“You’re listening to Sparklmami radio, where anything is possible, your dreams come alive – and your fantasies too…” purrs the Texan-born, Chicago-based Sparklmami on the opening track of her debut album, “in this body”. Glissando-ing cheers erupt, inviting us through a psychedelic, caramel-smooth corridor into her already-distinctive sound world. 

Five years in the making, “in this body” is the exploration of perception, identity and nostalgia. Sparklmami’s influences come together with alluring confidence; ‘70s Brazilian jazz, Mexican boleros, jazz funk and experimental soul – all rooted in improvisation – feed into this delightful debut. Following performances at SXSW in the US and the UK this year, the multidisciplinary artist Sparklmami, real name Ariella Granados, is still an “if you know, you know” kind of musician – but the heads are catching on. 

As the outcome of Sparklmami’s growing confidence, “in this body” almost didn’t happen. The daughter of a Mexican mother and Indian father, Granados was twelve when she was singing in a youth band with her cousins. Following that, she fell into a decade-long hiatus from performing, and it took Granados some years to find her voice again. 

In 2014, Granados moved to Chicago to study art at the University of Illinois. Here, she made life-size replicas of her childhood home, and later found herself a career as a make-up artist active in Chicago’s music scene. Being around such a creative community day in and day out was a fated reminder that her own need for musical expression was calling. 

Following a reignition of musical creativity, she wrote a few songs and successfully applied for an arts grant, enabling her to record an experimental graphic score performance; it would be her first time performing with a band. It wouldn’t be long until she got herself some studio time with two executive producers; Frank Ocean-collaborator Eddie Burns and William Corduroy – two bandmates on the album – who also play drums and bass respectively. Completing this body of work’s personnel list is Alec Trickett (percussion), Josh Jessen (keys, synths) and Kenneth Leftridge Jr. (saxophone).

Granados leads us through childhood memories and reflections, swapping between English and Spanish vocals. Her lyrics are rarely lengthy. Instead, she lets the strength of her vocal hooks and ad lib, alongside her bandmate’s melodic improvisations, take centre stage. 

The album balances tempo and texture with flair. “penso en voce” channels the elegance of Flora Purim, feeling both laid back and ecstatically dynamic all at once. Ear-wormish “running” channels both groove and sentimental frustration through a lens of reverie-heavy jazz and neo-soul; “Running miles / Running for a while / Running trying to meet you there / Running when all you do is stare”. Meanwhile, the contemplative “Quisiera” is a “complicated love letter” to her mum. Interluding tracks “vega” and “it was 5am” add to the collaging mixtape nature of this impressive debut. 

Granados says: “When I made this album, I was figuring out so much on my own while still grieving my past,” she says. “People with unresolved pain and grief can’t help but pass it on. To love is to grieve, to grieve is to love”. 

Granados’ visual flair is evident throughout her accompanying visuals. As with the artwork for her two previous singles, “in this body’s” album cover features Granados with a beaming smile and overly-extended fingers, posing in a position that she says is reminiscent of Mexican family portraits of the 1900s. Her videos are just as imaginative. The visualiser to “quisiera” picks up on the lifesize replicas she made at art college; a vignette of pink and green, with a warning sign that reads “Caution: Wet Tears!”. 

At the time of writing, Granados’ fanbase is still relatively small; less than 20,000 people are following her on Instagram and less than 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. With that, her recent debut showcase appearances are fresh in the minds of industry decision makers and more importantly, her debut is picking up serious word of mouth momentum. This writer predicts a steady rise for Sparklmami, in the way that current fans of Anderson .Paak or Doechii fans today say “I was there from the beginning”. 

---

Tina Edwards is a music journalist, DJ and broadcaster. She’s the co-founder of curatorial platforms re:sonate and Queer Jazz, and hosts her own Bandcamp Club called Jazz-ish Jazz Club. She has bylines in Bandcamp Daily, Downbeat, Monocle and more.

---

_{Header image: Sparklmami. Photo: Daniel Delgado.}