Barcelona seems to be incubating some of the most exciting music in Europe right now, and we wanted to learn more, so we reached out to Alvaro Delgado, co-founder of Oval, a creative community and concert series in Barcelona, to create the Nina Barcelona hub. His thoughts are below. 

To talk about music in Barcelona is to talk about a deeply interconnected scene, one that is shaped by Spain's diverse identities, internal migration flows, and international influences. To feel this energy, simply walk into one of the city’ clubs, venues, or bars any night of the week. You'll find a mix of genres—from electronic to punk to singer-songwriter—and a mix of crowds coming together.

This plethora of options can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially in a metropolitan area of over three million residents. The city’s larger radius is becoming increasingly instrumental in shaping its alternative and emerging scene, as locals are pushed to the suburbs by rising rent prices fueled by year-round tourism.

Barcelona remains a refuge for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, as well as other dissenting voices. The city embodies a spirit of resistance and champions principles of self-determination and equity in the face of both local and global injustices. Curating a selection of music that reflects all of this is no easy task. For Nina’s Barcelona hub, I aimed to include a variety of hues, shades, and tones—all in an effort to capture how Barcelona sounds today.