breakout year

Guitarricadelafuente releases ‘La nieve’ from his acting debut alongside Penélope Cruz amid Oscar buzz


The Spanish star drew inspiration from Federico García Lorca and his character Sebastián for the original song from 'La Bola Negra'


Guitarricadelafuente releases ‘La nieve’ from his acting debut alongside Penélope Cruz amid Oscar buzz© Kristy Sparow
Daniel NeiraSenior Writer
SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 6:01 PM EDT

Guitarricadelafuente is bringing his music and acting worlds together with the release of “La nieve,” an original song from La Bola Negra.

The Spanish singer-songwriter released the track on September 17 after writing it specifically for Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s new film, which also marks his acting debut alongside Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, Miguel Bernardeau, Lola Dueñas and Julio Torres.

The release of “La nieve” adds another milestone to Guitarricadelafuente’s breakout year in music and film.© Anadolu
The release of “La nieve” adds another milestone to Guitarricadelafuente’s breakout year in music and film.

The song arrives as 'La Bola Negra' heads into awards season. Spain has selected the film as its official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2027 Academy Awards, while “La nieve” has separately been submitted and accepted for consideration in the Best Original Song category.

The inspiration behind “La nieve”:

For Guitarricadelafuente, whose real name is Álvaro Lafuente Calvo, the song grew directly out of his experience playing Sebastián.

The title La Bola Negra references an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca, who was assassinated in 1936 at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.© Universal History Archive
“La nieve” was inspired by Federico García Lorca’s last letter and Guitarricadelafuente’s character in the film.

“I wanted ‘La nieve’ to come from the same emotional place as the characters in the film,” he said in a statement. “I was inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca’s last letter and also by my character, Sebastián. I thought about all of his unspoken feelings, and I had to live in that as an actor first to be inspired to write the song.”

La Bola Negra explores desire, repression, memory and queer identity across three generations.© Netflix
Guitarricadelafuente stars as Sebastián in Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s La Bola Negra.

The connection to Lorca runs throughout La Bola Negra. The film takes inspiration from the Spanish poet and playwright’s unfinished work of the same name and follows three generations of men across different periods of Spanish history, exploring desire, pain and truths buried by the past.

Guitarricadelafuente plays Sebastián, whose story unfolds in 1937. The role was written with the artist in mind by Calvo and Ambrossi, popularly known as Los Javis.

The Spanish singer-songwriter drew inspiration from his character Sebastián while writing “La nieve.”© Earl Gibson III
The Spanish singer-songwriter drew inspiration from his character Sebastián while writing “La nieve.”

From Cannes to the Oscar race:

'La Bola Negra' premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where Calvo and Ambrossi shared the Best Director prize, before continuing its festival run at Telluride and Toronto.

Guitarricadelafuente posed alongside Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Miguel Bernardeau and directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi at the La Bola Negra photocall during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.© Stephane Cardinale - Corbis
Guitarricadelafuente posed alongside Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Miguel Bernardeau and directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi at the La Bola Negra photocall during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Now, both the film and Guitarricadelafuente’s music are part of the awards conversation. While “La nieve” being accepted for consideration does not mean it has been shortlisted or nominated, it puts the singer-songwriter in contention for Best Original Song for music born directly from his first acting role.

The latest release adds to a breakout year for Guitarricadelafuente, who made his U.S. television performance debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this summer with “BABIECA!” and also performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

Guitarricadelafuente joined Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Penélope Cruz and Milo Quifes at the Canadian premiere of La Bola Negra in Toronto on September 15, 2026.© Cindy Ord
Guitarricadelafuente joined Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Penélope Cruz and Milo Quifes at the Canadian premiere of La Bola Negra in Toronto on September 15, 2026.

'La Bola Negra' opens in Spain on September 25 and begins its U.S. theatrical run on October 16 before arriving on Netflix in the U.S. and Canada on December 2.