David Muñoz, Estopa: "In Málaga we felt famous for the first time"

It's a surprise interview. Well, a semi-surprise. At 1 PM I dial the number provided to me, from which I will then be connected to Estopa... Without knowing which of the Muñoz brothers, David or José, will pick up the phone. Hence the semi-surprise. While waiting, it occurs to me that it would be great if the person answering greeted with a "This is Estopa". After a moment of silence, a "Hello, how are you?" reveals the mystery: David's voice is unmistakable despite some echo on the line. The singer, who this Saturday "reigns" on the poster for the tenth anniversary of the Weekend Beach in Torre del Mar, barely has time to say much more because the call gets cut off. So we start over, though with introductions already made and as if we knew each other before, we chat about music, the rush from the last time they performed at the Axarquía festival, the 25 years they have been on stage, that the first time they felt important was in Málaga, and their unbreakable brotherhood with the other half of Estopa beyond the stages. These brothers get along so well that they even seem "weird," he acknowledges at the end of the call, which we have had to resume up to six times due to the line cutting out. "What a troubled interview," he manages to say, and I agree.

Taking advantage of the semi-unknown nature of the interlocutor, the interrupted conversation starts from there, but David downplays it with his usual ease. "My brother and I, it's all the same, so it doesn't matter," concludes the voice of Estopa, who confesses he is thrilled to be back at the Weekend after the success of 2017. A video is circulating online of thousands of people singing "with a single voice" - as he says - the anthem 'Como Camarón'. "That moment is magical and was amazing. Now we expect more than 25,000 people, so a storm is coming," predicts the older Muñoz, who, with some modesty, rejects being the "kings" of this edition, as the headlines say.

"We are weird, yes, but the weird thing should be the opposite, that brothers fight"

"We don't feel like kings; we go to the Weekend to share with colleagues and everyone has their space, everyone has their audience and that's the beauty of these festivals," says the artist about the only date in Andalusia they have scheduled. "This year we decided to do only seven concerts because we need to slow down for mental health. After the 25th anniversary, which was very tough, we were going to rest in 2025, although in the end we decided to do only festivals to live the experience which is very different from a tour," explains David Muñoz, who adds that after this summer "we are going to take some time to compose, to catch our breath and start the process of another project, a book, a movie or whatever occurs to us, but we will do something." And as if the line had heard him, the communication cuts off to give him a break. At this point, we have lost count of the interruptions we have had.

"It just doesn't come out intentionally"

Back on the call for the umpteenth time, we pick up where we left off. And since we've talked about that quarter-century on stage, we talk about whether the label of 'old rockers' now fits. "We still feel like novices. We don't feel like deans, although honestly, we are," admits David with a smile, who also talks about the audience and points out that he still sees young people at concerts. "Time has passed and we still find kids who are 17 and 18 years old. It's a bit unsettling, because I say to myself: Are they the same ones who came when we were that age? But it seems not, more generations have joined. And that's something very beautiful and, honestly, also very difficult to achieve, because if we do it intentionally, it doesn't work," acknowledges the Estopa singer, linking back to his beginnings and a memorable performance in Málaga.

"This year we have decided to do only seven concerts because we need to slow down for mental health"

"We were playing in a very small bar. It would have been the year 2000 or earlier, but I remember that something very new happened to us because we had to improvise a signing of CDs and t-shirts. In Málaga we felt famous for the first time and, since then, they have always treated us well. I would move to Málaga with my eyes closed," he concludes, getting excited. A declaration of loyalty from an artist who defines himself as "unfaithful". Musically speaking. "We're not going to marry neither rumba, nor rock, nor rap, nor anything, because we like all rhythms and there are few that we resist," assures David Muñoz when asked about that techno version of their classic to Camarón that they have done with Jayxme and Marsal Ventura and that they have hanging on the web.

What this duo is faithful to is their brotherhood. Now that the Gallaghers have reunited after monumental family fights or seen the difficult fraternal balance of Mecano or the Jackson Five, Estopa is an example of understanding on stage and, above all, off it. "We are weird, yes, although the weird thing should be the opposite, that brothers fight," confesses the singer who assures that he sees the other Muñoz, José, daily. "It's what we've seen at home, in our parents and uncles," adds David who, to avoid egos, explains the maxim that presides over the band: "All the lyrics and music we sign 50% without stopping to think what each one has done."

"We still feel like novices. We don't feel like deans, although honestly, we are"

It's clear that the partnership works, but we insist on those moments when, inevitably, opinions end up in dispute. "Well, yes, there are discussions to see who gets the upper hand, but the one who doubts always ends up giving in. If one of us has something very clear, the other knows that that's what needs to be done," says the older of the Estopa who naturally returns to the "so much for so much" from when we started the conversation. An opportunity also to close the conversation with a feeling of triumph. When we wanted to and not by decision of the damn line.