Manel Espinosa releases ‘Quarantine Song’ for charity

With the UK and Ireland now in their second month of lockdown, BIMM Institute Dublin Guitar student Manel Espinosa is encouraging people to dance through these difficult times with his new track ‘Quarantine Song’. Released on Friday 8th May, Manel’s single will raise money for not one, but two charities: Focus Ireland and Associació Somriu.

These challenging times certainly haven’t stopped our students’ flow of creativity, collaboration and community spirit. Titled ‘Cancion de Cuarentena’ (which translates to ‘Quarantine Song’), Manel’s track is written in both Spanish and English and reflects his feelings during lockdown. He has decided to split the profits 50/50 between two charities close to his heart.

Originally from Spain, Manel joined us here at BIMM Institute Dublin to pursue his dream career in music. Highlighting our students’ multiskilled talents, Manel produced ‘Quarantine Song’ and edited the video on top of writing and singing the main vocals.

His high tempo and upbeat Spanish-influenced tune features lyrics that perfectly sum up what a lot of people are going through right now: “I feel like doing the simplest things, like sitting on a bench and let the time go by. Like feeling the breeze in my face and maybe have a drink with you.”  For a bit of extra persuasion in getting listeners to get up and dance in these dark times, Manel also features Spanish dancers in his YouTube video.

Demonstrating how music can thrive through BIMM’s collaborative community, Manel’s track includes musicians from Ireland (including fellow BIMM students) and Spain. Joining Manel on his track from BIMM Institute Dublin are:

• Barra McMahon (2nd-year Vocals student) – Backing Vocals
• Leah O’Reilly (2nd-year Vocals student) – Backing Vocals
• Patricia Cañizares (2nd-year Vocals student) – Backing Vocals

BIMM Institute Dublin’s Head of Careers, Industry and Events, Ann Marie Shields says:

“In this unprecedented time, it’s very uplifting to see how quickly our students are adapting with such creativity. It’s fantastic to see our students working together even though they are geographically apart – and what a fantastic song to make you want to get up and dance”’.

Manel, who is in his second year of studying Guitar at BIMM Institute Dublin, moved to Dublin almost two years ago. After being involved in other projects for years, he thought it was time to start his own journey and release his solo work. Manel told us that his ‘Quarantine Song’ draws on the relatable feelings of missing human contact during these times:

“I have condensed all feelings I’ve had about this situation in one song. I miss my family and my friends a lot, especially physical contact with them. I feel like the whole world, especially European countries should be more united in these situations. We should be more empathetic and that makes me sad.”

“Also, as a musician in the making like me, the future now is very blurry, which is scary, But, despite all the negative feelings, I think that we will come out of this situation together, using love as our driving force.”

“My conclusion is that, no matter what, we have to face this situation with happiness and positive vibes. We have to dance.”

‘Quarantine Song’: A focus on charity and community

The profits from streaming the song will go to Focus Ireland: a charity that’s dedicated to helping people without a place to call home. Manel has also decided that profits will go to Associació Somriu, a Spanish charity based near Manel’s hometown who are committed to the inclusion of disabled people. This is a cause that’s close to Manel’s heart:

“I’ve been living in Ireland for almost two years. It’s been a great experience so far and I am very happy to be here. I wanted to give something back.”

“I think it must be terrible to be in this lockdown without actually being in your own place, so that’s why I chose to donate 50% of the profits to Focus Ireland, to help the work they do.”

“I saw how Associació Somriu started and I know what they do and that they are struggling with the situation. They have been doing really good work and I really want to try and help them out any way I can.”

‘Canción de Cuarentena’ (‘Quarantine Song’) will be available to stream on music sites and apps – including Spotify and iTunes – from Friday 8th May. Meanwhile, you can take a look at his self-edited YouTube video – and have a dance around the living room too.

The way we live has changed, but we are so proud of how our amazing BIMM community has adapted. Take a look at how our students have formed connections, come together online, supported others, and followed their passion in the face of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic with our We See You celebration. We’re proud of each and every one of our students. Clearly, you can’t stop creativity, collaboration and our unique community spirit.