Primarily known for her snowboard skills in the halfpipe, Queralt Castellet has recently been hiding away in the Swiss Alps, spending time at Saas-Fee, to be specific. After calculating the nine-hour time difference, we were able to hop on a phone call with Queralt to get a rundown on her favorite type of music and more. Find out what she’s been up to in Saas-Fee, snowboard movies that get her excited, and a ten-track playlist curated by Queralt, all in her latest On Rotation interview.
You’re currently out in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. Who has been your favorite artist you are now listening to while out there?
I would say Natural Child. That’s the one I’ve been listening to the most but also a lot of rock and reggae at the moment.
When I’m riding up there, I can’t get too serious because they have small jumps and small rails. I tend to get motivated with small features, and sometimes that’s not good, like you kind of have to chill out a bit and lay back. I feel like the reggae suits my goals and the mood I have for the day. I go up there to have some fun and spend the day with my friends. So just some chilled out music, nothing too intense.
Did you get to go out riding today?
Not today. So at the moment here, you only have the option to ride on the weekends. But I have been sneaking in during the week some days (laughs). Tomorrow and after, I’m going to sneak in again. Some border crossers go up, so sometimes I go on the gondola with them, and I hit the park. There’s a little set up with some jibs and small jumps. I go up and have fun over there. It’s quite hard because there’s only one gondola going up and one going down. So you have to commit to spending the whole day up there from seven till four. But it’s alright if you got some friends it’s fine.
What other kinds of music do you have on your Spotify?
Well, if you were to look at my Spotify playlists, I have hundreds of different types of music, and I play through all of them. I don’t have one defined type of music that I like to listen to when snowboarding or working out. I change a lot of what I feel like listening to, but I love music. I live with music playing all the time, but I don’t stress specifically listening to just one genre type. I listen to very, very different kinds of music all the time. I jump from one style to another in the same playlist.
Do you have anything that you like to listen to when you are riding?
I do. For example, one day, if I’m riding, I feel like listening to one type of music, and I have one playlist ready with a style of music. Maybe rock that day, or just hip hop or, snowboard movie tunes. I have a playlist with just songs from snowboard films.
I recently made a playlist that was just for a road trip, and I ended up listening to this playlist more than any other, even when I’m riding. So it has more to do with what a song transmits to me when I’m listening.
It sounds like you play anything to what fits the mood and nothing specific, or you don’t like to be stuck in one kind of music area. You listen to a bit of everything.
Yeah, and there are some days that I want to listen to reggae all day, and I don’t even realize it, but I’m just only listening to that. Somedays I like listening to some Cuban style music, and I like to spend all day with that, and it just flies. I don’t know, I’m just a little crazy in that way, I guess (laughs).
How does your music change when you’re practicing versus in the finals at a competiton?
When I’m competing, I sort of have the same playlist all the time. I keep adding more songs to it. It’s the same because it’s music that I know gets me in the right place, and that gets me motivated.
In this one playlist, you throw in more songs that get you hyped and focused, but it’s not just one genre?
Yeah, very different types of song. But for example, when there is a song that I’m riding to and everything works, I just keep playing it again when I’m competing.
What are you usually listening to when you’re hitting the gym or working out?
In the gym, I’ll listen to hip hop and reggaeton.
Earlier, you mentioned that you have a playlist with music from snowboard movies. Can you explain a few of those movies that influenced you?
Mostly like some of the riders that always have really sick tunes, for example like Nicolas Müller, Kazu Kokubo, or even going all the way back to Devun Walsh. There are just some video parts that I really liked the song. When you listen to the song without the video, it sounds completely different. Like for example, I would send a song to my brother or someone, and he’d be like ‘it’s not that sick.’ But when you have seen the video, for me, it’s super special. So it just sounds different. It sounds much better.
I get what you mean. It’s like, you know a specific part of the song goes to a sick section of the video, and you have that playing in your head.
Yeah, that’s it, you can picture the exact trick or that spot, and it gets you really excited. So that’s also why I listen to songs from snowboard movie.
That’s super rad. So you’ve taken the time to make a playlist of your favorite video parts?
When I watch snowboarding movies and hear a song I really like, I watch the credits and look it up afterward and put it in my playlist. On Spotify, there is some playlist already made that are only snowboarding movie too.
If you could go to a concert, who would you want to see performed live?
It depends who I am with. I love live music, and I really don’t think I could choose just one artist.
What if you were back home in Spain with all your friends?
I would probably go and listen to someone local. I would rather go to something from a local home country like someone that’s Catalonian or Spanish. When I’m home, I like to watch local people because it’s the best crowd and when I’m in another country, I would instead watch a concert from a local, and see what they like.
If you could choose any song for a video part, what would you pick?
I’d probably pick some Spanish music to make it a bit more personal and make it different.
Are you a fan of karaoke?
I’m not a fan, but I enjoy it. I’ve always had the best time in karaoke bars. Every time I’ve been to Japan, we do karaoke, and it’s super fun.
Japan is big on karaoke. If there’s anywhere in the world to do it, it’s in Japan.
You have to do it. I remember when I was working with Yonex, those guys were rad. I mean, Tokyo is huge, but these guys knew all the places because they were from there, and they would bring me everywhere, and karaoke was obviously part of the program. It was so much fun, and the next day you are friends with everybody.
Do you have a go-to karaoke song?
I would always go for some Pat Benatar stuff for sure.
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