My first memory is of waking up on a bus journey in Quito, aged 5. I have always wondered where we were going!
My early childhood was full of adventure; riding my bike on the hills of Quito by myself from 7am until curfew time at 7pm, jumping on the river stones in the city river with a group of 20+ friends, istening to Latin music all day, cumbia, merengue, salsa, and the first reggeaton hits by El General!
At nine I became an older brother and a mini parent simultaneously, as both my parents worked all day.
From my mother I inherited her generosity, from my father, his voice.
I’ve been influenced by priests and hard rocking musicians. I’ve tried to pick up the best qualities from all the people I’ve met.
The moment I knew I was going to be a musician was when I was 14. I was at my best friend’s house watching videos on MTV and they were showing a Metallica concert. On the interval of the song “The Four Horseman” Lars Ulrich, the drummer, gets up from the drum kit, runs frantically across a massive stage set to another kit and hits exactly at the right time to continue with the song! I thought then, that’s what I want to do for a living!
When I was growing up, London was the musical capital of the world and the place to be if you wanted to make music. I dreamt for years to see the inside of a London music recording studio, I would never have believed it if they told me then I was going to master my albums at the one and only Abbey Road!
I was a bit of a wild child, raging thorough depression and anxiety. My mum travelled to London two years before and helped me come here in December 2000. I began to recover my senses and get back on track. I started studying psychology and then Music Production and Sound Enginering. Through this I started recording my first studio album “Hablame”
The best piece of advice I’ve been given was after a gig which went wrong in 1994. I blamed the sound guy for how bad it went and one of my best friends told me: “In life there are excuses and results and the excuses don’t count”
Coming to London was a dream come true and surpassed all my expectations; lots of getting lost in the tube, learning the language, a bit confusing and intimidating at times but 6 months after I found my rhythm and got comfortable.
My darkest moment was when I lost my voice. For 6 months I couldn’t even speak. Is this the end? I thought. Not knowing if I was going to recover was the most horrible feeling ever. I had to build resilience and lots of patience. Luckily, I recovered and started a new chapter with so much more focused on me and the quality of the songs I was writing.
My biggest breakthrough was recording my first album and it selling out in first week of release, then winning awards for the album, wow! Being nominated and winning important awards which came with amazing feedback from artists who I have admired for so long.
Being Latino is a great privilege. We are always looking for ways to get things done and find solutions. That may not sit well with Health and Safety regulations sometimes but it has always given me ways of dealing with things when others might just give up.
My greatest pleasure is my guitars. I love just looking at them. I feel so happy I can actually play the instrument but I adore my collection and it makes me smile every day when I see them on my way out.
My worst nightmare is...cables!! Absolutely hate them, they tangle and a lot of times you’d forget a small one which is essential to make the rest of the equipment work.
I would tell my younger self (although he probably wouldn’t listen, because he thinks he knows best) that he doesn’t need to rush, just to be in the right place when the right moment comes, and to pay attention in maths because he will need that!
The thing I most love about London is that it gives you the freedom of being whoever you want to be, without judgement. Playing live and seeing people enjoy what they are hearing, meeting and collaborating with new amazing talents. Having the opportunity to play in amazing landmark venues.
My unexpected moments? I once rode the Northern Line up and down four times because I kept falling asleep. At a Metallica concert, there were these scary, hardest-looking guys by me who I thought were going to lynch me. Then I lost my balance, and one of them helped me up. We became very good friends after that.
My perfect Sunday in London…is having a fresh super cold pint of lager with a fine quality pub Sunday roast watching a good game of football. Waterloo Bridge. Greenwich. And waling to Southwark from Tower bridge.
My favourite word in English? Fantastic!
The word I most dislike... The C word
Carlos Paul will perform a high-energy throwback to Latin rock set at LatinoLife in the Park. Moving from Soda Stereo and Aterciopelados to Los Prisioneros and Maná, the set is built around the anthems that defined a generation—loud, familiar, and made to sing along to. www.latinolifeinthepark.com
