Guitarricadelafuente never planned to act, but that changed when Los Javis spotted him at Primavera Sound. He thought they wanted a song. Instead, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi handed him a script and offered him the lead in La bola negra. His career took a sharp turn.
For Álvaro Lafuente Calvo, better known by his stage name, this was no cameo. The directors wrote the role of Sebastián for him, trusting his presence and sensitivity to carry a story that jumps between eras and draws from Federico García Lorca’s unfinished work. This is Guitarricadelafuente’s first big acting job, and the film is already drawing buzz before it even hits theaters.
He was born in Benicasim (Castellón) on August 27, 1997. Now 29, he has family roots in Las Cuevas de Cañart in Teruel, where summers meant traditional music. His great-grandfather taught jota and bandurria to local kids, while his grandmother played both. One of his first memories is learning chords from her. That shaped his style and even his name: Guitarricadelafuente, a nod to his guitar and surname.
He picked up a guitar at 14 and learned by watching YouTube videos. He recorded songs in his bedroom using a PlayStation mic. In 2017, while studying architecture, he started posting on Instagram. It took off fast. Songs like Guantanamera and especially Nana triste, his duet with Natalia Lacunza, put him in the national spotlight. His first album, La cantera, dropped in 2022. Spanish Leather followed, and his audience grew beyond Spain.
Acting had always been in the back of his mind. As a kid, he dreamed of writing scripts and being on screen. La bola negra gave him that shot. He plays Sebastián, a young gay prison guard during the Spanish Civil War who hides his true self. This was new ground for Guitarricadelafuente. He joined Penélope Cruz and Lola Dueñas in the cast, alongside Miguel Bernardeau and Carlos González. On the podcast La Script, Javier Calvo said Guitarricadelafuente’s gaze is pure cinema. He brings a rare sensitivity from music to film.
Music stayed close to the project. The film’s original song, La nieve, was written with Raül Refree. Guitarricadelafuente wrote it after immersing himself in Sebastián’s story. Part of the inspiration came from the last letter Federico García Lorca sent to Rafael Rodríguez Rapún. The soundtrack carries that history.
Before this, his only film work was composing for Nada será igual, a 2019 movie about school bullying. That was a small step. Now, with La bola negra, he stands at the crossroads of music and film, playing a character shaped by Spain’s past and his own growth as an artist.
He started as a self-taught guitarist in a small town. Now he could be the face of a film that might represent Spain at the Oscars. Los Javis took a risk casting him, a bold move for Spanish cinema that reflects the industry’s hunger for real, cross-genre voices. Guitarricadelafuente’s story links tradition with change, capturing the risk that marks a new wave of Spanish artists.
