Rolling Stone Menu ‘Origen’ Story: How Juanes Rediscovered His Musical Roots
“This record connected me with my essence and my past,” the Colombian star says of his new covers LP, which surveys the songs that shaped him
By
Diego Ortiz s Most Recent Stories Mario Alzate for Rolling Stone Colombia
This piece was originally published as a cover story in the May issue of Rolling Stone Colombia
. Translated from Spanish by Diego Ortiz.
It’s a typical afternoon in Florida. As usual, the weather is warm. Juanes has a glass of red wine in his hand and shows off long blond hair that reaches to his shoulders. He’s sitting in his home studio, wearing dark glasses and a black shirt. For more than a year, he’s lived under a mandatory lockdown that’s helped him find himself, giving him time to write and produce, while still questioning his career as if he were in his twenties. Now, at 48, he’s quite sure of the purpose of his art, his sound, and his st
Photo: Salvatore Salamone
It took a few beats from their hit single ‘Somos Pacifico’ to have the crowd up in arms, waving fists at a stage in an ebb and flow, and jostling for space on the dance floor. On a wet night in the Colombian capital, ChocQuibTown are the headlining act at a private show with vocalists Slow, Goyo and Tostao doing what they do best: Sing to a full house.
ChocQuibTown is one of the most innovative bands to emerge in recent years from Colombia, captivating fans with a blend of Hip-Hop,
salsa and marimba-infused rhythms. The fusion of sound is part social inclusion, part digital innovation, from a group whose roots originate in the Colombian Pacific and a department of staunch Afro traditions.