Young Singer Eugenia Correia Fulfills Dream Backing Idol Amaia on RTVE New Year's Special

Eugenia Correia, a young singer from Lauredà, has described performing as a backing vocalist for Amaia—a former idol of hers—as the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.

The 20-year-old student at Barcelona's Escola Superior de Música Taller de Músics joined other advanced music pupils from the Sant Andreu institution to support the Navarrese artist during a high-profile rendition of "Aralar". The performance featured in RTVE's New Year's Eve special, *La casa de la música*, broadcast on Spain's main public channel on 31 December.

Correia had kept the opportunity under wraps for months due to production secrecy. Filming took place on 21 December at the vast Monastery of Iratxe in Navarra, Amaia's home region. The crew worked from morning until 1am amid freezing conditions, with participants wrapped in production-supplied blankets.

"It was an incredible production," Correia said. "There were cameras everywhere, top-level musicians in huge numbers, and creative ideas I couldn't believe. We had to learn our vocal parts and choreography, adapting to everyone else's style."

She praised the behind-the-scenes effort that transforms hours of work into a brief televised segment. "You see a three- or four-minute video on TV and have no idea what's involved. Being part of it shows how much labour goes into these shows."

Correia has followed Amaia since the singer's victory on *Operación Triunfo* in 2017, when she was just 12. "A girl that age never imagines she'll be involved in something like this at 20," she said. "I was so thrilled it felt like a dream—I couldn't tell reality from fiction amid all the emotions."

The Taller de Músics choir regularly tours with Amaia, and Correia jumped at the chance to contribute. "They asked if I wanted to take part, and I said yes 100%," she recalled. "It was unforgettable—intense, fun, and a real eye-opener."