From fan to competitor and, also, winner of OT 2025. Cristina Lora won several trophies that she wanted: not only the physique, and the 100,000 euros of the prize (to which are added 9,000 more for having been favorite three times), but also the opportunity to have her own musical career and the experience of having lived and learned in the Academy that she has watched so much since she was a child. Your authentic Operation Triumph.
How do you feel after winning?
Honestly, I don’t believe it, I’m completely dissociated right now. I’m very happy, obviously, but I think when I go home and all the information has absorbed a little bit, I’ll be aware of it. At the moment I’m not, but I’m very happy. It’s the dream of my life.
The spectators and some of her companions saw that she was clearly the winner. Has this happened to you too?
No, I didn’t think so. When you’re there, you never think you can win. And even more in this edition, I saw a lot of talent at Gala 0, I was really amazed. I watched the performances and saw that not only did they sing amazingly, but there was a lot of personality in their voices. Literally anyone could win. I saw Claudia Arenas, Téyou, Guillo Rist, Olivia as possible winners… So I didn’t expect that and, when I reached the final, my sure bet was Olivia. I 100% thought she won.
What was the first thing that came to mind when you heard your name when the winner was announced?
I don’t remember it. I thought about screaming and going to hug Laura, Carlos and Judit. And to our colleagues, who are the ones we’ve had this experience with and really no one else really understands what it’s like. But we’ve been through it all, so I thought of them.
What was the first thing you ate when you went out and couldn’t get into the Academy?
Christmas chocolate nougat. A lot, all the time. My father had two tablets ready for me.
Beyond being a candidate, were you able to benefit from the edition as a fan of OT?
Yes, totally. At first it was a bit strange because I knew the other editions very well. I would walk into the piano room and imagine Amaia playing, I saw him too much as a fan and not so much as a competitor. From the fourth week onwards I felt a little depressed, because I wasn’t very aware of what was going on inside and I was already thinking: “Wow, I’m competing and I have to enjoy it, because I’ll never see this again.”
And which edition would you have liked to appear in if it wasn’t this one?
OT 2017. It left its mark on my generation, it left its mark on all of Spain. Plus, it was a great new edition, they were all very innocent, no one knew anything, no one had any expectations and it was lived out… It was scandalous. I would have loved to be there.
The judges criticized him for not seeing progress because he had already started the program at a high level. Did you find their assessments fair?
I consider that OT It’s a development competition and the scores seemed very fair to me. For me, Olivia had a brutal evolution and in general there was a very high level all the time. Comparing yourself is very difficult and I don’t see it necessary either. I am very happy with the reviews.
Would you say you learned something about yourself OT?
In this experience I learned a lot, because I had no training in vocal technique. I had worked in musical theater, but without knowing my instrument, how to handle it or anything. So it’s very useful, especially when you get hurt too much or when you work so hard, as happens at the Academy, to spend 12 hours using your voice and working all the time. You have to know when to brake and how to use it. This is what I learned the most.
Some of his classmates entered the Academy. Has this happened to you and you didn’t express it well or handle it well?
I didn’t have too many downs. Yes, I started to cry a few times because people cry a lot in three months, and even more, I tell you. But being such a fan really helped me see everything from a different perspective. There were a lot of people who took it differently, but I think I had it very much under control and I knew it was a competition and nothing more. I wasn’t worried at all, I was very calm with what I had left out, I closed everything very well before entering the competition and that helped me a lot.
If you had to keep a moment of your stay OTWhat would it be?
What struck me the most and what I will remember most was the visit from Amaia and Aitana. Honestly, as a fan, I don’t mean as a competitor. Seeing them together, who themselves said they barely see each other, is very special because it happens very rarely. And what’s more, I was competing. I looked at myself and thought ‘what am I doing here right now with Aitana and Amaia 50 centimeters away’.
talk about OT 2017a photo of her as a child hugging Miriam Rodríguez as a fan went viral and they compare it to another in which they kiss in the finale.
It’s very crazy. It’s just that I’ve been to so many concerts. OTI have spent so many hours waiting in line. I’m such a fan, but a real fan. For me, it was already very hard to enter here, it was like experiencing everything I had seen on video and all the hours that I had swallowed up in the 24 hours that I put in every afternoon. And now seeing it from the other position is very crazy.
At the Academy, you were told that Spain would not go to Eurovision this year. What do you think of this decision, as a self-confessed Eurofan?
When I received the news, it was a shock, because, for Eurofans, it is very rare that a year there is no Eurovision. But at the same time, it seemed like a really good decision. There are much more important things in life right now than a music competition where people get murdered on the other side of the world. This is an extremely wise decision and I am very proud that we were one of the few countries to opt out. I am very proud as a country that we have made this decision.
And if you had to go to Eurovision one day, what kind of song would you do it with?
I think that’s a bit what I did here: between I’m breaking, La Noia And Uh Nana. Something to give to show.
Some gala costumes have been widely commented on. If you had to stay with one lookWhat would it be?
The locker room was for me the happiest place I was during the entire competition. It was cool, they’re great: Véro, Dani, Gala… It’s a really cool team. There is a Rosa in the wardrobe, who is the tailor, but she is not the famous Rosa from the other editions. And we can choose everything and, as soon as they see that you are not convinced, they will look for another option for you. What you see will be fixed in a second. Everything is super simple and they are super nice people. and my look favorite I would tell you… I felt very pretty in it The end of the world with Claudia Arenas, very rocker.
How do you prepare to handle fame now that you’re no longer in the Academy bubble?
Good, because I’m with Tinho and Olivia. If I had done all the promotion alone, I don’t know what I would be like. Additionally, the people are very educated. And I, having been and still being a fan of many people, I think that no one is more than the others. And people tell me that they followed the program a lot and that also seems very cool to me.
And, as a fan, when you turn on your phone, have you been surprised by a message from an artist?
I swear this happened to me about an hour ago, literally. Violeta Hódar wrote to me, María Escarmiento wrote to me and I was very excited. A lot OTitos Previous people have written to me, I’m panicking. But of course, Violeta, what can I tell you? It’s the best.
Could a collaboration arise from there?
Can you imagine? I name her everywhere and maybe she doesn’t want to do anything, which could also be perfectly true. But I would like to die of excitement.
Have you felt overwhelmed by the impact and all the attention you are currently receiving?
I don’t see much either. The first night we all watched TikTok together and it was so much fun. We only saw people falling, farting… Very funny things. I will never enter Twitter, I have already more than assimilated it. And when I arrive with my family, the most important things will be filtered to me a little.
Do you feel the pressure of being a role model for many young people?
I don’t know if pressure is the right word. This seems very nice to me, because all my references come from OTpractically. when it started OT 2017 I was 12 years old. And if I hadn’t seen this edition, I don’t know if I would be here right now. Maybe so, or maybe I would have chosen something else. But thanks to that, I discovered a world that I really liked. I don’t know if it’s pressure, it’s a very nice responsibility that I really like.
Where would you like to take your future career?
I have no idea, I’m not going to lie to you. This year I want to do music 100% and I want to concentrate because I have a very good opportunity and I want to take advantage of it. But I’m not going to close myself to anything: acting is what I’ve always done since I was little, it’s what I love doing the most and I would like to continue in musical theater, in cinema, in whatever; I’ve also been doing television since I was little and that also interests me a lot. I don’t close myself off from anything.
Are you going to choose a stage name, are you just going to add your last name…?
I don’t know. Nobody calls me Cristina at home, my friends call me Cristi or Cris. I named Cristina because OT 2023 Chris was there. So I put Cristina, which is also cool, and now people know me by Cristina. But I don’t know if I’ll come back to Cris, Cris Lora… I don’t know, I still have to think about it.
Rare are the artists who only use their name: Conchita, Aitana, Merche…
It’s just too important. I’m not Merche, sorry. I would love to be her, but I’m not.
If you could choose any artist (national or international) for a duet right now, who would it be?
I really like singer-songwriters, I really like Nil Moliner, El Kanka… And also Ana Mena, I admire her a lot. Ruslana, from OT 2023, and Violeta, who I already talked about. And Lola Indigo, Amaia…
And the other competitors?
I’ll tell you Judit, it could be very cool; with Laura, it would be incredible; or with Téyou, who has a voice… and it is perfect; with Claudia Arenas too, for example.
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