Although the winners for the 67th annual Grammy Awards have but to be introduced, the Venezuelan band Rawayana has already achieved a profession milestone with the nomination of their fifth studio album “¿Quién trae las cornetas?” for Latin rock or different album.
“This nomination represents something very beautiful because of where we come from and how difficult life has been for our generation,” mentioned Rawayana vocalist Alberto “Beto” Montenegro.
Beneath their unbiased label Brocoli Data, Montenegro and his bandmates Antonio “Tony” Casas, Andrés “Fofo” Story and Alejandro “Abeja” Abeijón have taken a distinct method to music, tapping into a spread of genres from tropic pop to electrical funk. Fashioned in 2007 throughout an period of political upheaval, the group regarded to flee to their very own figurative island, drawing title inspiration from the Hindu epic of Ramayana, a story the place good triumphs over evil.
Inside the final two years, the eclectic funk-fusion band from Caracas has gained worldwide recognition for “¿Quién trae las cornetas?,” additional propelled by their NPR “El Tiny” takeover efficiency which at present boasts 7.2 million views. “Feriado,” a party-groove monitor about honoring somebody’s day of conception, earned Rawayana their first Latin Grammy for pop music in 2024. The group can also be slated to carry out at Coachella this April.
Nevertheless, their most up-to-date Grammy breakthrough starkly contrasts a scenario months prior the place the group canceled their extremely anticipated homecoming tour as a consequence of quite a few phoned threats, in accordance with Montenegro, whose mellow mystique hardens on the point out of Venezuelan issues.
On the similar time, the choice to name off the sold-out concert events follows feedback made by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who criticized Rawayana and rapper Akapellah’s music “Veneka” at a rally. Although many contemplate the time period as socially derogatory towards Venezuelans, the collaborators regarded to reclaim the label via their empowering lyrics.
“Then Maduro comes out and says that… trying to distort the reality of a song that in fact expresses praise toward Venezuelans,” mentioned Montenegro. “The majority of us are the greatest, we are people who lead, everything beautiful that ‘Veneka’ expresses, and more than that!”
Nonetheless, Rawayana stays resolute of their thought of fiercely spreading pleasure via their music. The quartet is becoming a member of forces with the Colombian electro-pop band Bomba Estéreo to kind a supergroup named ASTROPICAL, derived from their shared affinity for astrology and tropical rhythms. They’ve launched their first single “Me Pasa” on Thursday forward of their upcoming album.
“This is a very important time on a political, cultural and environmental level. We need melodies and lyrics such as these ones as a way of shepherding the moment,” mentioned Li Saumet, lead singer for Bomba Estéreo. “This band has invigorated me, and inspired me to make more music.”
For now, within the days main as much as the award ceremony, Rawayana is relishing their Grammy nomination and reflecting on the troublesome journey that they took to get there. Gilded gramophone in hand or not, Montenegro views the nomination alone as a logo of the group’s private development.
“[The Grammy nomination] is a beautiful representation of how resilient Venezuelans are,” mentioned Montenegro.
In the event that they do win this Sunday, they’d be the primary Venezuelan act to obtain the consideration in a class in style for prizing prime acts like Maná, Shakira, Calle 13 and lots of extra.
De Los spoke to Rawayana frontman Montenegro forward of the Feb. 2 ceremony.
The next Q&A has been calmly edited for readability and size.
The primary time I heard of Rawayana was on “El Tiny” desk two years in the past. Did that second mark a earlier than and after for the band?
Completely. I feel that “El Tiny” could be very stunning as a result of it’s uncooked. After we completed recording the episode, I keep in mind telling everybody that it was stunning as a result of it’s characterised by bringing the magic of dwell music to its most expression. How stunning is it that one of many highs in our careers is to return to the fundamentals, to acoustic music with out particular results in a library-setting, and that it has generated such an lively rush.
How does it really feel to be nominated for a Grammy?
Yesterday I used to be driving round L.A. and I used to be reflecting on this. It’s troublesome to elucidate, however it was uphill for us. We’re an unbiased mission, and I used to be reflecting on all these years the place we have been intuitive, the place we tried to do what we may in Venezuela the place there’s a lack of musical infrastructure. After which we needed to go away our nation and begin from zero, and I feel it’s wild that now we’re acknowledged by the Recording Academy.
Proper now we’re in Los Angeles working with producers that we by no means imagined working with. It is a stunning life reminder. We’ve labored little by little and we’re having fun with it.
You sound very emotional proper now.
It’s one thing so complicated. [The Grammy nomination] is a ravishing illustration of how resilient Venezuelans are. This nomination represents one thing very stunning due to the place we come from and the way troublesome life has been for our era. And we’re so uncovered that, inevitably, we’re an instance of that [resilience].
You gained a Latin Grammy final 12 months to your music “Feriado.” Inform me about that.
It was additionally very sudden as a result of it’s been a whirlwind two years after the discharge of “¿Quién trae las cornetas?” We really feel that the music trade has welcomed us. We don’t make music to win awards. Our objective is for our songs to be primary, complicated, enjoyable, unhappy. That we have an effect and open up conversations for additional dialogue.
Let’s discuss your album,“¿Quién trae las cornetas?” What was the idea behind it?
It was a extremely complicated mission. It was about confronting the uncertainties of life. The album begins with the lyrics: “I leap into the void in life, with or without parachute…” It additionally displays the sounds of us who come from a rustic whose main cities lie on the coast, so we play quite a bit with these parts. We additionally labored on this album in Miami, Mexico, L.A. and Puerto Rico, so it additionally has that character.
There’s been some criticism from Maduro about your lyrics within the music, “Veneka.” I noticed that you simply additionally canceled your Venezuela tour across the time that he made these feedback. Are you able to elaborate on this?
With reference to our tour cancellation, we have been receiving threatening cellphone calls months prior.
There’s many artists exterior of Venezuela who don’t tour the nation, and for us who come from the nation, it will have been contradictory to not tour Venezuela. If we didn’t consider that the nation was able to internet hosting our live performance, then we wouldn’t be nominated for a Grammy. … In our philosophy, it isn’t attainable for us to desert our viewers.
However effectively, the political scenario in Venezuela in December was very tense. We had expressed ourselves freely about who we voted for, and effectively, due to the tenseness, folks related to the federal government have been transmitting issues to us, not good issues.
After which Maduro comes out and says that… attempting to distort the truth of a music that in actual fact expresses reward towards Venezuelans. The vast majority of us are the best, we’re individuals who lead, every thing stunning that “Veneka” expresses, and greater than that! They’re attempting to misconstrue it, like they’ve with different realities, which I attempt to ignore.
Have you ever thought that your music is maybe sparking conversations in Venezuela?
Within the case of Venezuela, it’s very complicated, as a result of politics have taken over every thing. Now we have political figures which have on the day by day hoarded the radio for hours and hours. Now we have political figures that appear to be extra considering entertaining than governing. It doesn’t shock me that with the affect we’re having on a nationwide and worldwide scale, they’re attempting to seize consideration from that. It’s unhappy as a result of it stains the tradition, it stains the music, it stains artwork… and “Veneka” is greater than that. It represents flipping and reassigning which means to a phrase that was historically used to assault Venezuelans exterior of our nation… “Veneka” means uplifting ourselves. “Veneka” is recognizing that regardless of the adversity, we acknowledge that we’re one of the best that we will be…
Once I hear your music, I see it as a logo of resistance in a method.
Have we not gotten to the purpose the place the straightforward act of prospering is a logo of resilience and resistance? Simply the act of you having the ability to survive.
What route is Rawayana headed?
We can be releasing our single, “Me Pasa,” forward of our subsequent album. Other than there being a brand new album, it’s going to be a brand new band that we’re forming alongside Bomba Estéreo, known as ASTROPICAL. It’s going to be 12 songs and it’s a mission with Bomba Estéreo, and we’re going to be doing a tour this 12 months… So I’m actually pleased as a result of we now have this new band! However we’re additionally exploring music as Rawayana, considering via new sounds and themes. For now, we’re additionally having fun with the second. We don’t need to get forward of ourselves. We’re simply specializing in our resilience, not solely in a political sense however when it comes to our private resistance in life. Fact be advised, we’re having fun with the second.