’re the ones who are imperfect.”
For this reason, he emphasized the need for personal introspection and self-reflection: “Where am I? What did I do? What can I do better? What can I improve?”
“I believe that love is never forgotten. I believe that’s a fallacy. It seems to me that any experience that has left its mark on one’s life will always remain there. And it’s part of the story,” Nazario declared.
Regarding his upcoming concerts, he confirmed that this year he will perform in Chile in November, next year he will take the stage at Puerto Rico’s most important venue, the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum—known as “Choli”—and he is planning “a pretty intense tour” to visit several countries and various cities in the United States next year.
“Albums become a kind of photo album because each song places you in a moment in your life, in a situation, in a space,” the artist reflected.
Nazario has received major awards and nominations throughout her artistic career as a singer, songwriter, and actress, including the 2016 Latin Grammy Award for Excellence and the Latin Heritage Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) awarded her the Herencia Latina Award (2004), according to Agencia EFE.