Juanes: The Man And The Myth Exclusive

06-05-2006 09:45

by Simon Thompson

Before you read on, understand this. Juanes may be one of the biggest and sexiest male music stars to come out the Latino music scene for almost a decade, but he is not like anything, or anyone, that has come before. Forget Enrique Iglesias; forget Ricky Martin but remember Juanes.His heritage and his passion - and his 15 Latin Grammys - set him head and shoulders above the rest.In his homeland of Columbia, Juanes is revered and a megastar, however, he has turned his temporarily back on fame and fortune and risked failure to try and break Britain.

In the UK, Juanes is, with the greatest of respect, a nobody. However, this nobody managed to sell out his first major London show in just one hour. That is the find of ticket mania that is usually reserved for acts like Madonna, Red Hot Chilli Peppers of the UK’s own object of pop idolatry, Robbie Williams.

In Columbia, Juanes can’t walk down the street for getting mobbed by fans. In the UK, Juanes could walk down the street and probably no-one would bat an eyelid - unless they were trying to catch a glimpse of his Adonis-like physique.In Columbia, every woman wants him, and every man wants to be him. In the UK, he’s just a man.

Singing in Spanish and Spanish only, Juanes has been almost entirely absent from UK radio playlists. However, his debut single in the country, ‘La Camisa Negra’, made it into the Top 40, and his latest album - ‘Mi Sangre’ - has become one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed of the season. Demand has been so high that some retailers have even run out of copies.Everything is against Juanes making it in the UK, but there is one thing that is for him, and it’s a big thing. The record buying public. They don’t know what he’s saying, but whatever it is, it’s struck a chord, they like it and they want more.There’s no denying that Juanes has arrived in Britain with a bang.

Born Juan Esteban Aristizaba, the former lead singer of Columbian metal band, Ekhymosis, started playing guitar at the age of seven. In 1992, his second solo album - Un Dia Normal - stayed at number one in Billboard’s Latin album charts for two whole years.

Achievements and firsts are his specialities; however tragedy and conflict are his bedfellows of misfortune that pump the blood round the body of his work.

Juanes’ cousin was executed by kidnappers, and a close friend was killed by gunmen, and then also lost his father to cancer.

However, those cruel twists of fate far from broke the singer - the grief made him stronger and even more determined to tell the world what it’s like to be Columbian- the love, the hate, the joy and the torment, the good and the bad. The truth.

Time magazine have already counted him as of the 100 most influential people in the world today. Simon Thompson caught up with the singer in London recently to find out why Juanes - the troubled troubadour - would rather suffer failure than endure the hell of knowing he’d never tried.

You’ve won 15 Latin Grammys and have millions of fans but you’re an unknown in the UK. How do you find that?

It see it as a great opportunity and so starting again somewhere new is, for me, just part of the process. I started in Columbia 18 years ago. I was in a rock band and then I started my solo career six years ago but my first step in Europe was in Spain so we’ve been concentrating on that market until now. People in places like France, Switzerland and of course in the UK started to get more interested in what I have been doing so I thought I’d give it a shot. It is a surprise because I never thought it would happen, especially as I only sing in Spanish.

But after all your success, do you mind having to prove yourself all over again?

Not at all, because after 18 years it’s actually fun to go back to square one. It’s a challenge. I’m not worried that when I go to a new country people don’t know me when I walk down the street. It’s something that’s really nice actually. All I want to do is keep sharing my music with people. For me to be able to meet someone who doesn’t know me or what I do and to get their feedback and teach them about my culture and my music is a very special thing. It’s important to me not to be lazy or to just sit back and be satisfied with the easy life. Every bit of promotion or interview I do is like building a bridge or opening a new door - you never know what’s on the other side or what it might lead to and that’s what keeps it exciting for me.