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Transcript

Maná

Hello! Welcome to "Estudio Billboard". My name is Leila Cobo, and I am excited to get together again with all of you in the studio, and also with those who watch us at home. We have an hour of music and excellent conversation for music lovers and for those of you who want to learn more about music. I hope you enjoy the show! You will find it both interesting and full of surprises. "Estudio Billboard" starts here.

They have become the most important Latin rock band in Latin America, as well as in the United States. There is no other band as concerned about the environment and our planet. They have sold 22 million records, and they have traveled around the world with their music. Let's learn a part of their story.

Te quiero, sí te quiero, voy andando como fiera tras tus pies...

The creative process was so fun, so relaxed, so passionate this time, that we are really happy. I think the final outcome of the new record is unbelievable.

We created lots of songs, about 60. But, I think the 13 songs that were chosen for this new CD are the ones that represent how we feel right now.

Soy combatiente...

Life is always changing. Maná is more like a band now... more mature. It is clearer to us what we want. And we want to continue with the band, which is the most important thing.

We have the sea in front of us. And seeing this symphony of different shades of blue, is poetry in itself. Everything that has beauty, and also the not so pretty things, are poetry, in one way or another.

...Bendita tu alma y bendita tu luz. Tu mirada...

On the records by Maná, there is always love. When there is love, there is respect, tolerance, everything else.

Stay right there... because in a few minutes, we will have a meaningful conversation with Maná. We'll be right back.

No... If you start hitting each other, everything is gone.

Or, even if that is the only fight, I will sue you.

Maná's story began in '78 when a group of youngsters from Guadalajara decided to get together and play songs from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. In 1989, already known as Maná, they released the album Falta amor with some other musicians. Thanks to the single "Rayando el sol," they managed to sell one million copies. From that moment on, there has been a long list of songs with a message, a melody, and an attitude. ¿Dónde jugarán los niños?, Cuando los ángeles lloran, Sueños líquidos, Revolución de amor. They have enjoyed 20 years of endless popularity. They don't appear very much on TV, and that is why we are more excited than usual having them here as our guests. They are Fher Olvera, Alex González, Juan Diego Calleros y Sergio Vallín, better known as Maná. Welcome!

[clapping]

Hello.

Hello. Thanks. Hello. Hello.

[clapping]

Thanks, thanks for coming.

Our pleasure, our pleasure.

I know you are in the middle of a tour, and this is your day off. I heard you have been away from home for seven weeks.

Yes, around seven weeks.

What do you do when you have been away from home for seven weeks? How do you manage?

We try to be very organized, so we are not gone on tour for more than a month without going home. You have to get on stage with your best face, your best attitude, so that the people feel that you are feeling good. It is really hard. But when you are passionate about music, about concerts, and about the appreciation that people show you at every concert, then it is worth the sacrifice.

For example, the tour called "Amar es combatir" will be finishing around May, 2008. When we stop, besides resting... We try to rest, but at the same time, each one of us is at his home. And we start experimenting. We pick up our instrument. We start composing. It is a process that we have never felt forced to do. If you really think about it, Maná has released only a few albums. And that may not be good business for the record company, but you just can't force art.

Have you already started thinking about songs for the new record? Or not yet?

For instance, before releasing this record, we created many songs. But some of them were left out even when we believed they were good, so...

How many? 30?

Together we created about 60 songs.

Around 60.

From 60 to 70.

The four of you?

First, there were going to be 11. Then there were 12 because we thought, "This one is very good". Then it was 13... So, we said, "Enough". It was getting bigger and more complicated. It also took more time to record the album, but it has 13 hits. Right now, we have just released our fifth single which is called "El rey tiburón". Three of the songs have reached the Top 1, and one of them reached #2. So it has been like, "Wow!"

Well, for those of you who haven't heard the song, it is about a guy who is... Tell us what the song is about. I also want to know who is going to play "El rey tiburón" in the video.

It's like this... "El rey tiburón" is the one who is always searching for something but never finds it. He is the man who is always looking for but never finds a woman. So, that sentence defines the idea surrounding the video. In the end, when you are looking too hard for love, you become a rey tiburón and you become lonely, have nothing.

The song is like a mambo. It is a...

Chachachá.

A chachachá is something different than what you have done before. How did a chachachá rhythm get to be on a record by Maná?

In this case, Fher came to us with this proposal about doing a chachachá. I thought it was super cool, and...

I am going to tell you the story: My mother usually invites me to have dinner at her place on Tuesdays. We drink wine, and then my mother starts to get all excited. She usually plays the music that she likes, and it is chachachá. And I said, "That's a good rhythm!" When we are at a party, my mom stands up and invites me to the dance floor and says, "This is nice for dancing". So, I thought it would be a good idea to make a combination of Maná and that kind of rhythm.

Ok. How do you pick the songs that are going to be on your album? If you have 60 songs, how can you reduce the list from 60 to 12, 10, or 13?

It was very interesting because we are talking about 60 songs. We started to pick songs from those 60, and there were 28 that we recorded at our studio in Guadalajara. It is a process. Maná has always been a very versatile band, musically speaking. We don't want to be in one extreme or the other, so, sometimes it is crazy. And, I think, that Fher especially has vast experience listening to songs. He writes lyrics for songs about things people feel attracted to. He creates very catchy lyrics that tell a story. It is like a complete package, and... We are a little nervous because it has been three and a half years since we last recorded Revolución de amor. I remember when we started seeing that radio stations in our country, in all of Latin America and in the United States, were not playing rock sung in Spanish. And, other rhythms started to become popular, such as reggaeton. Pop ballads started to become popular again. And that is good because everyone has his own taste. And to our surprise, our song made a debut at #4 on the billboard.

One of the most complicated things when you are part of a band is dealing with several opinions, trying to be objective for the sake of the whole band, you know? And we are talking about art, not about a tennis match or a car race where the first one to cross the finish line wins. Who is right in this case? It is complicated. That is why there are only a few bands that have lasted for a long time.

In Latin music, only a few bands have lasted.

Yes. There's got to be honesty, objectivity, respect, for the other people in the band. You have to say, "Ok. This is good, but maybe what has to be changed is the lyrics or this..." We try to say, "It doesn't matter whose idea it is. The important thing is that this record should be amazing". I don't know what is more important, the records we have made together, or the time we have spent together and still remain friends. We are friends. We still call each other to have dinner together. Or to be in our brothers' weddings, you know? because we are very close.

Was there a time in the studio when someone said, "No, I quit!" And then, the door slams?

No door slamming. But, there have been moments... Just think about it. We have four different personalities.

Four personalities.

Concerning simple things... For example, when we were recording "Manda una señal," I said, "Fher, put some more 'distor' on the guitar." He said it was too much. Then I said, "Fher, put more 'distor'." So we said, "Let's try to find some balance. Do you like it like this? Are you happy with this?" Then we decided, "Good, perfect." Throughout our career together, there has never been a moment when we have hit each other. We have never had any fights or used violence. That does happen in bands sometimes. I believe that when you cross the line and disrespect the others like that, it is very difficult to continue in such a hostile environment.

Just like in marriages. If you start hitting each other, everything is gone.

Or, even if that is the only fight, I will sue you.

[laughing]

Listen, how did you decide that "Labios compartidos" was going to be the first single from that album? I am asking because it was very successful.

I'll say a little bit about it because I know many people want to know how the process went, how we created the lyrics of that song and all that stuff. We had the music, and we recorded it in the studio. The outcome was unbelievable. But Fher had different lyrics and a different melody for the song.

No way!

The song was already... It had already been recorded. And he said, "I'm not sure about it. I'm not sure..." And suddenly...

It was the chorus that I didn't like.

He wasn't sure about the chorus. He said, "I'm not sure about it."

What was the chorus like?

I don't remember. I have heard "Labios compartidos" a hundred thousand times, so I have forgotten the older version.

[laughing]

I was trying hard, looking for that chorus. I couldn't find it with the same musical background. Sergio, can you play the musical background?

You play it.

Ok.

[laughing]

What he really does is "play back". Don't believe anything he does. So, I took the guitar, just like when I was in school. I took a small tape recorder and I started...

And at first, I was humming the song.

[humming]

So I said, "What should I put as the lyrics?" So I sang...

Labios compartidos, labios divididos, mi amor, yo no puedo compartir tus labios...

The second line was different:

Que comparto el engaño y comparto mis días y el dolor...

And I continued like that. When I got in the studio, I said, "I've got it! I've got it!" We changed what we had as the melody, and we put in the new one. The song started coming together because it had verses like...

Amor mío, si estoy debajo del vaivén de tus piernas...

And then, Sergio made some beautiful arrangements with the electric guitar. The song was really coming together, and all it needed was a chorus. I had an idea about the lyrics because I had just been through an experience... I started dating a woman, but she was kind of stuck in an old relationship. You know? I was really living the song because it was something I was going through.

Is there another song that is special or important to you, or that is meaningful to you for any reason?

I can think of "Bendita tu luz". That song is special because we invited Juan Luis Guerra to collaborate with us.

But, tell them. It was a bachata song, right?

Yes, it is a Maná's style bachata.

Let's see. Show me the bachata.

Do you want me to dance it or play it for you?

Do you want to dance and play it? I'll dance, and you play.

In Mexico, that is...

It starts...

Well, that's how it starts. I worked on a melody. When I showed it to the band, Alex said, "Listen, this can be a bachata, and we have to do it like that". He added a very interesting rhythmical pattern.

By the way, it was unbelievable when we played that song with Juan Luis at the Latin Grammys. He invited Chocolate, who is his percussionist. He is a great artist. It was an honor to play with him.

So, you did it. You added the rhythm and Fher...

We sent Juan Luis the song and the lyrics in a demo. I talked to him on the phone and I said, "Listen, feel free to tell us if you like it or not"

Did you already know him?

Yes, we did. We had met him in Santo Domingo. We told him, "Art is just like that". We have also been asked to work with other artists. Sometimes we do it, sometimes we don't because there's got to be some chemistry with the song and the artist. So that's how it happened. Right, Sergio?

We recorded in that hotel room, in front of the sea. Can you imagine?

Well, we have to take a break. Please stay with us. We'll be back with more about Maná.

[clapping]

Ella despidió a su amor él partió en un barco en el muelle de San Blas...

[clapping]

We continue now with "Estudio Billboard" and the highest selling band that sings rock in Spanish. They are also the most important band in Latin America. They are Maná. We are talking about their music and the process behind creating their songs. While on the break, we were talking about the songs we all love. We mentioned "El muelle de San Blas".

"El muelle de San Blas" is a special song for us. The creative process was very interesting. The music was developed first. The interesting part is that we added a drum machine, and we incorporated a hip-hop rhythm. We didn't have any experience with that type of music. It was...

The rhythm was something like this... Obviously, this is not the ideal instrument, but it goes...

And then, Juan started. It was...

Then we included the guitar. Sergio added it.

I was singing

Auu, uuu.

I was humming.

[humming]

When we saw that we had created a very nice melody, we said, "Wow!" Sergio told me one day, "The music is ready, brother. You have to create the lyrics". So I replied, "Ok, but don't push me!"

[laughing]

Otherwise, we'll make it an instrumental.

Besides, it is very sad. The music is very melancholic.

It's more melancholic than sad.

Also, the interesting thing was that the album "Sueño Líquido" was recorded... We had always dreamed of recording an album, an entire album, at the sea shore. So we rented a house. Many people think we have a recording studio in Vallarta, which is not true. We just rented a gigantic mansion, and we flew all of our instruments from Los Angeles, and the ones we had in Guadalajara. It was awesome recording that album because we were looking at the sea for almost three months. We were living in Vallarta, and it was quite an experience...

It was a mansion. We had planned on being there for a month, and we ended up staying for three months. I have a small house in the heart of Vallarta, where the villagers live. I used to go dancing and drinking on weekends with my friends at the bars around there. It was amazing. One day, we went out and it was late, around 5 am. We went to have tacos. That's the typical thing you do in Mexico after drinking, to chill and to sober up. Then, there was a lady sweeping the sidewalk outside the taquería. My pals told me, "That lady is the town's cotorra". In Mexico, that means that it is too late for her to find a husband, and she will probably remain single, understand? They said that she was crazy because many years ago her boyfriend left on a ship, and he never came back. They said she usually visits a small dock in Puerto Vallarta. The dock is not called San Blas. I just decided to call it that. She dresses in white and waits for him on Sundays. She tells the people who are fishing on the dock that her boyfriend is coming back. It is kind of a joke in the town. They joke about the situation. I think her name is Conchita. They wonder if he is coming back... Anyway, I was shocked by the story. I thought, "Wow! That is a good story". I went into my room. I used to write on the walls, and I wrote, "She waited him on the dock until her eyes were filled with dawn."

It's a beautiful sentence.

I wrote that idea at the entrance to my room. Every time I went out, I looked at it and said, "I have to write a song about this. I have to write a song..."

Do you want to play a little bit?

We are going to do the first part and the chorus...

Sure.

Uuuu, uuu, uuu, uuu. Ella despidió a su amor que partió en un barco en el muelle de San Blas. Él juró que volvería y empapada en llanto ella juró que esperaría. Miles de lunas pasaron y siempre ella estaba en el muelle, esperando. Muchas tardes se anidaron, se anidaron en su pelo y en sus labios...

The chorus, sing with me! [everybody]

Sola, sola en el olvido, sola, sola con su espíritu, sola, sola con su amor, el mar. Sola, en el muelle de San Blas.

[clapping]

They're a little shy, right? When they are at an arena, they shout. Here, we are in a small studio, and everyone is shy...

[clapping]

(Continue to [Page 2])

Maná in Estudio Billboard [1] [2]