Sandra Sangiao – Discurso del Concierto de Despedida (Inglés)

Wow! I’m saying goodbye to Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra, at least for a long period of time. I still can’t believe it.

I feel really grateful and honoured to be part of this family. I feel, [refering to my partners on the stage] that no matter what the future brings, you are always my family.

In seven years we’ve brought to life the crazy and visionary ideas of Mattia and Robindro. We’ve grown and we’ve touched the hearts of thousands of people all around the world.

And it seems that BGKO has got its own life, beyond all the musicians it’s made up of.

Let me tell you that  BGKO is something really special and unique. It’s proof that really different people can coexist in harmony, and this idea, as simple as it sounds is so rich and needed nowadays. Sometimes, this coexistence means letting go and saying goodbye. And how hard it is to say goodbye!

When my body decided to leave the band, my mind fought back for a while. Then I realized that I only had one goal: to do it with love. And you can say, how nice of Sandra, but you know, doing things with love is not that simple! Especially if you are saying goodbye to something that has so much value for you!

I’ve confronted my own demons and my beloved ego that always wants to “protect” me. I know that love is always there, sometimes in the deepest place, so during this whole process I’ve been digging in my darkest shadows. And it hurts!

But hey, here we are, in this concert, tonight, and I feel so much love already . Thank you so much for being here. I feel happy to say goodbye like this, giving the world such a special party like we are having here tonight.

Just a warning: It will be a long concert! For 4 reasons:

1. We want to share this moment with five artists and Friends here on the stage.
2. We want to play every song that is special for us, and there are many of them!
3. We want to play new songs. You know that BGKO never stops working!
4. As you have already noticed I’m talking more than usual. I know [refering to my partners on the stage] that you don’t want me to talk a lot, but it is my last concert, I’m not going to see you for a long time. I want to accomplish my heart’s wish.

Now, for all the people that don’t speak Spanish, here or there, in your home watching streaming. I’m not going to translate into English, it would be even longer and it would lose the magic of saying it once. Don’t worry, you will have it all translated on social media. I hope you enjoy the concert!

And that’s it, just one more thing: we started the concert 6 of us, the original formation and now, another instrument, but not one, two of them, they’ve been sharing work and tours. I’ve already told you, that this band has worked very very much!

….

Arriving to this point of the concert, now that we are more comfortable and warm, I want to confess something to you. Looking for this love that I was talking to you about, I found myself believing that I was indispensable to the group. And I am sure you do too [looking to the audience] even you [looking to my partners], at least a little bit, don’t you? So… it turns out not, I am not indispensable! I’ve said that doing things with love it’s been a little bit hard, it’s been painful. This is why I can assure you that these guys there behind me [refering to my partners] will be “dando más guerra” (carrying on). They are tireless and hard working, I couldn’t follow their rhythm anymore! And then, after a long time of retirement I can go back to BGKO to collaborate from a more honest place: mine. Imagine, BGKO with two or three singers!! It will blow up!

Thank you guys [looking to my partners] with all of you I’ve learnt the most valuable lesson: to love myself and to follow my inner authority, no matter what. I am the only one on this earth that knows how to love and heal myself the way I need.

And now, I’ll stop talking, I’ll let you keep going with the music, because as they say [refering to my partners], and they are right, the music speaks for itself.