Juanes recently stopped by briefly and sat down with the MY LifeStyle Magazine team at the Perez Art Museum in Miami. “Did you hear the album? he asks. I know we artists always say the same thing, (Laughs) of course I saw it, I heard the whole presentation of the album.” @Hispanicize
Yeah, but you’ve obviously haven’t read my article yet about the album.
J: No, I don’t know what you will write should I be careful? What? You didn’t like it? (Laughs) You’ll read what I write, but what you feel is completely valid and doesn’t bother me.
Juanes poses for photos during an interview to promote his new album
What’s the deal with the astronaut?
J: You know, it’s scary, but it’s kind of what I’m looking for now, just to take the risk and to go to different places and try different things. So it’s not about fear, it’s more about risk.
The girl and the necklace?
J: It’s all about cycles, things stop and sometimes things end, but now I just feel like writing new pages of my life or new chapters. So I feel really positive and at the same time really thankful of the past.
Colombian music is in my blood and my DNA. It’s the music I’ve heard since I was a child and it’s impossible to avoid. The first album was about a dark, sad, and angry time in my life. It reflects in the music. It was a very important album for me because pain is a part of growing as a person. You have to feel the difference between happiness and pain. That realization helps people grow and value the things around them.
I think your first album is one of the best ones too.
J: Some people that I respect have said, but it’s my best so far. “Do you really think this is the best album of your career?” Well yes, but I think #MisPlanesSonAmarte album goes deeper. On the other hand, on the new album #MisPlanesSonAmarte, everything
has to do with how we live our relationships and how we experience love.”
In the music video is he travelling through time?
J: I travel with my acoustic guitar, composing as I go to different places. The first was put together all in one place. This new album is an astronaut who is the traveler that goes in all directions. In conclusion, he takes our imagination on a wickedly fun ride!
You seem to live on Twitter. Is it you actually talking to your fans or someone else speaking for you?
J: Yes, yes, it’s me, it’s always me. I’m looking for you right now and can’t find you. What name do you use?
No, I don’t do Twitter, i do have a twitter account I just don’t Use it often. but you can find me on IG @namiyaro or Snapchat and Facebook Nataly Yabur.
J: You need to get into Twitter, girl. You work in a magazine it’s an incredible tool.
By now, most people know a thing or two about Juanes, but the Colombiansinger/songwriter continues to add trivia to his story. Juanes speaks for those who still don’t know about him.
“I was just 7 when I learned to play guitar and sing the colombian folk music incorporated with pop music. I’m married to actress Karen Martinez, with whom I have three children Paloma, Luna and Dante. The hardest thing is to be traveling all over the place and being far away from them. I had to learn a different way of life and remain in touch with my feelings and remain grounded,” he said.
“I need to be in the right state of mind when I write. My albums show my ability to combine different styles like rock, cumbia, salsa, reggae, ballad, and folk.” He says the consistent theme in his music is emotion and “music is the only way that I can free myself.”
He adds, “The words ‘alternative’ and ‘fusion’ — what do they really mean?” he says. “I can’t describe my own music because it comes from my soul. I don’t know where pop starts and rock ends. In our world, a lot of the stuff we see is too think out loud and premeditate,” he continues. “If you’re an artist whose music has meaning, it gives it an added value.”
He also states, “I love the idea of entering [new] genres and working with people who think differently. I was not used to that kind of arrangement. I needed to make this record to break free a little bit from what came before. I like it a lot. When I listen to
it, I know certain songs are not my best or maybe they should not have been included on the album, but there are others that I do love.”
He continues, “So we’re very excited. I felt so inspired to do more and just to find different ways to present the music for the fans. I got an opportunity to take this journey on my early days and also thank the fans for all the support.”
On a separate note he mentions, “I myself haven’t always focused on music. I graduated from University Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín in 2000 with a degree in Industrial Design.” He says that if the music thing hadn’t worked out, he’d probably be working in product design.
“I founded the Mi Sangre Foundation to support victims of landmine accidents,” a cause close to his heart, he claims. “I wanted to do something. I remember being invited to sing for wounded soldiers. Hearing firsthand the stories of people who had been directly affected by the conflict, it moved me to the point that I understood the gravity of the situation.”
The Colombian superstars’ dedication as a global activist also extends far beyond his passionate lyrics and is seen in his wide ranging charitable work for his own ‘Mi Sangre Foundation’ and as a co-founder of the “Paz sin Fronteras” (Peace Without Borders)
organization – which utilizes music to unite populaces regardless of political or geographic divides and advocate that all people are entitled to the basic human right of peace. The singer has been included in several Spanish-language TV spots ever since.
The MY LifeStyle Magazine Team invites you to support Juanes’ cause. He is set to begin a new world tour this year that will take him to Miami, Mexico, Europe and Latin America. GET YOUR TICKETS Here