With the release of his latest album Vida Cotidiana, it’s been a busy past few months for Juanes, but the Colombian star took time to sit with Billboard‘s Leila Cobo to talk candidly about a variety of topics. From his mental health journey to overcoming the stress about writing a “hit,” Juanes keeps it real discussing situations that have, at times, impacted his career or personal well being.
The interview happened during the singer-songwriter’s visit to New York, just a day after his concert at Central Park’s SummerStage was halted due to “excessive crowds.” He, of course, addressed what happened saying that it was upsetting he not only didn’t get to perform for his fans but wasn’t able to sing songs from his new album. Vida Cotidiana is Juanes’ his first studio album with completely original music in four years, which made performing these new tracks in front of a crowd all the more special.
“I never sensed anything but excitement and happiness from the fans that were there,” he says. “I was like I’m playing this new song and people are happy, that’s all I was thinking about. I love that people give me a chance to share my music with them because I love this.”
Juanes’ love and respect for music has also led him on another important journey. While the Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artist has in the past spoken out about mental health issues, this time he talks about how doing a reset on his life was one of the most important things he’s ever done. “In 2010, something terrible happened to me. I started to really hate myself. I couldn’t stand myself. I’m a human. I’m not a product and after working for 10 years I got burned out. It was to the point that I had to make the very drastic decision of saying, ‘I need to stop right now and do a reset of my life. It was one of the most important things I’ve done.”
Watch Juanes’ interview above where he also talks about staying true to his process of making music and an upcoming tour.
