Disney+ Combines Karol Sevilla From ‘Soy Luna’ With Latin America Mystery-Drama ‘Siempre Fui Yo’
The following review may contains spoilers for Siempre Fui Yo
Disney+ has a new series to entertain Latin American viewers. The series starts with a young Mexican girl named Maria Guadalupe del Mar Diaz, or Lupe for short, receiving news of her father’s death, so she flies to Cartagena, Columbia, to attend the funeral. Her father, Silvestre Diaz, was a music sensation known as El Faraón, or The Pharaoh in English. As Lupe prepares to return to Mexico, she notices something seems off with her father’s death, so she enters a music competition run in honor of her father. Her father’s assistant Noah signs up for the competition with her since they must be a band to enter.
Karol Sevilla, who previously starred as Luna Valente, the lead in Disney Channel’s Soy Luna telenovela, takes on the role of Lupe, while Pipe Bueno lends his voice to her search as her music partner Noah. Christian Tappan stars as the musical Faraón. Set against the backdrop of sandy Caribbean beaches, Lupe must deal with a jealous brother, the grief of losing her father, a rising romance, and facing her fears of singing in public.
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Siempre Fui Yo does an excellent job of balancing the serious side of the drama with upbeat songs from the music competition and from the Pharaoh’s life story. As Lupe discovers the truth behind her father’s death, she makes friends with Angie, a participant in the competition. Together the two seek to unravel the mystery while Angie helps Lupe overcome her stage fright and encourages her as she develops feelings for Noah. In the meantime, Lupe investigates her father’s business partner, Lucas Martin, who argued with the Pharaoh about the direction of the music competition.
The story is told through Lupe’s adventures in the present day and in flashbacks to when her father was still alive. The cast is rounded out by Lupe’s brother Pipe, who enters the competition with his friend Charly, and a band called Lumina, who find themselves in an unexpected love triangle. Angie plays the drums for the band while Kevin strums the guitar and Sammy sings. As the competition continues, Angie develops feelings for Sammy while Sammy admits that he likes Kevin.
Grief is a central theme in the series, not only for Lupe and Pipe, the Pharaoh’s kids but for all of his fans as well. Pipe harbors anger at Lupe and her mother for leaving the country and her father. This feud shows up masterfully in the music competition. Even after his death, The Pharaoh remains a significant presence throughout the series. Murals of the musician decorate the walls of restaurants and stores all across Cartagena. Kevin gets his hands on the Pharaoh’s guitar at one point. Even the music competition is named El Camino Del Faraón, or The Way of the Pharaoh. The idea is to launch the next Columbia superstar to follow the path of the Pharaoh.
As the series goes on, Lupe’s investigation grows more dangerous, and she finds her world turned upside down. The truth eludes Lupe and the rest of Cartagena for most of the series as she learns who she can trust and who she should never have trusted. However, the series offers just enough suspense to keep viewers entertained. In a refreshing change of pace, the show relies on the strength of the characters rather than ending episodes on a cliffhanger to convince viewers to come back for more. At a breezy ten episodes, averaging about 40 minutes each, Siempre Fui Yo is a delightful way to spend the weekend if you find yourself in the mood for mystery, music, sunshine, and romance.
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