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Transcript

David Bisbal

Hello! Welcome to Estudio Billboard. I'm Leila Cobo, and I want to thank you once again for joining us on this intense, unique musical journey. You can join us in the studio and see your favorite singers up close. During this hour, we will have the privilege of talking with a musician who will share his music and the stories that create the fabric of his life. Estudio Billboard starts now!

Our guest started singing when he was a child, but a TV show turned him into a popular star in his country where he recorded his first album, Corazón Latino. From that moment on, his career took off. He had sold 1.5 million copies only a few months after releasing his first album. In 2003, "Bisbalmanía" spread, and he took Latin America by storm. In 2004, he released Bulería, and his career continued to grow. He seemed to be thinking out loud about his overwhelming success on his first single "¿Quién me lo Iba a Decir"? from the album Premonición. Today, this singer has sold 5 million albums and is one of the most popular Latin singers. Let's learn part of his story.

Man: Welcome, David Bisbal. How are you?

I am very glad to be here. Thanks for inviting me to your studio.

Lloraré las penas. Lloraré. Ay lloraré.

Man: How do you prepare yourself for such a long tour?

I think the best option is staying in bed... Ha, ha, ha... when you travel around this much.

¿Quién me iba a decir que serías la sangre de mi corazón?

I like to show lots of enthusiasm when I have a team working around me.

Yo sé que no volveré... ...a pecar, esas viejas trampas...

Everyone chooses their own path, right? But it's also true that work can be difficult. Basically, right now I am in a position where I have plenty of work. I always try to find comfort and security in my work.

...lloraré las penas de mi corazón enamorado, sufriré el lamento de este corazón...

Ave María! Si me quisieras...

Corazón latino...

[crowd shouting]

To me, success means feeling at ease with your work goals... feeling comfortable with your loved ones... your family and friends. That is success to me.

Stay tuned. After the break, we will have a one on one conversation with David Bisbal.

People had many doubts about me... especially in my country. In the beginning, the music industry obviously didn't have a lot of confidence in me.

[clapping]

He was born in Almería, on June 5. He is the youngest of three children and the son of a boxer. One day, he auditioned for the band Expresiones, and he was chosen as the singer. Never before had someone from a TV show... Operación Triunfo... made such an impact after winning. He is said to be perfectionist with a strong character and a charming personality. He is a cyclist, a football player, and he is proud to say that he is an expert at playing darts. His name is printed on the official jersey of the Almería sports club, his favorite soccer team. Let's welcome David Bisbal!

[clapping]

Hello!

My David. Welcome.

Hey! Thanks a lot! Kisses to everyone! Everything going ok? Hey,...This place is nice!

Yes.

Doing great, very happy.

Hey, what happened to your curls?

I cut them off.

Are they ever coming back?

Yes,...See. They are starting to come back. I have had many different hairstyles,... short,...spiky,...blond.

You had a mohawk. Didn't you?

Yes,...all the way down the back,... During the Premonition tour, I had a mohawk. It was cool.

Tell us why you did that.

Well, I wanted to get people's attention by having it cut like that. I was working with... together with a friend of mine... We composed a song dedicated to all of the children who are forced to be soldiers in countries where there is an armed conflict,... where there is a war. Maybe people wondered why David did that. That video clip we recorded with the information about...

It was Soldado de Papel, right?

Exactly. Well,...People had the chance to learn about this common world problem.

Well,...Tell us... Ok...I didn't know your father was a boxer.

Yes, that was his profession for 18 years. I have never liked boxing. Not as a sport. I never liked that kind of physical contact, aggression... right? I have always preferred other kinds of sports, such as soccer...I used to play on a team...or even cycling. I was part of a team when I was younger. I was only 15 or 16.

Really?

Yes. The team was...

Did you go all over...? You went into the mountains of Spain?

Yes, it was in Andalucía... more precisely, Almería, which is where I'm from. As I was saying, I really liked that sport. It was physically demanding. I had to be strong and be in great shape to be able to give it my all. I think the same way about music, you know? When I am on a tour,... when I am promoting my albums,... I take care of myself exactly the same way that I used to. To me, a day of work is almost like playing a sport. Ok? Giving 100% of yourself on stage requires large amounts of energy, right? You also require a lot of rest.

I remember that before... when I saw your concerts in the beginning... You jumped to the floor on your knees, and I used to say... "This man is going to need a knee replacement in five years!"

Yes, I think... In the beginning, you always over do it, right?

Yes.

You repeat things a lot. That's what I used to do in the beginning. During a concert, I would jump to the floor on my knees...or turn around in circles over and over again.

Maybe you felt that since you came from a TV show you had to show the world what you could do. You wanted to put in 1000% of your energy.

Of course... People had many doubts about me... especially in my country. In the beginning, the music industry obviously didn't have a lot of confidence in me. I had to start from scratch here. The thanks goes to Universal Music in Latin America for giving me this opportunity.

Well,...Let's think back... before you continue... Maybe some people in the world still don't know about Operación Triunfo. It was a TV show where people watched you... ...you were being filmed every single minute of the day. You were one of the winners from the first season, right?

Exactly. I saw that TV show as a chance...like an audition. It really was the audition that you wanted to get some day. Why? A person in the music industry might see you on TV... a music producer, a writer, or any person in the record industry...

Had you ever tried getting into the music industry before Operación Triunfo?

Sure, sure. Before, I...

Nobody had...?

I used to sing with my band Expresiones. I recorded all of my concerts live.

What happened?

I got a lot of calls saying, "Ok. We want you to learn these songs, and we'll be in touch." Since I was already famous, I went to a radio station, and they played some of those demos I had sent before. I have tried to work on that confidence that people didn't have in me. Because the music industry was wondering, "Is this guy successful because..."

...because he was on TV.

"...he was on the show or because he's talented?" Well, after six years, and I thank God for this, I was able to get started in places like the United States and Latin America where people didn't know me. They started to see that as a soloist, as a singer, David Bisbal could build...

That you are real.

...a career with his team... with the record label.

What kind of band was Expresiones?

It was a cover band. I had to sing all of the hits that were being played on the radio back then. I used to sing songs by many Latin artists who I have had the chance to meet in person today.

From those hits... Was there a song that people requested every night...wherever you went?

They requested several. I was mainly the kind of artist that sang everything... every musical genre. I sang in my own musical style... music native to Spain... copla, rumba... I would sing "Madre Mía," "La Campanera,"... which was very beautiful...

Can you sing a little something for us a cappella?

There was a song from the area where I grew up, Almería. It was a beautiful copla called "Almería, Tierra Noble." It goes like this...

Mitad de mora y cristiana, tiene la sangre cruzá. Es de una tierra lejana que se refleja en el mar. La alcazaba centinela, siempre guarda tu hermosura, y la torre de la vela, y la torre de la vela, te cantó bajo la luna.

Good!

[clapping]

Listen... Have you ever thought about making an album only with coplas, bulerías... those types of music?

You know what? I have a lot of respect for that kind of music. Even though I was born in the South and grew up listening to that kind of music, I'm all about pop music. Of course, I never forget about that kind of music. For me, it has become a goal to create pop music... remembering my roots in every song that I included on my previous albums.

On this record, the new album... the Premonición album,... the one that has the song called "Premonición"...

Exactly.

Does it have that element as well?

Yes,...especially the song that the album was named for. It takes a lot from rock, but it also has that feel of rumba and flamenco... which is necessary, right? When performed live... you can appreciate that so much more... with the musicians... the band... all of the people...

You wrote the lyrics and the music for that song, right?

Yes. I did it with Kike Santander who is one of the greatest artists in music. I owe him a lot.

We don't have Kike here today, but we have a piano player who is going to accompany you. I'm not sure if you want to share a small part of how Premonición was created... Sing something for us.

I remember we created the melody of this song at Kike's place. Kike sat at the piano, and I started to create the melody with my voice. That is the first thing you do. I love doing that kind of writing.

So... You do the melody first and then the lyrics.

Exactly. Later, in New York, I wrote the lyrics. It was a funny story, ok? It tells a little... It talks about a few years ago... A gypsy...a fortune teller... predicted the future of this guy. She said his life was going to change completely, and that people were going to talk a lot about his life... saying both positive and negative things...but... well...that it shouldn't matter because he would find happiness in the end. That is what the song is about. So...well... Whenever you're ready, maestro.

Sí, fue algún tiempo atrás, entre unas copas de más, una de aquellas historias que se suelen olvidar. Cuento o imaginación, fantasía o realidad, nunca lo sabré, no lo puedo negar y fue... aquella que tomó mi mano, que la leyó y me dijo hermano, a ella a la que tú le das el corazón no es para ti. Tendrán rumbos diferentes y murmurará la gente sin saber que te esperaba al fin el verdadero amor y verás lo que es tener a quién te quiera de verdad. No dudes más, lo que te digo se hará pronto realidad. Es tiempo ya para olvidar, serás feliz, ya lo verás. Escucha ya, lo que la gente diga... no te ha de importar.

Kind of like that.

Very nice.

[clapping]

When we return, I want you to tell us about the songs you wrote for this album.

Yes.

...about how you cope with being a personality. Think about it. We have to take a break. When we return, we will continue talking with David Bisbal.

Ok.

[clapping]

After I became famous, I felt a passion... a need to work with great musicians and to start creating melodies from the beginning... and later, to start writing about personal things,... about what I feel.

[clapping]

We continue enjoying the company of David Bisbal here on Estudio Billboard.

Thanks a lot.

David, we were...

I am, too... enjoying the company of Leila Cobo.

Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. We were saying that in Spain you are... Everyone knows you in Spain. We were also saying how difficult it is to have the media and the public all over you 24 hours a day. That is something that you talk about on this new album, Premonición. There are a couple of songs that deal with losing your privacy. Right?

Well... I tried... How can I say this? I tried to describe these feelings. Some of them are negative. Ok? Somehow, everything that has to do with the media. Even if some feelings are not very positive... things can become positive thanks to music. That is what I have always tried to explain. For example, in "Amar es lo que Quiero," I explained that music is almost like a shell for me. Or my loved ones... Music represents a shell from everything that people say about you. The negative things don't affect you at all. But, it's hard. I always try to protect myself with the people that I love the most... the things that I love the most. That way everything is covered. As I have always said, music is healing to me.

When you were a small child...

Yes.

...at home, with your dad, who was a boxer...

Yes.

and you were practicing riding your bike...

Yes.

How did music become part of your life?

I have always loved music. For as long as I can remember, I've been singing. I used to sing songs... Well, you can imagine, in rumba de 'Los Chícharos'... Maybe you don't know about it, but it was rumba from my native region, especially copla... and everything else.

So, when you went to a party, people used to tell you, "David, please sing something for us?"

It was really embarrassing. When my family used to say, "David, sing!" I just couldn't do it. I had to turn around and face the wall so that I felt like I wasn't singing for anyone. It had to be something more spontaneous. But, for some reason... everyone used to say to me, "Sing! Go ahead!"

But... Your family wasn't a family of musicians.

No. No musicians at all. I mean... Nobody was a famous artist at home. In Spain, people like carnivals a lot. At the carnivals... especially in Andalucía, Canaria... people add lyrics to all kinds of music... to songs that are famous. That's very typical. Later, they have a carnival contest where all of the groups... the comparsas and the murgas... sing those songs. My family has always sung those songs at the carnivals.

When was the moment where you said, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life?"

Well... Ever since I was a child, I have always dreamed.... In fact, I used to learn to play the songs and sing them along with the radio. Ok?... or with the tapes...

Looking in the mirror?...

...Looking in the mirror and holding a pen as a microphone. Sometimes, I would grab my mother's hairbrush... the one she used for combing her hair... It was... It has always been my dream. When I was in school, for example, there was another student who used to sing with me. We would both sing for our teachers or classmates.

When you made a bad grade, you would sing for the teacher, and she would change it.

That's how I fixed things. It was obvious. I used to sing for her, and that was that. Later, in the institute... It was in the institute that this feeling grew stronger. I used to sing all of the time... all of the time... during recess, even in class, with my friends... for dating, too! Ha, ha, ha. That was my weapon because I had always been very... What do you call it? Shy. I couldn't... Somehow that made me change.

When did you start writing?

Well, I started writing after I was already famous. I have always known a lot of music, and I have always had the ability to improvise. With my band, for example, my boss and I created endings for songs that used to fade out at the end. We did it so that the song would sound better when performed live. Obviously, already being famous, I felt that passion. I had the chance to work with great musicians, and I started to create melodies from their beginning. Later, I could talk about my own personal life... what I felt. With music, you can even talk about what you don't feel. You don't always have to write about what you are going through at that exact moment. It is wonderful. Honestly... I have felt a lot of happiness.

On every record, you write more and more. You have discovered another side of yourself.

Yes. Time has a lot to do with that. I believe that on the first records you are not fully prepared for writing because you don't have much time to do it. Later, on the other records, in preparing them... in producing them... I have had more time so I have been able to work directly with amazing professionals who have given me the chance to write about my own feelings.

I am being told the audience has questions.

Really? Well, I'd love to answer them. Here are the answers to whatever you want to know.

Woman: I would like to know what your greatest inspiration is when you are composing. Thanks.

Well... The latest album has been... It has really given me the chance... People didn't know my writing abilities before. I have been able to reveal myself... what I was feeling at the time. Of course, things were great during Premonición... but other things have not been that positive. I felt the strong need to discuss with other people the problems that surround our lives. Maybe that is why I started writing about social problems and everything else. But you have to give yourself a chance to show all sides of yourself... happiness, especially partying, which is what people expect the most. Well, all of those things are not necessarily positive, but people can identify with them at a certain point in their lives.

Man: David, we know that you are committed to your work, and that you enjoy it. When you are on a tour, away from all of your things... What do you miss the most?

Well, with no doubt... What you miss the most is your family... the ones that you love. That is what keeps you going every day, right? That is why when you go home, even if it is only for two days, you recharge your energy.

Man: Is that part of your inspiration?

It is. It is part of my inspiration. I am proud to say that all the energy I give to my audience comes from my loved ones. That is very important to me. I'm sending them a hug.

David, how important was it for you to experience being the singer of a band?

Well, it was great. For me, it was like a school where I had the chance to learn about everything.

Even more than on Operación Triunfo?

Yes. Well... Operación Triunfo only lasted for five months. The other experience was five years. I started when I was 17, and I was on Operación Triunfo when I was 22. On the show, I learned a large part about the music industry that I was unfamiliar with. They really helped me. There were musicians and producers on the show as well. Today, I feel proud to have worked with them. I even work with some of them now as experienced professionals. I think they are able to help me continue evolving. Of course, we had to get on stage everyday with the band. Every day was a live performance. There were mistakes, maybe you didn't feel good... Singing three concerts every day... sometimes until dawn... It was like, "You have to learn. Period." Do you understand?

Can you tell me a story from those days? I guess there are a million stories.

A million...

Try to remember a funny one.

A funny one?

A funny one.

They were all funny.

A very funny one... before we take a break.

Look... There were funny stories every day... from falls where you injured yourself... Well, you can imagine. You slip very often... or you confuse the lyrics... What can I say?

Any falls from the stage?

Yes, yes. Well... not just one, but several. Several... ...or hitting your tooth with the microphone... Well... Back in the day that microphones still had wires... sometimes you got shocked by the electricity, ok? Right on your tooth!... Boom! while performing.

What did your parents say? You were 17 years old, and you were working as a professional musician.

Well, my father loved it because his hobby was singing, too. In fact, when he was a boxer, my father also used to sing coplas and flamenco. He wasn't a pop singer. Of course, my mother had her doubts. She would say, "Oh, my poor child! Singing at night... That is not good!" You can imagine. Mothers are always protective, and when they are uncertain about things, they get worried, right?

But... Her child was happy with tons of girls staring at him every night. It must have been really hard for you.

You know what? She felt better when she learned that the owners of the band were also parents. It wasn't like we went out to have fun. It was a need. They made a living by singing. So, she really felt at ease. When she saw me perform for the first time, she became my biggest fan. She came to see me sing in every town close to Almería. You can imagine. But... obviously mothers worry about that kind of thing. I would have been worried myself.

Ok. When we come back, I want you to talk more about you as a composer.

Ok.

Stay tuned. We'll be back with more about David Bisbal.

[clapping]

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Davis Bisbal in Estudio Billboard [1] [2]