They say that the vallenato does not dance, but feels, and Gusi is ready to make New York and New Jersey live it in their maximum expression. With his single Tour, the Colombian singer arrives on March 21 at Sony Hall and on March 22 to Hackensack Performing Center, promising two nights full of emotion, rhythm and pure Caribbean flavor.
With more than 15 years of career and four Latin Grammy nominations, Gusi has conquered his audience with successes such as “Locos Dementes”, “You” Only yours “,” You are right “and” La Mandarina. ” His ability to merge the vallenato with pop and cumbia has given him a unique seal, taking him to international scenarios and consolidating him as one of the most beloved voices of Latin music.
Now, with its new Vallenato Social Club project, Gusi pays tribute to the roots of the genre while projecting it towards the future. This album, which brings together 12 great exponents of the vallenato, has already begun to give what to talk to his first single, “you finished with me”, in collaboration with Elder Dayán.
In conversation with the interview, Gusi told us about the essence of this project and the challenge of keeping the vallenata tradition alive in a constant change. “I want my music to be a celebration, that people feel the joy and energy of our vallenato, which is no longer only Colombian, but Latin American,” he shared.
Fans can enjoy a selection of their great successes, in addition to an advance of this new album that promises to be a jewel for gender. The appointment is March 21 in New York and March 22 in New Jersey, two unmissable nights to live the vallenato as never before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-doxjokhc-4
Vallenato Social Club is a tribute to the roots of the genre, but with a vision of the future. How do you balancing tradition and modernity in this album?
That is an essential part of this whole project. Mainly search the DNA of each of my guests who are part of this album and give it a very personal touch. Bring all that musicality thinking about what they have created in me over the years, and how to transform that music to become balanced, by the time I sing with them, have a bit of my musical DNA.
You mentioned that you studied each artist to design the songs. Was there any challenge in this creative process?
I think that part of everything beautiful to make music and to be able to build and do songs is that research and think about each of the other artists. More than something difficult, it was the most dispensed.
Then put the hands to the work coordinating the agendas to record and take the entire audiovisual team, because this is an audiovisual project that I also want to present as a documentary talking about the vallenato, and the contribution of each one to the vallenato as a cultural, social and political movement, which has generated music in our country so that today is a cultural heritage of our land.
You worked with 12 recognized artists from Vallenato. Was there any collaboration that surprised you or that has meant something special for you?
I have to think about the great minstrels. Recently we released a song with Alfredo Gutiérrez, the minstrel that we still have with us today. Of those minstrels of the old guard, who even walk with their accordion, they compose songs their same time sing. When a person manages to do these three things, they are called minstrels. They are spokesmen who carry this message from Colombia to the world. This was very special.
If you had to define your musical essence in three words, what would they be?
I think there is love in Las Lirica, I really like writing to love. I like, especially in this album, maintain tradition. The other word can be tradition, and the other can be transformation. Transform the world through music. I like to generate emotions in people. First for me, and then in my songs how people are getting infected.
Throughout your career, you have suggested away from the vallenato for not being a commercial genre. How do you see today the evolution of vallenato in Latin music?
Many things happen. Of course they see it as something negative that the vallenato is not something ‘cool’ of today, and that some genres take much of the audience, such as the urban or regional genre that is very Mexican, that we adopt it here as popular. But the vallenato has never become fashionable, it has always been there. I think what we have to do is just these types of projects.
New York and New Jersey have a large Latin community, what surprises do you have prepared for these dates?
We did a whole montage with all my career successes, but what they are going to see is a lot of emotion, energy and joy through our Caribbean and Colombian music, which today is already Latin American. This music belongs to everyone.
I feel that my language of love makes many people go and celebrate. That is what I want. That there is a music celebration through Latin American, Caribbean and Colombian sounds.
Let us make our music live something wonderful and glorious.
