Looking like a true rock star, Juanes appears on my screen in dark glasses and a hoodie, as if trying to conceal himself. But it’s early in the morning in Miami, and he’s probably only attempting to hide having just got out of bed. From previous experiences I know Juanes is the least diva and most open and friendly of pop-stars.
There is no need to start by asking Juanes for the tracks he’d wish to have on a desert island should he ever be stranded, as sometimes we do. His latest album Origen (Origin), which just won the Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album, tells you all need to know about the artists who most influenced him in his formative years. In his interpretations, he gives a nod to Latin American legends such as Dominican Juan Luis Guerra, Mexican Juan Gabriel and Ecuador’s Julio Jamarillo, aswell as icons of tango and Argentine rock, Carlos Gardel and Fito Paez, Spanish trovador Joaquin Sabina, Bob Marley and even Bruce Springsteen.
It’s interesting that the Medellin rockero, whose massive hits La Camisa Negra and A Dios le Pido were the anthems of the 00s, has done this tribute album, when every mature Latin artist seems to be trying to hop onto the reggaetón-pop bandwagon that Colombia is now famous for. Juanes doesn’t react defensively, when I suggest he might have been tempted. In fact, he says, the Colombian reggaetón pop machine that has catapulted Maluma, Camilo, J Balvin and Karol G to unprecedented global fame, is bringing long over-due attention to Colombia’s rich musical heritage.
“I feel really happy and proud of the impact Colombian music is having on the world, mainly because we’ve known for years what depth and variety Colombian music has and the fact that the world is coming to appreciate that after so many years of negative publicity about Colombia is fantastic. In the mainstream, you see reggaetón, but you find very cool bands here, from punk and rock to salsa and merengue, all different styles, so the new attention sheds light on that and it’s amazing.”
It’s no surprise that a country that has an unparalleled appreciation, openness and knowledge of imported music, not to mention the quality of its own, has come to be one of the biggest exporters of Latin music, embracing foreign genres such as salsa and reggaetón, and turning out its own versions with even greater success. Juanes agrees.
“I was in Medellin last week and when I went to the studio to record with a new artist I was so impressed by the technique of the musicians, from the drummer to the bass player, the piano player, the singer, the song writer, the quality is amazing so that makes me happy and these artists moving things worldwide is also moving things in Colombia, because people know if you want to find great songwriters and musicians you have to go to Medellin.”
What Juanes is referring to is that his own city of Medellin, once only known abroad as the home of Pablo Escobar, is now widely considered to be one of the most powerful music cities in the world, the mecca for reggaetón production outside San Juan and Miami.
Do you feel part of this new Colombian music landscape?
“I do my own thing but I feel part of it. I am like a piece in a chain that has been growing since the 60s; from Toto la Momposina, Joe Arroyo to Shakira and Carlos Vives, I am just one more link and I feel happy and proud to be part of that chain.”
Medellin's current reputation as a music powerhouse started with the legendary label Discos Fuentes (founded in 1934), which has kept recording Colombian musicians throughout their 90 year history. In the context of Medellin's musical enthusiasm, it doesn’t seem strange that Juanes, one of the city’s most famous outputs, has chosen to dedicate an album to the Latin American songbook that inspired him. In the accompanying documentary film, titled Juanes: Origen he explains his relationship with each song he chose to cover, intercepted with his performances of them.
It’s amazing how contemporary Carlos Gardel’s Volver sounds in your version, I comment, surprised by Juanes’ inclusion of the tango by 1930s Uruguayan/Argentine crooner Carlos Gardel.
“The influence of Argentine music on me was very strong. My brother would sing Carlos Gardel every day, he had all the vinyls and knew all the songs. He was obsessed with Gardel. Tango music is massively popular here, in fact Carlos Gardel died in Medellin. It was Gardel’s home from home. People here love tango music in a very extreme way. We heard him all the time when I was a kid and he is one of my heroes. I love his music so much.”
Indeed, at one point, Medellin was considered the tango capital of the world, and the Medellin Government still organises the city’s International Festival of Tango. Medellin was to tango what Cali is to salsa, where fans gather together to share vinyls in big conference-like ‘salsatecas’, sharing their devotion and knowledge.
“We listened to a lot of Chilean and Argentine folk too,” continues Juanes. “the first show that I ever went to was Los Viscontis and then came Argentine rock…Seru Giran, Charly Garcia, Fito Paez, Soda Stereo…”
“Spinetta?” I mention
“Oh my God, please, he is a genius! Spinetta has a big connection with tango, very similar harmonies. And of course Gustavo Cerati is like a God for me.”
You’d be forgiven for thinking Juanes is a bigger fan of other people’s music than his own, which is an endearing quality in this era of self-hype. Juanes’ passion for diverse music is not only evident in his song choice; his arrangements of each song is a nod to different styles. For example, Joe Arroyo’s La Rebelión is done in a psychedelic rock style, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark ‘ almost folk and balladic, with a touch of country and western with the twang of the resonator guitar.
How did you decide on the treatment to give each song and how difficult was this?
“At the beginning to be honest I was a bit scared, because these songs are really iconic. I was sure someone was gonna hate it. So I tried to approach them with love and respect and build the songs again for myself in my own style and it was fun. We wanted to do things completely different from the original and to bring influences from the Caribbean and Pacific coast, include cumbia elements and of course the guitar. We did it with a lot of passion and it was relaxing because I was not writing and recording my own music and it was a journey into who I am and where I come from, so it was very special.”
While there is no Beatles song in the repertoire, the videos of both Juan Gabriel’s No tengo dinero and Julio Jamarillo’s bolero Nuestro Juramento are done in the style of The Beatles, as if Juanes is paying tribute to the Beatles through aesthetics rather than song choice.
“Of course! I mean…I don’t know how to explain how I feel about The Beatles. Look at this…” says Juanes, pointing behind him to a Colombian flag, and a picture of the Beatles. “I was crying when I saw that documentary about them. I still listen to the albums.”
The enduring image I have of the young Juanes, however, is of the metalero more than rockero. I mention to him that this marks him as a true child of Medellin because, I met more heavy metal fans in Medellin back in the 90s than I ever met anywhere. Juanes was probably one of them.
“Yes! we were very into heavy metal,” he laughs. “I think because of the situation we were living, the violence around us, we found through heavy metal a kind of release for all the anger and fear and energy we had, heavy metal became an outlet to express that, so it changed my life and saved my life. It’s still very popular."
“I remember all the metaleros I met in Medellin hated vallenato music," I laugh. "Because, they said all the narcos liked vallenato”
“I experienced that,” he admits. “Because when I was a metalhead, I used to also love vallenato music and my friends would get really angry with me and say ‘why are you listening to vallenato, that’s the worst music in the world!”
“That’s why I was expecting a heavy metal track on your album, like Metallica, Black Sabbath or something," I prompt. "I was a bit surprised by the Springsteen…”
“There were other artists I could have chosen," Juanes confesses. "But Springsteen really was part of my childhood because we played him in my house all the time. My sister had a boyfriend and he used to go to the US and bring back vinyl. So he first introduced me to Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Rush Van Halen, Pink Floyd and also Bruce Springsteeen. He was not that popular in Colombia but I listened to Born in the USA and I was like, what the hell is this, his great voice and his videos, the way he danced...he moved so freely in his own style.”
I admit that I too am a big Springsteen fan but I wouldn’t say I was representative of the Latin community by being so. I am curious as to Juanes’ love affair with Springsteen.
Surely, you were an anomaly in being a fan and why choose Dancing in the Dark of all his songs?
“It’s curious because I never understood the words to that song when I was young, I just loved his voice and the music. But when I listened to it recently and was translating the lyrics from English to Spanish I thought wow he’s talking about someone really vulnerable, and I can’t believe the feelings he's talking about are feelings I have now! So it was really something that touched my heart.”
I ponder briefly on those lyrics which convey a man looking in the mirror ‘tired and bored with myself’ and needing a spark to light his fire. Feeling a bit awkward about prying any further into why Juanes might feel like this, I move on quickly to ask if he ever saw Springsteen, or the high-energy five-hour concerts he is known for.
“Yes! I saw him perform in New York about 5 years ago, and we were in a quite small theatre for a Sirius Xm show. Then I met him in person in the South by South West festival and he seemed to be such a nice person.”
So, Where do you go from here in terms of your own musical style and ambitions? Do you have a clear idea of the music you want to do next?
“I just finished my new album about a month ago. I started to write music in the pandemic and then produced it with (Argentine-American producer) Sebastian Krys who worked with Elvis Costello. During lock down I had time to study music harmony, singing and spent time with my kids I have three kids 18,17,12 we were all at home and it was a weird time, but I took advantage of the time to do things I couldn’t do before because I didn’t have the time. We’ll probably release it by the end of this year and I’m very happy because I had time to write new songs, which maintain the rock and punk that I love with traditional Colombian music."
“Well we can’t wait to see you here in the UK!”
"Thank you! I'm looking forward to being in London again too!"
Juanes will perform at the Shepherd Bush Empire on July 20th Tickets here
