“I didn’t even know who Shakira was or care, but I had to pay rent” | Leon Larregui | Prismarama | Exhibition Park Amphitheater | LIGHTS

Two years before founding the band Zoé, the Mexican singer León Larregui had not yet replaced his computer with a microphone, working as a graphic animator and occasionally as a model for brands like Armani, or in music videos, as in the song “Se qué, se mata” of a young Shakira, who was reinventing herself for the first time in the music industry. After several years of sporadic odd jobs, Larregui earned enough money to embark on his own musical path, leaving behind brief appearances to give major presentations around the world.

In the video clip of Shakira’s song, published in the album ‘Pies Descalzos’ (1995) and directed by Juan Carlos Martín, León Larregui plays Braulio, a young man with a dark and mysterious appearance who, together with Danna, his partner, finds himself to deal with a worrying situation. According to the plot of the video, which deals with sensitive and controversial topics for the time such as teenage pregnancy and abortion, both make the decision not to have the baby and go to a clinic. The story ends with a young León Larregui packing his bags in the center of his room.

“That day I went with my girlfriend at the time to make the video. I didn’t even know who Shakira was and I wasn’t interested in her, but I had to pay rent and I was low on money. I accepted simply because. With her there was no background of friendship, I was just a 22-year-old boy who wanted to pay the bills and start a band”, says León Larregui from his home in Brussels, in an interview with El Comercio.

This new production continues to touch on themes such as love, as well as being strongly influenced by the Covid 19 phase and the information age.

After forming the band Zoé with Sergio Acosta on guitar, Jesús Báez on keyboards, Ángel Mosqueda on bass and Rodrigo Guardiola on drums, and having consolidated its presence in the Mexican rock scene with 6 tours, 4 albums, 2 EPs and a recording session MTV Unplugged, Larregui will begin his own side project with the release of his album “Solstis” in 2014.

“It was a moment of personal need, of exploration of what I was experiencing, of my path. It was never my intention to end Zoé, but rather to do the exploratory work necessary to maintain a healthy balance. I had already composed some songs, pieces that didn’t quite fit the band, but were suitable for my solo career,” says Larregui, who defines his personal style as a spiritual quest.

The new album produced by León Larregui himself is composed of 15 songs entirely written by the Mexican singer-songwriter.

love and women

Behind the wide musical repertoire created in his 27-year career, lie the love stories experienced by Larregui, something he calls adventures of encounter, disagreement, loss, maternal and paternal love. Some of his most popular songs born this way are “Paula”, “Love”, “Poli”, “Miel”, among other songs that demonstrate the impact of former partners on his art.

“Female figures are always present, when I was very young I lived alone with my mother, learning how difficult it is to be a single and independent mother. From what I experienced with her to my personal romantic relationships, this is what fuels the lyrics”, explains Larregui, who maintains a special bond with his mother, to whom he dedicated his song “Arrullo de Estrellas”, a song that she managed to listen… one day before her death.

His new album Prismarama was also influenced by a female figure, Margaret Turck, the artist’s wife and mother of 8-year-old Lucian Larregui. “She once said to me: ‘I have to tell you that I like your demos much better, not in the studio or with Zoé, but when you make them at home’, so I took those words into account. That’s why I ventured into this project and into the production of this new album”, explains the singer.

The album was recorded in Paris like his other solo albums, but did not feature production from Adan Jodorowsky.

Controversies and social networks

Zoé’s success was accompanied by controversies due to León Larregui’s behavior at various moments in his life, combined with his attitude defined as “introverted” by the artist himself. These factors have meant that the Mexican singer-songwriter’s stay on social networks is always a visit to which it is inevitable for him to respond constantly.

“I started at a time when the networks were friendlier. Now, as Featherweight says, everything is more belligerent. It’s fun, although you have to be careful. “Sometimes I just use it to vent,” says the singer, who isn’t afraid to write tweets defending his ideas, even if they always end up in digital arguments.

Unlike social media users, Larregui seems to enjoy more the company of close friends like Enrique Bunbury from Spain or Adrián Dárgelos from Argentina, with whom he has collaborated on some songs. For this new presentation she is preparing a special event with Laurent Brancowitz and Christian Mazzalai from Phoenix. “We hope to sing together on stage. It would be great to be able to get up and sing a few songs. It’s funny because sometimes they ask us to sing on social media… it’s difficult to understand what they want”, concludes Larregui.”

2024-01-06 13:38:25
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