The Spanish Christian band Papel Maché (Paper Mache) has been sharing several of its singles with their videos on its YouTube channel for a while now.

Spanish news website Protestante Digital spoke with the creator of the project and vocalist Keila Elm, about the songs that will be included in the band's new album and the premiere of the single Si la galaxia (If the galaxy).

“It's very special because this song names the new album Susurros de la Galaxia (Whispers of the galaxy). The message we want to share is what if, for example, the moon or the stars could talk and tell us everything they have seen over the years? It's something like what Jesus said about how, if the stones could talk, they would talk about Him; it's understanding how creation cries out and talks about its creator and through it we can be amazed and get to know Him more”, pointed out Elm.

The album will include songs that have already been published on their social media such as  A los montes (To the mountains); Barquitos de Papel (Little paper boats); Mi hogar (My home); Grace (Grace); Meteórico astronómico ( Astronomical meteoric); Miserables desastres ( Miserable disasters); Pandemia mundial ( World pandemic); Aquel verano (That summer) and now Si la galaxia (If the galaxy) has been added.

Keila explained that this time they work with the producer Edu Míngolo of Time Machine Studio, and “the new album is very varied, in fact, in some songs we mix folk and Celtic music with a more modern rhythm. As musicians, we are not closed to new sounds”.

The singer-songwriter stressed that Susurros de la Galaxia (Whispers of the Galaxy) also features the collaboration of several artists such as FerMusicK, Daniel Lüdtke, Twice, Samuel Troc, Betty Akna and Jaz Jacob.

“The album will have 11 songs plus 3 bonus tracks, the last promotional track, Satélite (Satellite), will be released at the end of October, and then we will officially release the full album”, she said.

Papel Maché

Keila Olmo Sánchez, known on social media as Keila Elm, is the creator of Papel Maché. She explained that the musical project has that name because the paste used for this craft technique is supposedly worthless as it comes from what is not used, such as old newspaper.

“But if you take it, break it into pieces and mould it, you can make works of art; I thought of God as an artist who gives value and despite how life breaks us, He continues to work and can make works of art with us”, underlined the singer.

She also mentioned that paper mache is made from bits and pieces of many types of paper and in a way that characterises the band's philosophy.

“As a band, we have been many musicians along the way. Now that I'm married, it's a project I run with my husband Edwin Puerto; we are accompanied by Judit Pujol López who plays the flute and other instruments, she is in charge of Papel Maché Kids with us”, she added.

In Spain, “we are now a somewhat fixed band; however, we understand that some members are married, with children or are missionaries, they have jobs, and sometimes it is difficult for all of us to coincide. We have a whatsapp group to check availability and there are about 30 people included”, pointed out Elm.

Papel Maché Kids

The Papel Maché Kids Youtube channel currently has around five thousand subscribers and “we already have new songs to record, some are original and others are versions of old songs; it will be a super special material available from 2023”, informed Keila.

The singer explained that they want to do more concerts for children, because nowadays there is a lot of material for the little ones through a screen, but there are few live activities.

“We want to go to camps, churches. We always tell the organisers who invite us that we can do two events in one day, in the morning with children and in the afternoon with adults”.

She urged parents and legal guardians to provide the children with tools that will enable them to discern and learn how to face the world in the future.

“Our job is to make songs full of values so that they can fill their minds and hearts with the right message to be prepared for the future, so that when they go out, they know how to make the right choices. At the end, when they grow up, they will be the ones to make their own decisions”, she said.

Elm concluded by announcing that among their future plans, they hope to release a song to celebrate Christmas in December with the Chilean group Primera fe (Early faith), and they are planning agendas to try to achieve that goal.