Tender, heartfelt, and aching through and through, Gizmo Varillas’ “Ojos Nuevos” dwells in a space of self-discovery and intimate introspection as the singer/songwriter embraces his “new eyes” – a new perspective on life, brought about by the worst possible circumstances.
“Ojos Nuevos” – Gizmo Varillas, Amanda Whiting
Instead of being consumed by the darkness, my “new eyes” allowed me somehow to see the light.
Tender, heartfelt, and aching through and through, Gizmo Varillas’ first song of the year is a painful, yet beautiful one.
“And I see life in a different way… I see the world in colour with new eyes,” he sings in Spanish, inviting everyone to join him in his beautiful reckoning-turned-revelry. An enchanting spiritual cleanse, “Ojos Nuevos” es una canción especial, genuina, y brillante que explora lo que significa estar vivo. Varillas dwells in a space of self-discovery and intimate introspection as he embraces his “new eyes” – a new perspective on life, brought about by the worst possible circumstances.
“I wrote ‘Ojos Nuevos‘ two years ago, the day before my dad passed away. He was battling cancer, and I was in Spain by his side during his final weeks,” Varillas explains. “During that time I felt a strong urge to write a song. I felt a sense of urgency, like time was running out. I picked up my guitar and wrote it in just a couple of hours. The next day, I got the dreaded phone call that he was gone.”
The Spanish-born singer/songwriter (and Atwood Editor’s Pick) spills his soul through a gorgeous, poetic lens, employing his native tongue (which he’s done throughout his career, to great effect) for an experience that feels at once mournful and uplifting; together with harpist Amanda Whiting, whose DNA is also all over this track, Varillas delivers a moving, cathartic, and deeply vulnerable performance that conveys one of those deeper truths we each must learn on my own.
I know this firsthand, as I learned it when my mother passed away, also from cancer, in 2017. Y a través de las lágrimas, crecemos; through our tears, we grow.
Me enseñaste a vivir, a querer, a sentir
Y appreciar cada dia,
cada segundo, cada momento
Y veo la vida de otra manera
Sintiendo el viento, se navega
Veo el mundo en color
Oh oh oh, con ojos nuevos
Oh oh oh, con ojos nuevos
“‘Ojos Nuevos’ will always be a special one for me,” Varillas tells Atwood Magazine. “The title translates to “new eyes,” and the song is about that moment in life when you stop taking things for granted. Seeing my dad’s life slipping away at the age of 60 and not being able to do all those things he had planned to do, became that moment for me. Instead of being consumed by the darkness, my “new eyes” allowed me somehow to see the light. My dad was no longer with me, but I chose to see his presence echoing in nature, in the chirping birds outside his window, in the rolling hills of our hometown, in Cantabria.”
“I was reminded that life is short and we need to live it with intention and a sense of purpose. Since that day, I try to carry myself differently, with grace, thankful for every healthy day I get to spend doing what I love, surrounded by the people I care about. A year or so passed, and I found Amanda Whiting’s music through a friend. The harp has always been one of my favourite sounding instruments and after only hearing a few notes, I knew I wanted her to be a part of this song. She added an eerie and magical touch to the song with her enchanting flamenco-infused riffs.”
Y ahora llevo tu luz y sonrisa,
conmigo en mi dolor
Me acompaña en lo bueno y en lo malo
Y veo la vida de otra manera
Sintiendo el viento, se navega
Veo el mundo en color
Oh oh oh, con ojos nuevos
Oh oh oh, con ojos nuevos
“Ojos Nuevos” is as much a loving tribute to Varillas’ father as it is an outward expression of inner maturity.
His translated lyrics highlight the sheer, immortal love at the core of this breathtaking track – one that shines as much on the outside, as it does within:
You taught me to live, to love to feel
And to appreciate every day, every second, every moment
And I see life in a different way
Feeling the wind, one sails
I see the world in colour
Oh oh oh with new eyes
Oh oh oh with new eyes
And now I carry your light
and smile with me in my pain
It accompanies me in the good and the bad
And I see life in a different way
Feeling the wind, one sails
I see the world in colour
Oh oh oh with new eyes
Oh oh oh with new eyes
Gizmo Varillas and Amanda Whiting haven’t just created a warm and wondrous, harp and brass-fueled song – though it is all of these wonderful things; together, they’ve created a rite of passage. Whether or not you’ve experienced horrific loss in your life, we can all tap into the deeper sentiments at the heart of this haunting, emotional release.
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:: connect with Gizmo Varillas here ::
“Ojos Nuevos” – Gizmo Varillas, Amanda Whiting
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