Juanes a spoonful of contemporary Latin flavors - Juan Esteban Aristizabal, cantante - TA: Juan Esteban Aristizabal, singer

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2001 by Rebecca Burkeen

Born Juan Esteban Aristizabal in Medellin, Colombia, this reserved, unassuming young man seemed genuinely overwhelmed at the amount of attention and recognition he has been receiving lately. While he made a name for himself years ago in his native country as lead singer of the band Ekhymosis, his popularity has skyrocketed as of late with his first solo album reaching out to the Latino youth and music critics alike. This new phenomenon is known as Juanes, and this is his story.

By the time you read this, the Latin Grammys will have come and gone, in Los Angeles no less, and you will have undoubtedly seen and heard the musical blend of rhythm and soul that is Juanes. With seven nominations, the most of any other artist in 2001, Fijate Bien marks a breakthrough in a career that began with a seven-year old boy learning about music from his five brothers and his father.

Starting out as a youth playing guitar at local parties, Juanes had a great love for music as diverse as the music he plays today. He was hooked on everyone from Metallica and Led Zeppelin to Silvio Rodríguez and Los Visconti. At age 15, Juanes met bassist Andrés García, vocalist Alex Oquendo and drummer Esteban Mora. The four teens combined their love for rock and heavy metal with their musical savvy and formed the group Ekhymosis. The guys discovered that through music not only could they have a great time, but they could also tap into their spirituality and make social commentary about their lives in Colombia and youth in general.

Ekhymosis gained a loyal following and signed with Codiscos in 1993 when they recorded their first album, Niño Gigante. As the group matured and evolved, so did their music. They eased off on the hard metal vibe, incorporating more of their native folk music, ballads and venturing more towards pop rock.

Ekhymosis went from a quartet to a sextet and back to a quartet again throughout their 11 years of existence. In addition to the original members, musicians included keyboardist/percussionist Alejandro Ochoa, drummer José Lopera and guitarist Fernando Tobon. In addition to playing guitar and composing, Juanes also became the group's lead singer. In addition to Niño Gigante, the group had four other albums--Ciudad Pacifico, Amor Bilingue, Unplugged and Ekhymosis.

Though the public in Colombia embraced the band, they disassembled after 11 years. I caught up with Juanes in between WATCHA tour dates, and when asked about his former group he had only positive things to say about his former band mates.

"(After 11 years) ...we just wanted to do different things. I still work with these guys. We're all good friends. I still play with the same drummer and percussionist."

On his own, with his guitar in tow and songs brewing in his soul, Juanes set out for the city of angels. With a fresh, new start in Los Angeles, he combined his first and middle names and became known as Juanes. It's simple, to the point, just like him.

An intense artist, struggling to make it as a solo artist, Juanes delved deep into his world to capture the essence of today's youth and society at large. Just as his hometown of Medellin is a study in contrast--modern city with a small town feel, friendly people yet senseless violence abound--so are the issues facing youth today--love and loss, violence, fear, joy... Juanes took his masterful weavings to Argentinean producer Gustavo Santaolalla (Surco) and at the recording studio that he owns along with Anibal Kerpel, Juanes' Fijate Bien was born.

The success and notoriety of Ekhymosis, albeit limited to Colombia, gave Juanes a certain level of credibility as he embarked on his solo career. However, the challenge was getting his music heard. The Latin radio stations don't take pop/rock acts very seriously and therefore, Fijate Bien did not initially receive much airplay.

With the help of manager Fernan Martínez, the album was slowly but surely promoted throughout Latin America and Juanes' live performances spoke for themselves. The word spread and the critics liked what they heard. Universal Latino further aided Juanes by financing three videos to be played on MTV Latin America. Still, record sales were low and availability of the album was limited.

Despite all this, the members of LARAS, the voting association for the Latin Grammys, listened and loved what Juanes had to offer. They demonstrated their admiration and respect for the album and the artist with seven nominations, more than any other performer on the list. The media attention surrounding the nominations has elevated Juanes to superstar status in his native country and certain renown throughout Latin America.

Record sales have quadrupled and should continue to do well now that the word is clearly out. I asked Juanes what the Grammy nominations meant to him and he humbly yet enthusiastically responded, "Wow! It's incredible! More than anything, it's an opportunity for me to show my music. It's crazy! It was such a big surprise."

Although the Grammy association found neat little categories in which to place the Fijate Bien CD, don't ask Juanes to label himself in one particular musical genre. When I asked him whether he considered himself more of a rocker or a pop singer he explained to me, "Neither. I'm just trying to do the best I can. My music has a lot of rock, but it's not a rock album. It has a lot of folk music, but it's not a folk album. It's just music from my soul."