Danny Ocean gets on a tropical vibe for ‘Babylon Club'
The album is a way to expand the world of Babylon beyond just the name or his fan club and his 'Babylon Girl' battle cry, which began when his hit 'Me Rehúso' launched the Venezuelan urban artist to global fame.
'We're called Babylon Club, and I think it's very much in honor of them,' he said of his fans in an interview ahead of this week's release of his album. 'And it's also like this utopian place on the beach where you arrive, that space in your life where you realize that not everything is work and that life is beautiful too, that you have to live it and that life is one.'
The inspiration of the beach, tropics and Caribbean comes from taking time to heal the soul, to be with your loved ones and leave obligations for a while.
The cover with Ocean in front of a palm leaf and blue water suits him very well with the song 'Crayola,' in which he creates a tropical vibe by diving fully into salsa.
'I'm from the Caribbean too. In the end I love merengue, I love Afro, I love everything that is tropi sounds,' he said.
Recruiting big stars for 'Babylon Club'
Creating the sounds of 'Babylon Club' meant international teamups and a trip to Ocean's song vault.
For 'Priti,' the album's first single, he traveled to Panama to work with Sech in his native country.
'He received me with all the love in the world. We went out to get to know his country, we had a good time,' he said. 'Then we became very close friends, which is the nice thing about collaborating, that sometimes you go out meeting a colleague and leave as a friend of this person.'
Louis BPM, his guest on 'Sunshine,' is a fresh voice of urban music in Venezuela, originally from the Pinto Salinas neighborhood of Caracas.
'I had been listening to him for a while, and I liked it a lot. I really liked his voice, I really liked how he writes his reality,' said Ocean.
He said he feels the need to share more urban music created in Venezuela.
'It is very difficult to come from a place where there is no industry and where there is no education. It's difficult to go out and compete abroad, but that's where we are,' he said. 'We are all set to push our culture outside and make ourselves known.'
Mexico City was where Ocean and Kenia Os collaborated on 'AyMami,' a song he previously recorded but never released.
'I did 'AyMami' about eight years ago and suddenly last year I stumbled upon the demo again. I heard it, I said wow!' he said. 'She has a very good vibe… She works a lot and is doing something all the time, and that is a great plus in this industry.'
The beach inspired other songs, including the flamenco-ish 'Corazón,' which was born while Ocean was sitting with friends in Miami playing a guitar he likes. 'Arena,' about a crush at first sight on a Venezuelan beach, features Puerto Rican star Arcángel while 'Anoche', with the Spanish singer Aitana, also transport listeners to the shore.
Sending a message of 'strength and patience' to migrants
The album is accompanied by a short film, created with videos of five of his songs, which begins with 'Priti.' It features performances by Venezuelan María Gabriela de Faría and her husband Christian McGaffney and portrays people years after they have emigrated, when they are working hard.
'I'm like her little angel who appears in various circumstances and tells her to escape, she's going to the beach … a beach that in the end is Babylon Club,' he said. 'I'm not saying stop working or anything like that, but get away, give yourself some time for yourself, you deserve it and remember that life is beautiful too.'
Ocean, 33, identifies with De Faría's character and believes that the same thing happens to many immigrants.
'At least I can talk about Venezuelans, that we are kind of trapped a little bit in work, work, work, work, that sometimes we forget a little about living life, you know?' he said.
Ocean will begin a tour in September that will take him to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama.
He immigrated to the United States almost a decade ago with the goal of fulfilling his dream in music.
In the face of changing immigration policies and raids, he expressed solidarity with migrants.
'I know it's a very, very sensitive issue. And I know that many of us are going through a very particular uncertainty right now, and it hurts, it hurts to see your people also go through this uncertainty,' he said. 'As a migrant, I can tell you that what happens is scary, you know? And the only thing I can say is to send strength and patience to the people.'
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