How Maria Becerra ‘Let Grief Flow’ and Gave Life to Her New Album ‘Quimera’

This April, Maria Becerra underwent an emergency surgery for a second ectopic pregnancy that caused severe internal bleeding. For Becerra, it was “very difficult for me to do normal things,” like running, walking and even singing; however, it was this dark moment in her life that ultimately inspired her third studio album Quimera, out today (Nov. 20) under Warner Music Latina. 

Home to 17 songs produced by Xross, including the previously released singles “Corazón Vacío,” “Ramen Para Dos” with Paulo Londra, and “JOJO,” Quimera represents the “rollercoaster of emotions” that the Argentine experienced during her hospitalization and recuperation. 

Inspired by the mythical creature, chimera, it also inspired four alter egos, each with a set of songs that best characterize them: Shanina, Gladys, Jojo, and Maite. 

“The concept started in April, but I had just gone through a very difficult health situation, a huge loss,” she tells Billboard in an exclusive interview. “I was in a very hopeless, sad, and empty emotional state…when you don’t understand that something inside you isn’t working. You don’t understand that something you long for suddenly doesn’t happen. It was a harsh dose of reality. I went through many phases. When I was at my peak of recovery, that was the Jojo moment — unconsciously, everything was connected to my recovery and my emotional states.”

Below, Becerra opens up about her ultra-personal and very vulnerable project:

In QUIMERA you have songs dating back to 2023: How long ago did this creative process begin?

The creative process, conceptually speaking, began in April of this year, with the idea of ​​creating this new album. The truth is that songs like “Corazón Vacío,” “Romántica,” and “Slow it Down” are songs that have been around for a long time, songs that fascinate me, but I really didn’t want to force them onto an album where they didn’t fit. I’ve had “Slow it Down” for six years; it’s one of the first songs I ever wrote.

Why is the name of your album inspired by a creature from Greek mythology?

The Chimera is a monster made up of different animals: a goat, the wings of a dragon, the head of a lion—each animal represents a personality and a strength that contributes to this monster. There are precisely four animals, which are the alter egos that, in a way, act as Maria’s shield and together form this beautiful monster that is the Chimera. Each animal corresponds to a different alter ego.

Gladys is more grounded, more connected to reality; she is the goat. Shanina is the dragon, with Japanese culture, colors, and fantasy. Jojo is the lion, with that fiery personality. The Chimera has another beautiful meaning, which is what gave rise to this album—it’s a somewhat impossible dream to achieve, a distant dream that can’t be fulfilled. It had a lot of meaning for me, not only in music but also in my personal life.

How do you identify with these four alter egos?

All the alter egos are based on my personality. They’re like stages I’ve gone through that have marked me the most. I was Shanina at one point—very toxic, very jealous, very emotionally dependent. I was also Jojo with my excessive partying, my detachment from love, my antisocial nature. I was Gladys too, and Maite, very much so; I think she’s the one who has remained most present in my life—there’s an emotional and dramatic place that’s present in my songs.

In this album, you experiment a lot with tropical genres, including salsa and cumbia. Coming from the urban scene, was this a challenge?

Not at all! I’ve always made bachata from the beginning. Besides, these are genres I feel very connected to because I’m a huge fan of them—salsa, cumbia, bachata, I’ve always loved everything Latin. It was always played a lot at home, I’ve always had those influences, and honestly, I feel like that’s what helped me easily immerse myself in those genres and keep them so fresh in my ears.

You close the album with five songs like “Maria Becerra.” What makes these special?

Maria is the love story I have with my partner. “Slow it Down” is about those typical first encounters, where you feel a strong sexual connection with the person, very passionate, which is what happened in our first encounters with my partner, J Rei. We first connected through chat, through our thoughts and ideologies; that’s where we fell in love. “Slow it Down” represents everything I felt at that moment. “Pierdo la Cabeza” is about being on the verge of falling in love and not knowing how to explain what you’re feeling. In “Tatu,” I’m completely in love; it’s a real relationship. “Romántica” is about a relationship that has developed with a lot of love. And I close with “Mi Amor,” which is about something solid: trying to start a family, our engagement. It’s a song with him to share our experience.

There are 17 songs that convey different emotions: What was your mindset when you created this project?

My state of mind was a rollercoaster. The idea started in April, but I had just gone through a very complicated health situation, a huge loss. I was in a very hopeless, very sad, very empty emotional state. You don’t understand that something inside you isn’t working, you don’t understand that something you long for suddenly doesn’t happen. It was a reality check. I went through many states, the entire beginning of the album: April, May, June… in the months I spent recovering mentally and physically, it was all very sad, dark, very numb, and I don’t know at what point in my mind I associated all that pain with Shanina. She was the first alter ego where I channeled some of my pain with that madness, that cynicism, that darkness, like my thoughts.

As my condition and mood evolved, the other alter egos emerged — at the moment I felt empowered, I started to look good, to regain weight. It was very difficult for me to do normal things; running, walking, singing was incredibly hard after being intubated, regaining lung capacity. When I was at my peak recovery, that was the Jojo moment, unconsciously, everything was connected to my recovery and my emotional states.

Did you ever think about giving up music during your recovery?

It was the opposite. The first intrusive thought, more due to the physical aspect, was that I wouldn’t be able to tour. I was going to have to take a really long break—mental, vocal, and physical rest. It wasn’t throwing in the towel, but it was recognizing that I needed to take a break. And recognizing that I had to be away for months, but in terms of [quitting] music, I never even considered it.

On the contrary, although I did have my dark moments creatively, very sad and dark songs would come out, and I couldn’t get out of that place. That moment alarmed me, and well, being the anxious person I am — I was very vulnerable — I had a creative block, but I never thought about giving up music. The important thing is to let grief flow. I listened to myself a lot, I was very patient with myself, and I went with the flow.