Abril Baglieri has been killing it in the streets of Argentina. We were excited to feature her, not only for her talent, but also her unique style and aesthetic as the Nocturnal issue could not be more fitting for this skater.
Photography by Jona Seufferheld
Do you have FOMO right now for not being in Milan?
Oh yes. It was the first time that I felt that because I always knew I didn’t have the chance to be there. I really feel I wished and dreamed to be there. That didn’t happen to me during Quad Cup. I like the sensation of competing and sharing that, it really excites me that I can see some people from my country being there. I liked seeing Luz, Barbie, Moco, especially Lucas.
So, do you enjoy competitions?
Yeah. I feel like it’s a moment where I can push myself harder. That day I spent all day watching the live of Milano Fest.
I don’t think I’d compete but it would be fun to be there to hang with everyone. Did you just shave your head?
Yeah, like a few days ago. I feel like a rat.
Did you just decide to do that and say, fuck it?
Yeah, it comes from inside and I let myself take away for the feeling. It was something I wanted to do, and it felt like the right moment was now. I’m so relieved I don’t have that weight of mine. It’s a crazy sensation. It was my first time. We took some pictures, and we recorded all the moments I shaved my head, and I think it got a meaning and a proposal.
Well, it looks fucking badass. I like it.
I feel this is my most punk moment ever. Also discovered my alien side. I can’t explain the pleasure of doing this. I mean fuck, it’s awesome. I gave up the mask. At the same time, I feel that nobody can watch me. I got that power and it’s amazing.
You are very fitting with our theme this issue. Just your style of skating and clothing and music, so it is perfect. Very nocturnal, like a rat.
I really like that. The pics when I shaved my head was bad. It was like an excuse. I really want to do this. It was like it all got a meaning.
So, was it for Fantom when you shaved it for the article? That is fucking badass.
Yeah, and for my video part.
Do you live close to other skaters in Argentina?
Luz lives in the same city I live, in Cordoba, Argentina. But now I’m traveling around Mendoza and in a few weeks, I’m going to Buenos Aires. So, I wasn’t in my city long. I was there and then moving around. I feel like I was over held about being in my city. I need to change the air. I see Moco sometimes when I travel to Buenos Aires. We skated together a few times. I don’t know Barbie, just seen each other at the skatepark one time.
Barbie’s a sweetheart. I love her. Same with Moco and Luz. I was just curious if you have a big scene there or a lot of people to skate with?
I skate alone a lot. It’s not my favorite thing but I feel I connect so much with music and skating by myself. I like to share with somebody else but it’s kind of hard for me to find someone. It feels like it happens sometimes, and I really like it. When I was in Buenos Aires, I was staying at Anita’s house. She has a good style. We match so much in our type of skating and what we like in music, humor, everything. I really like to share, but I’m always in a mood lonelier, more on myself, more introverted. It’s hard to connect but when I do, I really love it.
I feel like it’s hard to find people that you connect with while skating, it’s rare.
It’s that feeling.
I feel like I could tell you like doing your own thing, watching you skate. Especially in clips you seem to have your headphones in feeling the music. We have a similar taste in music.
Yeah. That was the part that excites me more about doing the interview. I know you already like the same music. These last few weeks, I broke my AirPods so it’s kind of hard to reconnect with skating without music. I feel like it’s my hardship. I can’t switch off my mind. I can’t turn off my thinking. That’s why music helps me a lot.
What is your number one song that’s going to amp you up to do a big trick?
When I have to do the things that scare me or are more dangerous, I always listen to the same song by Deftones that is called “Elite.” It’s fucking sick to listen to the track and waiting when the song hits to go for it.
Karli’s going to love that. She is a huge Deftones fan.
It’s one of my favorite bands. I feel like I changed my music a lot. It is like moments. But Sabbath, a lot of metal, stoner, doom. Now I’m also listening to a lot of local bands from my city and my country.
Do you listen to Mercyful Fate? I think you’re going to love it.
I don’t but send them to me. I have a band that is local that you will really like called Mephistopheles. They are from Argentina, but they do stoner and doom music in English. I think you’d really like it. It’s all underground. The kind of music that I’m hearing now. So just shows with only 100 people.
We should skate together and blast music on a speaker. How long have you been skating?
I started skating four years ago, in 2020.
What made you start skating?
I really liked the feeling of having wheels on. I never did artistic roller skating or derby. The closest thing was having those skates with metal that you can hang around your shoes. The first time I skated I went to the streets.
You went straight to the streets?
Yes, I skate in the streets, going to some little stairs or whatever. Really playing, just figure out how to move. I feel like it was kind of part of me, the moves and skating around. When I was a kid, I had a skateboard. I also went to the streets. Small things, doing a shuv-it or something like that.
I wish I could skateboard, but I feel like if I tried and broke something while skateboarding, I would be so pissed at myself.
I feel that. Also, the progress is harder. It takes more time to progress.
Well, I feel like you’ve been progressing fast on roller skates
Yeah. The first time I started skating I feel like I was crazier than I am now. I can throw myself from that place, jump the stairs, don’t think about it. Just trust.
Trusting yourself is key. I always tell myself to trust my ability because you know what you are capable of. It’s a mental game.
But when you first start it’s like searching for adrenaline. You want higher, more and more to feel that feeling.
Are you filming a street part right now?
Yes, yes. I’m filming a street part with Seba Seufferheld. We started filming a few months ago and it changed my mind for good and for bad. It’s a different way to skate when you’re filming, when you have your head in, you’ve always got your mind in that, thinking, pushing harder, searching spots. You don’t always finish a sesh with a good feeling. You hit the spot but sometimes it’s so not you.
It’s a roller coaster of emotions with filming always. Where you have really high-highs and really low-lows.
Yeah, just like that. You end up just hating even your filmer. You can skate from different moods. The filming part is my favorite and what I like most is to create something. A long time ago I was planning on doing this and I don’t have any filmer in my city and I don’t have a good cell phone, and it was kind of hard to create something. Then I connected with Seba, and it was like doors were opening and we were playing with artistic stuff. Working with art, not only sports, sharing something else like a lifestyle like that. That’s what I like the most.
I feel that 100%. That connection with finding a filmer to start a project is always the hardest. It teaches you patience, which is one of my worst qualities. My first two parts I didn’t know anyone. I just moved to Colorado and met skateboard filmers and became friends with them. It is hard to say sometimes skateboard filmers are pretentious since they aren’t as open minded to filming a roller skater. Partially because most don’t know what we are capable of. So, finding someone that has your back or wants to be your teammate through it is hard.
That gets into a hundred, that puts his heart and his spirit in the project. I’m happy working with Seba. It’s like, I know him, he’s a big inspiration and just sharing skating together. He gets the view that I want of the spot, and he always knows how to get everything better. He always got the perfect vision. Sometimes when he is filming, I hit a spot and it is hard with my tricks. I mean, he’s jumping the stairs with me. He’s doing everything so crazy. I’d really like to do some backstage of that.
Tell him that Megan says hi when you see him next.
Yeah. We’re talking about this a few minutes ago because I was saying I was so nervous because this is totally out of my comfort zone talking to you. Talking in English. I never do this. I work a few times in a bar where I only can speak in English because they are all outsiders, England, New Yorkers. So, it feels like I broke the ice. I never do video calls with my friends either, but I am feeling well. I was nervous.
Well, I think you’re doing great. I just wanted to connect with you over video because it is more personal. Your English is very good. Before I do any interviews, especially with musicians, I get nervous. Then afterwards I think it was so fun. I had never interviewed anyone before Fantom Magazine.
Yeah, it’s more organic over video. By doing it this way. You can express yourself differently.
When you are not skating, you work at a bar and make jewelry?
Yes. I make jewelry. I think it is called goldsmith made in English. But here in Argentina, in Spanish it’s called Orfebreria. I like to work with stones.
So cool. Can you make me something?
I would love to. I would like to get more into the office and live off this, but it’s kind of hard for me. Spending money on that, they may grow the job.
Buying all that material to make it is probably expensive. But you have to purchase all the materials.
Yeah. At this moment I’m not 100% focused on that. Spending my money on what I need, and I want to grow a little more. I would really like to focus that way because I would love it to be my job and never work for anyone else.
Then just skate.
Yes. The lifestyle that I want is working for that. Where my work allows me to travel. Then I can skate around other places. I think it is where I am putting my energy on. Right now, I am more into skating, but I feel like jewelry is a part of myself and I also like skating. It’s where I connect with myself. It’s so important to have something that it’s not skating because you lose yourself, you lose your mind if you don’t have anything else. Like if the most important thing is skating, you cannot connect with art.
That is very important because when I was in California just skating and working for Fantom, I was going crazy. I was so focused on skating only that it was not good for my mental health because I’m so intense about it.
You can’t enjoy it the same way when the only thing you do is that. I think jewelry also, it’s like meditating. I feel the same while I am skating. Stopping the time when you’re so into it and your mind and you can spend six hours working on something and you don’t even notice.
I love that. I didn’t even know you made jewelry until five minutes before I called you. That’s so cool.
Yeah, it’s a beautiful world, the jewelry.
Do you have a name for your video part yet or no?
No, no. I think of a few, but I don’t have a name. I think I need to solve everything so I can feel the match. A lot of songs cross my mind. It’s like when I’m skating, when I am in the mood of skating, I think of a song that feels like in the moment.
Right. So how are you supposed to find a song for all the moments of your video part?
Yeah. Usually when I got clips, I used the songs that I am listening to during the trick. I will probably use Deftones.
Do you have your ender yet or not yet?
No. I think about a lot of things. I’ve been filming a lot of lines and long clips, but now I have to do the stuff more like one through another hits. Stunt clips when I can get stronger. The thing that I like most are rails, so I would like to be that ender. But I think I also saw a long drop and a gap that is right after, but I want to put more time into this project. I think when I feel the moment that I give everything, it will be put out.
I feel like I can see you doing a rough mizu on a handrail for the ender. Has anyone ever told you that you looked like an actress named Amanda Peet?
Amanda Peet, I don’t know her.
Yeah, she was in a lot of stuff in the ‘90s, but she’s gorgeous. You look just like her.
I never hear that. It’s like a kind of good doppelganger.
It’s a compliment, don’t worry. Where do you want to see roller skating go? What would be your ideal situation?
The thing that I enjoy the most is that people create something that feels like it’s their thing, their video part. I think it’s something new to create. That floor is not touched yet, but it’s only a few and I think that will change to new levels. After watching Silvia’s part that just came out, I don’t think I have watched anything like that. I think she leveled up. It inspires me to push harder. When something new drops, you can see what they can do. I want to see video parts growing. You can hang with your friends and watch video parts that motivate you, inspire you, makes you think of something new to try. I want everything pushing harder. Like the level, the craziest things to do. I don’t think it will stop. It will go harder and farther to where quad skaters will be dropping off roofs, something big. I think the industry must even change the skates, everything. Something to support us because I don’t feel much support from the types of skates we’re using. I think that everything will change like the way sliders changed. Sliders at the beginning, it sucks.
The evolution has been crazy.
I think we are doing a lot of what we have with technology. I think it’s going to scale. Then I really like to see that it grows with opportunities like work, like support. I really like the community and industry in Latin America, and everything gets better for us. It’s kind of hard here.
I’ve only been to Colombia, but I would love to plan a trip and skate out there.
The streets here are insane. The floor, everything, it’s kind of hard to skate, but it’s also fun. Everything has more difficult things that you can watch in a video. Almost jump a big rail. You have shit floor to land on. I want to travel. Be able to do it by skating.
Next year I could see you coming to the U.S. or going to Milano next year. I’m always just trying to manifest what I can do next. Since I finished filming my part, now I just want to travel. Go to London or Argentina and meet skaters. Can we go to that out ledge spot with a big drop?
Yeah, that’s Puerto Madero. Yeah, I think it’s one of my favorite spots. The floor is so clean. It goes down and it’s high. One beautiful spot. Yeah, it’s fun for me. Whenever you want to come here. I’m from Cordoba and you come to my place, the doors are open.
