Do you recall any special early musical memories or encounters?

It’s a good question, because it brings me back to when I was studying at the door of my house where I was living in Córdoba. A boy was passing by holding a guitar and playing a little piece of flamenco, which really struck me. To this day I remember it.

So when did you first get your hands on a guitar yourself?

I had many sisters but only one brother and he had a guitar. He played – he was amateur – but there was a guitar in the house when I was maybe six years old. And obviously I took it very seriously later on in life.

What was it about flamenco music in particular that inspired you at first?

I was surrounded by it. In Andalusia, people did flamenco or pieces of music that were based on the flamenco idea. With so many people in the house, everybody was singing when they were doing their chores – all the women – so at any celebration, like the baptism of some kid or a wedding, there was always a big party. It was very easy to drift into a really deep love...