Simply Chayanne
Simply Chayanne
Latina Magazine
October 2000
By Eric Gutierrez
In the English-speaking music world, Chayanne is the secret. A celebrity since he began fronting the boy group Los Chicos at age 10, the man born Elmer Figueroa Arce is now one of Latin America's most ubiquitous pop superstars. The Puerto Rican-born singer lived awhile in Mexico, where he starred in hugely successful telenovelas such as Volver a empezar before making his English-language bigscreen debut opposite singer Vanessa L. Williams in Dance with Me. Still, even with 50 gold and 20 platinum records since going solo in 1986, his Top 40 U.S. radio rotation is virtually nonexistent compared to other Latino pop heartthrobs named Ricky and Enrique.
But don't change the preset stations on your radio just yet. Chayanne
describes his new CD, Simplemente which contains Spanish, English,
and bilingual songs, as "a bridge, an invitation to new people who don't
really know me." Translation: Hola, yanquis! While he's never
recorded in English before, Chayanne occasionally has inserted English
lyrics into his U.S. concerts, most notably his 1993 Radio City Music
Hall appearance that made U.S. critics sit up and take notice. That
same concert prompted The New York Times to remark on how he
sang in English "without the selfconsciousness of a crossover attempt."
The irony is Chayanne already is an enormous crossover success. Only in the United States does "crossover" mean "English." Chayanne is an international sensation, reaching far beyond Latin America into Asia and Europe where beat and rhythm count for more than the language of the lyrics. In 1999 he had the top-selling album in Spain, and his single "Boom Boom" also cracked the Top 20 in France last summer. Of note, he wrote the song's lyrics-in English.
Last July, in his adopted hometown of Miami, Chayanne granted Latina unprecedented access to watch the recording sessions for the new CD. Consequently Latina also got first listen of the title song "Simplemente," a high-energy example of the release's strong new street style that Chayanne calls "middle tempo con un groove solido".
Generally heading into the studio late in the afternoon, Chayanne's reputation for graciousness and consideration never suffered under a grueling schedule that included promotional spots for European and Asian radio, a CD-cover photo shoot in a crumbling building in the heart of downtown Miami, and spending time with the ecstatic winners of a French radio contest. Despite a slightly harder urban edge to his clean-cut look and pop sound, he still laughs sheepishly in the recording booth when caught swearing in English after flubbing a lyric in Spanish. Warm, upbeat, and full of enthusiasm for the future, Chayanne proudly discusses his new project but saves his biggest smiles for talk about his wife, Marilisa; his 3-year-old son, Lorenzo; and the baby expected in December.
Latina: During your world tour, you were mobbed by fans wherever you went.
Chayanne: They sing to me in the lobby and chant "Chayanne" outside my hotel until I go to the window and say hi.
L: With this new CD, you're poised for a whole different world of stardom. Are you ready for the possibility that you may not be able to go anywhere in the States without that sort of thing happening?
C: I'm very normal that way. You mentally know that once you go out of your room, you start working. That's my style. I never say no to someone who asks for an autograph or a picture because I put myself in their position; I am the fan, and they are my artist. But it's not like people are always in my face. In a restaurant or on the basketball court, they may recognize me there, and OK, I'll sign an autograph. But that doesn't bother me.
L: So you can still have your personal life?
C: I think you can have what you want to have. I know that if I take my son to Disney World and I'm recognized, it's sometimes very hard, but that come with the popularity. It's a balance in life. Maybe you can't do it the way you want to do it, but you still have the chance to enjoy it.
L: So you don't feel like you're missing out on anything.?
C: You lose things. You don't have the facility to move about and be free.
Sometimes I see myself on a TV show, and I didn't even know I was being filmed.
It's like they're trying to find something out.
L: You are scandal-free. Chayanne is a very good boy. But there
must be temptation. In Mexico City women were rushing the stage.
C: They're welcome! [He laughs.] No, really, you can have a lot of
things if you go for them.
L:But do you?
C: When you have 21 years in the business, you start changing. You start
putting your life in order, knowing yourself, and appreciating things, so I'm very
calm.
L:Is that your way of saying you're happy with one special person,
as opposed to...
C: Yeah.
L: And how is your marriage?
C: Good, very good. Very solid. Our son [turned] 3 in August. He is in school
and full of energy. I'm very happy with my family. [He breaks into a huge
grin.] I can give you news: I am going to be a father again. Our second child.
My wife is expecting in December.
L: Congratulations! That's great news.
C: When you come home and experience that happiness, it is the strongest and
most beautiful moment.
L: With the new CD and the new baby, this is a time of real growth
for you.
C: When you are spiritually fulfilled and happy, the rest willwork out.
Reality for me is my mother, father, brothers, sisters, wife, and son-and my songs.
When you wake up in the morning you are a complete human being. You really need to
take note of that because that is the important thing in life, and I am very happy
in that sense.
L: How is the new baby going to affect the release of this CD and
your crossover into new markets?
C: It's going to be crazy. The same thing happened with Lorenzo. I was
traveling but would stop in Miami for a day or two before going back to work. On the
other hand, I have the support of my family to continue with my career. When the
ball is in your court, you should play.
L. You usually don't speak a lot about your family. Is
it hard for a heartthrob to be married?
C: It's not that I'm silent about my private life because I think
I'm going to lose my fans or my career. I safeguard my private life
like a jewel that needs to be protected. When you love something, you
don't want anyone to break it, to do something bad, you know? And if
that person doesn't want to be in the spotlight, she doesn't need to
be there.
L: So Marilisa is a very private person?
C: Very private. She's a lawyer. Since the moment she met me, I was involved
in my career, so she knows how it is when I release an album or go on tour. It's not
easy, but it's the way it is. We understand each other. We're always in
communication.
L: So much for the cliche of the macho Latin man who doesn't talk
about his feelings.
C: No, I am not like that. I am very open. I don't have a problem talking to
her or to anyone. I am also very good at changing los paņales(diapers)with
one hand.
L: That will come in handy. What's the most important lesson
you've learned that you want to pass on to Lorenzo and your new baby.?
C: Always say thank you y nunca dar nada por hecho
