Between Bata and Barcelona, dance and music, fantasy and reality, Alu has been building an artistic universe shaped by movement, cultural diversity and a strong visual identity. With NANCY, his latest release alongside Bexnil, he revisits the iconic doll through a playful, flirtatious lens, turning her into the centre of a world where animation, imagination and music come together. Following a creative journey that began long before his music career, Alu is now entering a new chapter in which the different elements of his artistic vision are finally starting to fall into place. We sat down with him to talk about his roots, the making of NANCY, the power of visual storytelling, anime references and navigating music in the age of TikTok virality.
Alvaro Ramos: For someone who doesn’t know you, how would you define Alu in 2026? What has your journey as an artist been like?
ALU: I think Alu in 2026 is at a point where everything I’ve been building is starting to come together. I’ve had a fairly clear idea of the direction I wanted to take from the beginning, although I’ve always enjoyed experimenting and exploring different spaces without feeling like I was losing my identity. I believe every step I’ve taken has had a purpose, and looking back, everything has contributed to building the project I have today. Now I feel that vision is beginning to take shape in a much clearer way.
My journey began between Bata and Barcelona. I was born in Barcelona, but I grew up in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. That’s where I first came into contact with music, dance and creativity, and where my artistic sensibility began to take shape. Dance was my first form of expression, and music came later, very naturally. Barcelona has also played an important role in that journey and in my development as an artist.
AR: Getting into the song itself, where did NANCY come from, and why release it now?
A: NANCY came from an idea closely connected to playfulness, fantasy and good vibes. It’s inspired by the iconic Nancy doll and explores a world of imagination, excitement and mystery. The song has a flirtatious, intimate feel to it, but above all, it’s about letting go, enjoying the moment and playing with possibilities without overthinking what might happen. When creating it with Bexnil, we really allowed ourselves to follow our instincts. We wanted something genuine, with simple, natural and personal lyrics that could connect with people through its energy and the feeling it conveys.
AR: Animation has become one of the go-to tools in marketing campaigns this season. What was the process behind creating the visualizer like? What references did you draw from?
A: The idea for the visualizer came about after several conversations about what we wanted to do visually with the track. We eventually decided it would be interesting to bring Nancy to life through animation. We also had the right people on board to make it happen: Charlie, who has been creating my cover artwork for over a year and whose illustrations have become an important part of Alu’s visual identity, and Ax Ferrer, who helped us bring those illustrations to life through animation. The beautiful thing about the process is that we started with something that already had a very clear identity within the project — Charlie’s drawings — and looked for a way to take that universe one step further.
AR: Looking at the lyrics, I wanted to ask you about your relationship with anime, particularly Dragon Ball.
A: I’ve always been drawn to illustrations, cartoons and anime, from when I was a kid up until now. I love the way these formats build fantasy worlds and introduce concepts that you can draw a lot of inspiration from.
In the case of Dragon Ball, the reference isn’t so much about it being my favourite anime, but rather that combination of fantasy and reality. There are superpowers and extraordinary elements, but deep down, the characters go through very human experiences: they fall in love, grow, change and evolve. I’m really interested in that contrast and in the way stories are told through it.
AR: Nancy has traditionally been a doll marketed predominantly towards a white audience. Even if the song is ultimately about having a good time, do you feel that, as an artist, you have a responsibility to create a culture that is political in what it represents?
A: I think so. In some way, there’s something that goes beyond music. Ultimately, I feel there’s a connection, as well as a responsibility, towards the culture you come from, your roots and the context that has shaped you. In my case, I come from a blend of cultures, and I think that diversity is also part of who I am and what I can bring to the table.
With Nancy, that was precisely what I found interesting: taking a figure that has historically been associated with a very specific cultural image and giving it a different perspective, showing that another version can exist too. I think we live in a very diverse world, and I like that diversity to be reflected in what I do. It’s a way of contributing something from my own reality and sharing it with the world we all belong to.
AR: Given that the track has taken off on TikTok, what’s your relationship with immediacy and virality?
A: When it comes to making music, I’ve always tried to make sure that whatever I create comes from something I genuinely identify with. I like my songs to have a clear intention and their own essence, and then I let each person interpret them in their own way.
I think virality can be quite fleeting, and sometimes everything comes down to just a few seconds. But it’s also a tool that allows music to reach a lot of people and helps them discover your project. In my case, dance has played a significant role in that process, and it’s happened very spontaneously because dance has always been part of who I am. For me, what’s important is that behind those moments there’s a project with its own identity and a future.
AR: What have you learned throughout the process of conceptualising, creating and releasing the track?
A: Above all, the visualizer process has opened up a whole new world of creative possibilities for us. Bringing Charlie’s illustrations to life has allowed us to explore new ways of building a fantasy universe, while always approaching it from our own perspective, with our own identity and our own way of doing things.
I think that’s been an important lesson: understanding that a song can go far beyond the music itself, and that we still have so many ways to develop and expand the visual world of this project.
Questions by @alraco43