Francesc Freixas i Morros (born 1984,

Sant Pere de Riudebitlles Sant Pere de Riudebitlles is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Penedès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ...

Alt Penedès Alt Penedès () is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, northern Spain. The capital is Vilafranca del Penedès Vilafranca del Penedès, or simply Vilafranca (), is the capital of the ''comarca'' of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain. The Spani ...

, Catalonia, Spain) is a Catalan singer-songwriter. Freixas has released a sampler, seven albums, and a series of covers of international singer-songwriters as a contribution to the revitalization of the

Protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

in the

Catalan-speaking countries The Catalan Countries ( ca, països catalans, , ) refers to those territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and parts of Aragon ('' La Franja'') and Murcia ...

Biography

Freixas started performing as a member of a

Sant Sadurní d'Anoia Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain; and the centre of production of a sparkling wine known as '' cava''. It is situated in the north-east of the Penedès Depression at the confluen ...

based band called ''Pangea''. They did mainly rock-song covers. His first solo performance took place in January 2004 in

Igualada Igualada () is a municipality in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the Anoia River and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona Railway. Igualada is the capital and central market of t ...

. In April 2004, he performed alone for the second time and used the live recordings for the sampler. Freixas' first album appeared a year later, in 2005: ''Set voltes rebel'' (Bullanga Records) (Seven Times a Rebel). In 2005, together with members of the fairly well-known band called Inadaptats, Freixas created and performed a show to pay homage to the

Valencian Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the Carche, El Carche comarca in Región de Murcia, Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance lan ...

singer-songwriter

Ovidi Montllor Ovidi Montllor (; 4 February 1942 in Alcoi, Spain – 10 March 1995 in Barcelona, Spain) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and actor. Career A native of Alcoi, at the age of 24 Montllor moved to Barcelona, where he was a member of various independ ...

. In 2006, Freixas uploaded a set of covers of international singer-songwriters including

Silvio Rodríguez Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is widely considered Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his in ...

Víctor Jara Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and Communist political activist. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ran ...

Raimon Ramon Pelegero Sanchis, who takes the stage name of Raimon (), is a Spanish singer. He performs in the musical style of Nova Cançó, and in the Catalan language. Biography Youth Raimon was born in Xàtiva in the province of Valencia, Spa ...

, and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

, under the name of ''Les veus dels pobles lliures'' (The Voices of the Free Peoples). The next two albums have a slightly more modern sound and include some

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

songs with a touch of

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

music: ''El camí cap a nosaltres'' (The Path Towards Us) (RGB Suports, 2007), and ''La mà dels qui t'esperen'' (The Hand of those who await you) (Temps Record, 2009). The fourth album, ''Tocats pel foc'' (Touched by the fire) (Temps Record) appeared in 2012. It features a more live-like sound, with a significant presence of Acoustic guitars. Freixas described it as a homage to

Manuel de Pedrolo Manuel de Pedrolo i Molina (; 1918 – 1990) was a spanish author of novels, short stories, poetry and plays. He's mostly known for his sci-fi novel ''Mecanoscrit del segon origen'' (''Typescript of the Second Origin''). Mini-biography Manuel d ...

. In November 2013, Freixas published his first book: ''Paraules per a Gaeta'' (Words for Gaeta), thanks to the Publishing Cooperative ''Tigre de Paper''. ''Protesta'', the fifth album appeared in May 2014: under two formats: a CD with unedited material and also a DVD of the concert marking a decade of performances. The concert had taken place just after the death of Freixas' father. Freixas has so far performed over 1500 times. In 2015, he was awarded the Catalan Album of the Year Prize by the Radio Station ''Ràdio 4'', as well as gaining popular recognition; he has won several Enderrock Awards including for Best DVD/Documentary. The sixth of Freixas' albums, ''Proposta'', was launched in 2017 when Freixas became a father. In 2019 Freixas is presenting his seventh album: ''Festa Major.'' Cesk Freixas has also contributed to several albums either cooperative or by other artists, such as Projecte Mut's ''10 anys i bons'', #paualpalau by

Pau Alabajos Pau Alabajos i Ferrer (born 1982 in Torrent, Horta Oest) is a spanish singer-songwriter and politician. As of 2017 he has seven records under his belt. He is the current Secretary of the musicians and singers association in the Valencian Cou ...

, or ''En les nostres mans'', by Andreu Valor.

Political and cultural activities

Cesk Freixas is a member of two political organizations within the Catalan National

Left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

Candidatura d'Unitat Popular The Popular Unity Candidacy ( ca, Candidatura d'Unitat Popular, , CUP) is a left-wing to far-left pro-Catalan independence political party active primarily in Catalonia, where it has political representation, but also in other autonomous communiti ...

and Coordinadora Obrera Sindical. Cesk Freixas has also expressed his support to

Palestinian activists Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

, the Catalan culture and language, and tackling poverty among others. His political engagement might explain why his concerts have attracted political criticism and allegedly boycott by

Spanish Nationalists Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spa ...

and

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

. In 2009, the Spanish Conservative Party and a

Spanish Nationalist Party Spanish Nationalist Party (PNE; es, Partido Nacionalista Español) was a Spanish nationalist political party active in the Second Spanish Republic. The PNE was founded by José María Albiñana in 1930. Ideology The main points of the party pl ...

unsuccessfully tried to have his concert in

Figueres Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museu ...

cancelled. Since 2005, he has worked in the production and organization of the ''Trobada de Cantautors dels Països Catalans'', a Gathering or Meeting of Singer-songwriters from all over the

Catalan-speaking Countries The Catalan Countries ( ca, països catalans, , ) refers to those territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and parts of Aragon ('' La Franja'') and Murcia ...

. Artists such as Quico Pi de la Serra, Jaume Arnella, Miquel Gil, Albert Fibla,

Feliu Ventura Feliu Ventura (Xàtiva, 1976) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. Ventura's music is on the boundary between modern music styles and folk, with lyrics addressing political and youth issues. He has collaborated with guitar player and record producer ...

, and

have taken part. In the elections to the

Catalan Parliament The Parliament of Catalonia ( ca, Parlament de Catalunya, ; es, Parlamento de Cataluña; oc, Parlament de Catalonha) is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The Parliament is currently made up of 135 ...

Freixas has held symbolic responsibilities under the candidacy of

CUP A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...

in 2012 and 2015. He has also contested or given active support to

Local election In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

s. Since June 2016, Freixas has also appeared regularly in

Catalunya Ràdio ''Catalunya Ràdio'' () is Catalonia's public radio network. With headquarters in Barcelona, it is part of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA), owned by the Generalitat de Catalunya. Catalunya Ràdio broadcasts exclusively i ...

and is very active online.

Discography

*2004: Maqueta (self-edited) *2005: Set voltes rebel (Bullanga Records) *2006: Les veus dels pobles lliures (self-edited): cover album. *2007: El camí cap a nosaltres (RGB Suports) *2009: La mà dels qui t'esperen (Temps Record) *2012: Tocats pel foc (Temps Record) *2014: Protesta (Temps Record) *2017: Proposta (DMusical) *2019: Festa Major (u98) *2021: Memòria (u98)

Books

*2013: Paraules per a Gaeta (Tigre de Paper Edicions). *2016: Alè de taronja sencera (Tigre de Paper Edicions). *2020: El delta de les paraules. *2022: Llegendes i rondalles catalanes. *2022: Contes catalans d'avui i de sempre.

Awards

*2008: Enderrock Award Popular Vote Best Singer-Songwriter. *2010: Enderrock Award Popular Vote Best Singer-Songwriter. *2011: Enderrock Award Popular Vote Best Singer-Songwriter Live. *2013: Enderrock Award Popular Vote Best Singer-Songwriter, Best Album, and Best Live Singer-Songwriter Performance. *2015: Enderrock Award Popular Vote Best DVD/Documentary. Catalan Album of the Year according to Radio Station Ràdio 4. *2021: Language Associations Coordinator Joan Coromines National Award to people or organisations to work to defend, promote or normalise the Catalan language and culture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freixas, Cesk Singer-songwriters from Catalonia Living people 1984 births Politicians from Catalonia 21st-century Spanish singers