From Hidden Vault to Masterpiece: Fito Páez’s NOVELA Is the Cinematic Rock Opera We Didn’t Know We Needed
For Millennials who grew up jumping on their beds, playing air guitar to Mariposa Tecnicolor at full blast, NOVELA is the album we didn’t know we needed. Fito Páez, the legend from Rosario, Argentina, has dusted off a musical treasure he started writing in 1988, and on March 27, 2025, it’s finally set to see the light of day.
According to the press release, NOVELA is more than just an album—it’s an opera. It’s a conceptual piece that strings together 25 previously unreleased songs, creating a magical narrative filled with original characters and the unmistakable essence of Fito Páez. Just when we thought we knew everything about him, he’s here to remind us that there’s always more to discover in his story.
When the Circus Arrives, the Action Begins
Set in a peculiar town in Santa Fe, Argentina, NOVELA unfolds like a film soundtrack, with the infamous Circo Beat of our youth finally rolling into town. Páez warns listeners, “Cuando el circo llega al pueblo, es que va a comenzar la acción” (When the circus arrives in town, that’s when the action begins). The music becomes a sort of epilogue to the novel of his life—a novel we’ve all been reading with our eyes closed, simply by listening to his piano.
The album promises fantastic adventures, cabarets, and unsettling crowds, weaving Fito’s own history into a mystical world. His storytelling transcends music, offering a deeply personal reflection wrapped in theatrical grandeur.
Superextraño: The Moment Where Everything Changes
With Superextraño, the album’s second single, Fito Páez gifts us another nod to his classic 11 y 6, but this time through a surreal lens. According to the press release, this song marks the turning point in NOVELA, introducing us to Jimmy and Loka, two protagonists whose fates intertwine in a moment of extraordinary significance.
In Superextraño, we hear echoes of Fito’s childhood—“jugando fútbol con moneditas”—and get a glimpse into an imaginary world that captures his past better than any Netflix biopic ever could. His characters live in a universe that is, in his own words, superextraño, one where they will steal “lágrimas al pueblo” just as Fito has done to his audience for decades.
A Soundtrack to a Magical and Turbulent Love Story
At the heart of NOVELA is a love story orchestrated by two mischievous witches, Maldivina and Turbialuz, tasked with finding the perfect love in Villa Constitución. Their mission brings them to Loka, the daughter of a struggling circus owner, and Jimmy, an orphan with a rock band, living with his aunt Charo.
As the narrative unfolds, we meet a cast of outcasts, dreamers, and rebels. Their intertwined destinies create a cinematic experience where music, chaos, and fantasy collide, making this album as much a theatrical production as it is a rock opera.
Recorded in Legendary Studios, Crafted with Infinite Detail
Fito Páez, alongside producers Gustavo Borner and Diego Olivero, meticulously recorded NOVELA between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and Sony Music’s 5020 Studios in Madrid. This labor of love took six months of intense work, shaping what the press release describes as “a work of art of infinite dimensions that will leave no one indifferent.”
The project follows Fito’s recent success with EADDA9223, a reimagining of his classic El Amor Después del Amor. But NOVELA is something entirely different—an immersive world where music and storytelling merge into a grand artistic vision.
Fito Páez Reminds Us That Beauty Still Exists
As the music industry drowns in overproduced autotune and shallow lyrics, Fito Páez emerges once again to remind us that the world, while superextraño, still holds beauty. His upcoming album is more than a collection of songs; it’s a deeply woven narrative, a piece of his soul that he’s finally ready to share with us.
NOVELA arrives on March 27, 2025, promising a journey that will be as transformative as the music that has shaped generations.
