Write about the famous Dominican Juan Luis Guerra.

Works Cited

CANTOR-NAVAS, JUDY. “Bachata’s Modern Poet.” Billboard, vol. 131, no. 10, Apr. 2019, p. 81. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=136148251&site=ehost-live.

Section:

LATIN 2019

BACHATA’S MODERN POETWITH SOME 30 MILLION ALBUMS sold around the world since 1984, Juan Luis Guerra, 61, is a crossover pioneer whose early international gains foreshadowed the global success of today’s tropical urban stars. Throughout his prolific career, he has, with his band 4.40, reinvented the vibrant rhythms of his native Dominican Republic and written magical realist lyrics inspired by the everyday lives of people in Latin America and beyond. The subject of Billboard Latin Music Week’s Legend Q&A (April 24) and recipient of the Billboard Latin Music Awards’ lifetime achievement honor (April 25), Guerra isn’t resting on his laurels: His next album, Literal, is planned for a May release.

You have logged 42 songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart and 15 Top Latin Albums entries. But one song is still your signature: “Ojala Que Llueva Cafe” (“Let It Rain Coffee”). Why do you think it has struck such a chord?

In its time, and today, as well, “Ojala Que Llueva Cafe” has been an anthem of hope that seeks a solution to problems that are the reality in many countries. It’s a beautiful metaphor. Musically, it’s a merengue, which is joyful music. It has been translated to a lot of different languages, and that pleases me.

You started your career in the Dominican Republic in the late 1970s, then continued your studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Was taking Dominican music to the world always your goal?

Yes. When I was at Berklee, I realized that the music that got the most attention was Latin. When I played a merengue or salsa arrangement, that was what people wanted to hear. So from then on, I knew that I had to work with my own music, my own culture. I had been experimenting with jazz, with a vocal quartet, with big band arrangements a la Count Basie or Duke Ellington. Then with 4.40, we started to work with the popular merengue style. Starting with Bachata Rosa [in 1990], we wanted to revive bachata, the Dominican genre that’s like a Caribbean bolero, and we gave it our twist.

Today, the global popularity and sales of Latin music are at an all-time high propelled in part by fusions of tropical rhythms and urban music. Do you see a lasting shift in the appreciation of the genre?

Latin music has always been here. A lot of Latin artists have been dedicated to promoting our music, and now people are noticing the importance of Latin music around the world.

What do you think of reggaeton?

When it’s done well, I think it’s really valid. But I always say that artists should be careful with what they say [in a song]. Reggaeton can be literature; it can convey messages to its audience. Residente is one example of that. His music is urban, and it is quality work.

Do you think that artists have a social responsibility?

Yes. Although some people don’t want to address social issues directly in their music, we have the responsibility to make good music and to send messages of peace, harmony and love. It’s a privilege to be an artist and to be able to reach out to people, and we should use that privilege responsibly.

Your career is notable for its longevity and also its consistency. What’s your strategy forsuccess?

I tend to let inspiration be my guide, but as a rule, I do try to make each album different. I think I learned that from The Beatles! I listened to all of their albums, and each of them was different, and they were great. I like each project to be new; I always like to add instruments that aren’t usually heard playing folkloric rhythms, like a baritone saxophone or violins in bachata. And of course, 1 want it to sound current.

Do you try to keep up with younger artists?

I try to be in touch with younger people, and particularly young artists. There are a lot of notable young artists now. Rosalia is really amazing, Natalia Lafourcade… there are artists who are writing literature in contemporary songs whose work stands out, like Vicente Garcia and Monsieur Perine.

And what advice would you give them?

Always seek excellence.