Latest news with #FitoPáez
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Rock icon Fito Páez isn't looking at legacy yet: 'I still have many things left to do'
Rock icon Fito Páez isn't looking at legacy yet: 'I still have many things left to do' Don't give Fito Páez his flowers yet. He's still planting new seeds. The Argentina-born singer-songwriter and film director, whose landmark 1992 album "El Amor Después del Amor" celebrated its 33rd anniversary June 1, continues his tradition of avant-Latin rock on his latest album "Novela." Páez, 62, became "The Troubadour of Argentine Rock" by waxing poetic with his heady, romantic lyrics and free-spirit flamboyance. On "Novela," an ambitious 25-track record Páez had been working on since 1988, the Grammy-winning rocker explores the inner workings of true love through the tale of Maldivina and Turbialuz, a pair of young witches tasked with creating the "perfect romance." "I don't compose music for albums. My connection to music, to writing or to film is permanent. I'm not thinking, 'Now I'm going to do this or that,'" Páez tells USA TODAY in Spanish. "It's almost like breathing." Something that comes just as naturally to Páez is writing about the primal magic of human connection. "There's nothing more important than love," he says. Fito Páez preaches the importance of artistic independence For Páez, there's nothing more vital than marching to the beat of your own drum. The acclaimed rocker, who's released nearly 30 albums since his 1984 debut "Del 63," shares his concern about today's music landscape, which he views as valuing conformity over originality. "The world has changed so much," he reflects. "In the last century, to be different (as an artist) was a virtue. Today, virtue is being like everybody else." Despite his lower middle-class upbringing in Rosario, Argentina, Páez was fed a rich musical diet, consisting of the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach and The Beatles. He says these trailblazers informed the experimental rock style he's now known for. So, Páez's advice for younger artists? Embrace the uncertainty of carving out their own path. "Music is like the sea. It's deep and warm and at the same time, full of storms," Páez says. "This is much more fun than repeating a beat and four lyrics for five minutes." Karol G interview: Singer talks vulnerable new documentary, love life and upcoming 'dream' album Fito Páez's proudest achievement may surprise you Over the years, Páez has been lauded for his artistic contributions, including 11 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2021, the Latin Recording Academy recognized Páez with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Páez's music has been equally championed by la gente. His beloved eighth album, "El Amor Después del Amor," is reportedly the best-selling album in the history of Argentine rock. "I don't want a legacy yet. I still have many things left to do," Páez says with a laugh. "In the end, that's the beauty of the spread of music, that it's not the process of one era, of one song, of your vanity or of your brand, but it's a journey through time. And when it happens for real, it's very beautiful." Natalia Lafourcade interview: Mexican singer on alter ego in 'Cancionera,' significance of touring in her 40s The greatest accolade for Páez lies in his continued ability to create. "I really love that 12-year-old boy who listened to music with his parents, and something was awoken there that is still alive, and that boy never said never," Páez says. "So, I'm really proud of that little boy."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fito Páez Started His Album ‘Novela' in 1988. 37 Years Later, He's Finally Sharing It With the World
'I don't really believe in the concept of creative genius and things like that,' the Argentine artist Fito Páez says from his home in Buenos Aires. 'I'm more of a believer in the will and desire to express myself — that's the heart of the matter.' At 62, the legendary Argentine rocker has just released one of the most ambitious albums of his career: Novela, an opera that he started developing in 1988, and finally reworked and finished last year during a lengthy — and furious — creative spell in Madrid. The album, which Páez plans to turn into a film, has divided fans. Some online critics called it convoluted and unlistenable, while the Argentine edition of Rolling Stone hailed it as 'a titanic tour de force.' More from Rolling Stone How CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso Got the Whole World Dancing and Laughing How the Members of Amor Elefante Found Each Other Again on Comeback Album 'Amigas' Liam Payne Died After Trying to Escape via Hotel Balcony, Says Judge The plot, which takes place in Páez's native province of Santa Fe, involves a witchcraft university, an itinerant circus, and the fateful meeting of two teenagers. The presence of an oddly ceremonial female narrator in between songs doesn't help the cause, but some of the tracks boast the same kind of surreal, nostalgic beauty that was already present in 1992's El Amor Después del Amor, a record that transformed Latin rock with its euphoric spirit and Beatles-esque melodies. A complex work made up of 25 tracks, Novela will definitely be remembered as one of the singer's most fascinating albums. Páez spoke with Rolling Stone about the madness of contemporary pop culture — and his desire to create a musical narrative that could be both personal and universal. Is meant to be an antidote to the music of the streaming era?Not really, considering that it simmered in low heat for so many years. It certainly could function as an antidote now that this kind of format has become a rara avis. You started working on this project in 1988. Did anything happen last year that inspired you to reach the finish line?Let's be a bit Lacanian, and pragmatic, too. My girlfriend, Eugenia Kolosziej, decided to study in Madrid. I had just finished a tour and wanted to join her. But what was I to do? I couldn't just spend my days reading… Novela had been developing in fits and starts. In fact, I finished the screenplay for the movie adaptation before completing the album. I called Sony and asked for the impossible: a studio in Madrid, available at all hours of the day. In the process, I wrote 17 tracks, with an additional eight rescued from the original version. The nature of this project may be somewhat controversial, but the original incentive was simply to accompany Eugenia and find something to do. I spent a month and a half locked in the recording studio. It was a beautiful process. A couple of years ago, I asked you if reggaeton was the new rock & roll, and your terse reply still cracks me up: 'Clearly not, Ernesto.' Do you still believe that?I don't have much to say on the subject — it doesn't interest me in the least. I wrote an essay titled 'Music in a Time of Massive Madness' and previewed it at Berkeley. I will read a few more chapters soon at the University of Buenos Aires, and the entire book will come out before the end of the year. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, does the state of contemporary pop angers you?I'm a creator. Anger materializes in people who are toxic and ignorant. There's no space for anger when you're busy creating; only beauty and joy. But the very ontology of your album is a slap in the face to the two-minute pop song. is the antithesis of up to journalists like you to formulate those concepts. The fact that Novela exists gives us the opportunity to ponder. I started writing my essay three years ago, because I noticed the absence of dissident voices. Everything was about the looming threat of cancellation, or being too old to speak up about these matters. Well, I have my story to tell, and I will not be swept away by the herd. You asked me why Novela is seeing the light of day now. There isn't a controversial reason for that. It's my nature, and it will not be tamed. There will always be a fault in the matrix. I'm one of the faults. Ideologically speaking, it makes me happy that a record like exists. I will defend with my life your right as an artist to make that kind of a statement…During the 1970s, a great Italian philosopher named Bifo Berardi spoke of the phenomenon that he described as 'massive madness.' It's certainly time to ponder what is the meaning of music today — what it signifies, how we relate to it. When something appears that stems from a pure love of music, inevitably, the existing structures begin to crumble. It's gonna take me a long time to fully digest and comprehend as a whole. That said, songs such as 'Cruces de Gin en Sal' and 'El Vuelo' are gorgeous — even if it's hard to understand what came before or after them.I take that as a lovely compliment. Yesterday I wrote a poem about [Mexican painter José Clemente] Orozco painting a mural at Dartmouth College in Vermont. The concept of a mural is so beautiful, because you never get tired of looking at it. I also think of [James] Joyce's introduction to his Ulysses, where he appears to relish the fact that critics will never be able to fully decipher its contents. I just read Jorge Luis Borges' [classic short story] 'El Aleph' once again, and I found stuff that I didn't notice on the previous reads. The tension between the personal and the universal is palpable in the plot of .There's something luminous about painting the mural of the village where you grew up. Villa Constitución [in the province of Santa Fe] was a small city. The imaginary elements of the story — the witches, and the university — stem from growing up with my father, and reading novels by Julio Verne and Emilio Salgari. But it's also the story of the boy who grew up in that world, who later became a man and in his 60s created a fantasy around it. It's all very personal, but also universal. This could have happened in any village, anywhere in the world. Once again, the Beatles inform your musical world in such an organic, loving way…I once told [producer] Phil Ramone, this track sounds a bit too much like Steely Dan, and he replied, 'Why do you care about that? If you're doing it, and it works perfectly, why does it matter?' His advice was valuable, and made me consider the hybrid as a noble art form. We listened to the Beatles in Villa Constitución when I was 15, at birthdays and dance parties. Novela touches on the hallucinogenic universe of 'Strawberry Fields Forever.' 'El Vuelo' is so cinematic, with those spiraling orchestral a pivotal moment in the story, when the protagonists levitate and the entire town takes off flying. But it happens with that musical backdrop, so slow and elegant, like in slow motion. When you released in 2020, I noticed how sumptuous your sonic universe can be when backed by orchestral arrangements. Was that album a before-and-after for you?It's been a long process that began in 1990, when I asked Carlos Villavicencio to do the brass and string arrangements for Tercer Mundo. We did several albums together, and our collaboration was always passionate. Then I met Gerardo Gandini, who was my last great teacher. Eventually, I started doing my own orchestral arrangements. But this is an incredible moment for me, because as soon as I finish my next tour, I will begin academic studies in composition and arranging. I want to drive the Ferrari on my own. An unfair question, I know: Would you say is still your ultimate masterpiece?You know what I think? We always discuss artists such as Beethoven and Haydn, or [filmmakers] such as Cassavetes and Fellini, and we pick a specific movie or record that we think is the best. But today I may favor a particular Fellini movie, and that may change tomorrow. What's my favorite Charly García record? There are so many. I think music gave me the opportunity to express myself and experience happiness, to liberate personal ghosts and make up imaginary worlds, to enjoy a life that became more lucid and fun. Music transports you to unknown territory. As long as you continue expressing yourself through art, life will continue to lighten up. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Washington Post
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Argentine rocker Fito Páez's long journey to ‘Novela'
If Fito Páez had his way, everyone who listens to 'Novela,' the vivid and staggering 25-track album he released in March, would do so on vinyl. With a few friends, lyrics on hand to pore over and digital devices powered off, listeners can truly take in the rock opera — in order, from beginning to end — as he intended.
