Although the winners of the 67th Annual Grammy Awards nonetheless need to be introduced, the Venezuelan Band Rawayana has already achieved a milestone of the profession with the appointment of their fifth studio album “¿Quién Trane Las Cornetas?” For Latin rock or different album.
“This nomination represents one thing very lovely due to the place we come from and the way troublesome life has been for our era,” mentioned Rawayana’s singer Alberto “Beto” Montenegro.
Under their impartial label Brocoli Records, Montenegro and his companions as a band Antonio “Tony” Casas, Andrés “Fofo” and Alejandro “Abeja” Abeijón have adopted a unique method to music, drawing on a variety of genres from tropic pop to enjoyable to enjoyable electrical. Formed in 2007 throughout an period of political upheaval, the group tried to flee to its figurative island, drawing inspiration from the Hindu epic of Ramayana, a narrative through which the great triumphs on evil.
Over the previous two years, the eclectic Caracas funk-Fusion band has gained worldwide recognition for “¿Quién Tree las cornetas?” NPR “El Tiny” Acquisition efficiency that at present boasts 7.2 million views. “Feriado”, a gaggle monitor to honor somebody’s conception day, gained their first Latin grammy for Rawayana for the pop tune in 2024. The group can be scheduled to carry out in Coachella this April.
However, their most up-to-date flip of Grammy clearly contrasts a state of affairs earlier than the group canceled Their lengthy -awaited return tour of house as a consequence of quite a few threats calls, in keeping with Montenegro, whose Mellow Mistics hardens to the point out of Venezuelan points.
At the identical time, the choice to cancel the bought out live shows follows the feedback made by the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, who criticized Rawayana’s tune and rapper Akapellah “Veneto” in an occasion. Although many take into account the socially derogatory time period towards the Venezuelans, collaborators have tried to get well the label by their strengthening texts.
“So Maduro comes out and says That… Trying to distort the truth of a tune that in truth expresses reward in the direction of the Venezuelans, “mentioned Montenegro.” Most of us are the most important, we’re individuals who information, all lovely that “Veneka” expresses, and greater than This!”
However, Rawayana stays resolved of their thought of fiercely spreading pleasure by their music. The quartet is combining forces with the Colombian electro-pop band Estéreo bomb to kind a supergruppo named Astropical, derived from their shared affinity for astrology and tropical rhythms. They revealed their first single “It happens to me” Thursday earlier than their subsequent album.
“This is an important second on a political, cultural and environmental degree. We want melodies and texts like these as a method to information the second, “mentioned Saumet, the principle singer for Estéreo bomb.” This band has postponed me and impressed me to make extra music. ”
For now, within the days previous the award ceremony, Rawayana is savoring their nomination to Grammy and reflecting on the troublesome journey they’ve undertaken to get there. Golden gramophone in hand or not, Montenegro sees the appointment solely as a logo of the private progress of the group.
“(The nomination to the Grammy) is a gorgeous illustration of how a lot Venezuelans are resilient,” mentioned Montenegro.
If they win this Sunday, they might be the primary Venezuelan act to obtain honor in a well-liked class for one of the best acts comparable to Maná, Shakira, Calle 13 and lots of others.
De Los spoke with the frontman of Rawayana Montenegro earlier than the ceremony of February 2.
The following questions and solutions have been barely modified for clarification and size.
The first time I heard about Rawayana was “El Tiny” desk Two years in the past. Did that second scored a earlier than and after for the band?
Totally. I feel “El Tiny” could be very lovely as a result of it’s uncooked. When we completed recording the episode, I bear in mind having advised everybody that it was lovely as a result of it’s characterised by bringing the magic of stay music to its most expression. How lovely it’s that one of many highs in our careers is to return to the bases, to acoustic music with out particular results in a library and that has generated such an brisk race.
How do you are feeling to call for a Grammy?
Yesterday I used to be driving round Los Angeles and I used to be reflecting on this. It is troublesome to clarify, however it has been uphill for us. We are an impartial venture and I used to be reflecting on all these years through which we have been intuitive, through which we tried to do what we may in Venezuela the place there’s a lack of musical infrastructure. And then we needed to go away our nation and begin from scratch, and I feel it’s wild that we are actually acknowledged by the registration academy.
At this second we’re in Los Angeles to work with producers with whom we’ve by no means imagined working. This is a gorgeous reminder for all times. We have little by little labored and we’re having enjoyable.
It appears very emotional proper now.
It is one thing so complicated. (The nomination to the Grammy) is a gorgeous illustration of how a lot Venezuelan resilient are. This appointment represents one thing very lovely due to the place we come from and the way troublesome life has been for our era. And we’re thus uncovered that, inevitably, we’re an instance (resilience).
Last yr you received a Latin Grammy on your tune “Feriado”. Tell me.
It was additionally very surprising as a result of it was a vortex two years after the discharge of “¿quién draw las cornetas?” We consider that the music business welcomed us. We do not make music to win prizes. Our purpose is that our songs are elementary, complicated, enjoyable, unhappy. That we have an effect and we open conversations for additional dialogues.
Let’s discuss your album, “¿Quién attracts las cornetas?” What was the idea behind it?
It was a really complicated venture. It was a query of going through the uncertainties of life. The album begins with the texts: “I bounce into the void in life, with or with out parachutes …” additionally displays the sounds of us who come from a rustic whose essential cities are on the coast, so we play quite a bit with these components . We additionally labored on this album in Miami, Mexico, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico, so he additionally has that character.
There have been some criticism from Maduro Information about your lyrics within the tune, “Veneka”. I noticed that you just additionally deleted your tour in Venezuela when he did these feedback. Can you deepen this?
As for our cancellation of the tour, we have been receiving threatening telephone calls months earlier.
There are many artists outdoors the Venezuela who don’t go to the nation and for us who come from the nation, it might have been contradictory to not go to Venezuela. If we didn’t consider that the nation was in a position to host our live performance, then we’d not be appointed for a Grammy. … in our philosophy, it’s not attainable for us to desert our viewers.
But effectively, the political state of affairs in Venezuela in December was very tense. We had expressed ourselves freely on who we voted and effectively, as a consequence of pressure, folks related to the federal government have been transmitting issues to us, not good issues.
And then Maduro comes out and says That… Trying to distort the truth of a tune that in truth expresses reward in the direction of the Venezuelans. Most of us are the most important, we’re individuals who information, all lovely that “Veneka” expresses and greater than this! They are attempting to misconceive it, as they’ve executed with different realities, which I attempt to ignore.
Did you assume your music is maybe triggers conversations in Venezuela?
In the case of Venezuela, it is extremely complicated, as a result of politics has assumed the whole lot. We have political characters who’ve amassed the radio within the newspaper for hours and hours. We have political characters who appear to be extra eager about leisure than within the authorities. I’m not stunned that, with the affect we’re having nationally and internationally, they’re making an attempt to draw consideration from this. It is unhappy as a result of tradition stains, they stain music, stain artwork … and “Veneka” is greater than this. It represents the that means of launch and reassignment to a phrase historically used to assault the Venezuelans outdoors our nation … “Veneka” means constructing ourselves. “Veneka” is recognizing that, regardless of the adversities, we acknowledge that we’re one of the best we may be …
When I hear your music, I see it as a logo of resistance in a sure sense.
We haven’t come to the purpose the place the straightforward act of prosperity is a logo of resistance and resistance? Only the act of with the ability to survive.
What path is it directed by Rawayana?
We will launch our single, “Me Pasa”, in view of our subsequent album. Apart from the very fact that there’s a new album, it will likely be a brand new band that we’re forming along with Estéreo bomb, known as Astropical. It shall be 12 songs and it’s a venture with Estéreo bomb, and this yr we are going to take a tour … so I’m actually completely satisfied as a result of we’ve this new band! But we’re additionally exploring music as Rawayana, considering by new sounds and themes. For now, we’re additionally having fun with the second. We do not need to go on to ourselves. We are solely specializing in our resilience, not solely in a political sense, however when it comes to private resistance in life. To inform the reality, we’re having fun with the second.
