Q&A: Marco Antonio Solis is "here for the songs"

10/03/2008 10:00 PM, Reuters
Leila Cobo

Marco Antonio Solis is one of the most enduring, influential and top-selling contemporary Latin artists in the world.

Solis, whose career started in Mexico as leader of popular romantic group Los Bukis, has evolved to become one of Latin music's biggest superstars, with a career that enjoys equal popularity from Mexico to Argentina. He has earned a record 15 No. 1s on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and a record eight No. 1 albums on Top Latin Albums,

Q: You've gone back and forth between pop-leaning and Mexican-leaning albums in the past several years. "No Molestar" is right in the middle. Were you looking for this balance?

Marco Antonio Solis: "That's exactly what I was doing. In my shows, I always go back to my repertoire from Los Bukis (in the '80s). And I see a lot of young people who like those songs. I tell them, 'I don't even know why you know these songs, but you deserve something new' -- with those same elements but a little better 'dressed' or arranged. And I also wanted radio to open up a bit more."

Q: It's a sound that transcends formats, doesn't it?

Solis: "Absolutely. And now, Latin pop stations are more open. The main thing is that the songs get the exposure they need, but radio formats sometimes impede that. Many years ago, in Mexico, when we had Los Bukis, there were a handful of very big tropical stations. And that's why we began to record cumbias. We needed to record the songs in two distinct formats: tropical and ballads."

Q: You're an artist who falls under so many genres.

Solis: "When they call me 'regional Mexican' I feel like I'm from a single region. I don't like the term at all. And the evidence is we can be playing anywhere in Latin America and in Spain. With the proper orchestration and the right show, we can play with what's considered regional Mexican, but we can also sing the big ballads, like any other pop soloist. I don't like being stereotyped. Perhaps a better term is simply 'Mexican music.' What I find across all countries is a very similar sensibility."

Q: In this day and age when musicians are focused on branding, it appears you don't have any sponsorships.

Solis: "No. I'm here for the songs. I don't feel comfortable selling products. I want to give honesty to the name and not tie it with business transactions. It's taken me a long time, and I want to take care of it as much as possible. What's important to me is what I leave on the stage."

Q: Your new album is titled "No Molestar" (Don't Bother), after the single of the same name. Where did the song come from?

Solis: "From where they all come from. They're all there, lost, in the air. Everything is always there, floating invisibly. There are many things we don't see, but we feel. That's what I capture. If I go walk somewhere, for example, you can feel the energy, the positive vibrations, the quietness, and suddenly, the words come."

Q: Do you still record with a little tape recorder?

Solis: "Oh, they all laugh at me, because I sometimes take it with me to the gym. 'Oh, my God, a cassette,' they say. But I like it. Plus, I record the melodies there as they come to me, and my voice reflects the emotional state I was in when I recorded them. And, always, always, I write on my little slips of paper. There is strength in paper. When I get to my studio, I begin to give shape to my scribbles. I sit at my keyboard and I write the bass and little by little construct the harmonies. By then the essence of the song is there. Everything else is easy. And the melody always comes first. Always. Melodies for me are something divine. They come from a divine place. A melody alone moves me, makes me vibrate."

Reuters/Billboard