Radiolab – "Juana Molina" (May 5, 2009)
Host: Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich
Guest: Juana Molina

Overview

In this special Radiolab episode, hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich set aside their usual explorations of science and big ideas to highlight the singular story and unique music of Juana Molina, an Argentine musician with an unusual path—from hit television comic to cult-favorite music innovator. Spurred by listener curiosity about the evocative music interludes previously featured on the show, Jad interviews Juana about her artistic journey, her creative process, and her philosophy of sound, culminating in a remix of Juana’s song “Un Día.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Juana Molina

[01:57–02:22]

• Jad expresses his admiration for Juana and her music, explaining the impetus for the episode:
  • “This person you’re hearing right now… she’s one of my favorite, favorite musicians.”
• The Radiolab team notes the flood of listener emails whenever Juana’s music appeared on the show, prompting a deeper dive into her work.

Juana Molina’s Early Artistic Path

[03:10–04:45]

• Juana began as a musician, but when that career stalled, she leveraged her talent for impressions and humor to support herself:
  • “I was always good at impressions. Something I could always do… impersonate characters.” [03:27, Juana]
• She transitioned into television, eventually starring in her own popular comedy show, “Juana y Sus Hermanas.”
  • The show ran for three years, giving her financial stability but diverting her from her true calling.

Leaving TV to Pursue Music

[04:45–05:08]

• A turning point: during a pregnancy, needing rest and reflection, Juana realized TV stardom wasn’t her goal:
  • “I needed to stay in bed. So I had time to think about my life and realized that I had totally missed my goal.” [04:45, Juana]
  • “I didn’t want to die and not having done what I wanted to do.” [04:53, Juana]
• She walked away from fame to play small gigs and focus on music.
  • “Yeah, that’s not what I wanted. I just wanted to be a musician.” [05:08, Juana]

Early Musical Struggles & Stage Fright

[05:13–05:53]

• Live music performances were initially difficult:
  • “Badly.” [05:21, Juana, on crowd reaction]
  • “I was held for several years.” [05:22, Juana]
• Unlike acting, music exposed her true self:
  • “It’s not the same. You’re acting. It’s not you… I was making fun of people. It was never myself, and it was horror because it was… I was just very scared.” [05:29–05:53, Juana]

Creativity as a Solitary Process

[05:53–07:08]

• Juana describes her discomfort with band collaboration, leading to her becoming her own orchestra:
  • “I didn’t like anyone, and they didn’t like what I was offering them either.” [06:02, Juana]
• She adopts looping and layering, building complex compositions from simple elements:
  • Jad: “She creates entire symphonies of just her… As you’re listening, you slip into this universe of one.” [06:07–06:40]
• Juana on creative immersion:
  • “The thing by being on your own is that you can go deeper and deeper and deeper in your own universe…” [06:40, Juana]

Artistic Philosophy & Relationship with Sound

[07:08–08:09]

• Discussion of the “multiple Juana Molinas” that looping produces:
  • “Every sound has its own behavior… I’m just feeling like a driver of the sound.” [07:21, Juana]
• Robert Krulwich offers a vivid metaphor:
  • “It feels like she’s taking a bath in herself.” [07:45, Robert]
• Juana describes how her “ridiculously small universe” grows through music:
  • “Little by little, my ridiculously small universe… becomes huge. Anything that has a note or a rhythm you can make music with.” [07:51, Juana]

The Role of Lyrics and Meaning

[08:09–08:38]

• Juana shares that her music is rarely driven by a message:
  • “No, never. There’s absolutely nothing that I really want to say.” [08:14, Juana]
• Lyrics often emerge out of necessity, not intention:
  • “In order to be able to sing.” [08:33, Juana]

The Making of “Un Día”

[08:38–10:20]

• The track “Un Día” originated from aimless experimentation:
  • “I was warming up for a show and… it sounded like ‘one day.’ It wasn’t saying one day, but it sounded like.’” [08:43, Juana]
• Lyrics appeared almost spontaneously:
  • “That just came out, ‘One day I will be someone different.’ …From that sentence, I could… I already had the whole song.” [08:56, Juana]
  • She recites lyrics that encapsulate hope, transformation, and imagination:
    “One day I will fix the back door. And one day I will write songs with no lyrics so everybody just can imagine whatever they want.” [09:45, Juana]

Personal Impact & Listener Experience

[10:20–10:56]

• Jad describes the emotional resonance he felt from “Un Día,” even before understanding the words:
  • “It was just a sense of, like, a chant to your better self… the thing you say to yourself when you’re feeling really crappy.” [10:20, Jad]
• Inspired by her music, Jad contacted Juana’s team and was permitted to remix the song—his sole fan letter:
  • “I love your music. I love this song, and can I remix it?... Amazingly, her manager wrote me back and he said, totally, you can remix it.” [10:55, Jad]

Featured Remix

[11:06–16:03]

• Jad shares an excerpt from his remix of “Un Día,” expressing gratitude to Juana, her manager, and contributors to the project.

Notable Quotes

• Juana Molina:

  • “I didn’t want to die and not having done what I wanted to do.” [04:53]
  • “Every sound has its own behavior… I’m just feeling like a driver of the sound.” [07:21]
  • “There’s absolutely nothing that I really want to say.” [08:14]
  • “One day I will write songs with no lyrics so everybody just can imagine whatever they want.” [09:45]

• Jad Abumrad:

  • “She creates entire symphonies of just her… you slip into this universe of one.” [06:07–06:40]
  • “It was just a sense of, like, a chant to your better self…the thing you say to yourself when you’re feeling really crappy.” [10:20]

• Robert Krulwich:

  • “It feels like she’s taking a bath in herself.” [07:45]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:57 – Introduction to Juana Molina, audience intrigue
• 03:27 – Juana on early impressions and move to TV
• 04:45 – Juana reflects on missing her true goal
• 05:21 – Juana describes early musical rejection, stage fright
• 06:07 – Juana adopts looping, forms “universe of one”
• 07:21 – Juana on her relationship with sound and layering
• 08:38 – Creation and meaning behind “Un Día”
• 10:20 – Jad’s emotional reaction to “Un Día,” requesting a remix
• 11:06 – Playback of Jad’s remix

Takeaways

• Juana Molina’s artistic path—from comedian to solitary musical innovator—is defined by courage, reinvention, and a deep, exploratory engagement with sound.
• Her music is an organic, introspective process: not message-driven, but intuitive and immersive.
• The episode offers a glimpse into creative risk, transformation, and the rich worlds individuals can build when they “go deeper and deeper… in your own universe.”

Juana Molina’s full catalog is available at juanamolina.com. For fans of sonic curiosity and creative journeys, this is an episode not to miss.