Real Deal

Juanes
WHEN: Sunday, April 20
WHERE: Dodge Arena
COST: $122, $82, $62
FOR MORE INFO: (956) 668-7740

By Miriam Ramirez
mramirez@themonitor.com

Juanes, the Colombian rocker and part time global activist lives for the moment.

In personal set backs or career boosts, the Latin rocker approaches each instant with careful reserve. Most of all, he follows his mother's advice: "no te preocupes, la vida es un radico. (Not to worry, life is just a moment). "

His moments include reconciliation with the mother of his two children, reaching millions worldwide through his music and remaining the force behind the Mi Sangre foundation, for land mine victims and their families.

Nearly a decade after he garnered global success with his blend of rock, vallenato and tango, Juanes, born Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vasquez, is now considered one of the successful Latin rock artists of the 21st Century.

With his latest effort, the eponymous La Vida...Es Un Radico, Juanes wanted to convey that with each blink of an eye are moments that pass you by. La Vida, his fourth solo album, has sold more than 9 million albums worldwide setting a precedent for his peers in the rock en Español arena.

"For me, I see each day, well, as a dream, a dream like tomorrow, a dream with a past," the 12-time Latin Grammy winner said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "For me, to see my daughters growing is a very important dream and keeps me wanting to live, making music, touring. . . . Yes, I say there is still much to do."

As for the separation from his wife, Juanes admits it was trying, but inspiring.

"It was really hard because I was passing through this really difficult situation, but music gives me a cure. I took all that energy that I have inside of me and transform those energies into positive things, into melodies. . . . Music has always been a salvation for me because it gives me the possibility to express, to pull out all that I have there, and heal those wounds."
In March, Juanes embarked on the Life is a Moment Tour which makes its stop at Dodge Arena this weekend. He also performed in Laredo, Houston, Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio.

For this tour Sprint partnered with the Colombian rock star and launched an extensive multimedia campaign that includes national advertising (broadcast and online), in-store promotions in several Hispanic markets, as well as a national sweepstakes.

Sprint customers were also the first to download Juanes' latest single ‘Me Enamora' on their wireless phones.

Time Magazine selected the guitarist/singer-songwriter as "One of the 100 Most Influential People in the World."

The singer's critically acclaimed Mi Sangre (My Blood) sold over 4 million copies while bringing Juanes to No. 1 on the charts throughout Latin America, the US and across Europe. The corresponding "Mi Sangre Tour" was the most extensive worldwide tour ever mounted by a Latin artist with 170 concerts performed before of millions of fans at arenas and stadiums in 31 countries on four continents.

Still, the Latin star uses his fame to preach peace among countries in Latin America on the brink of war. Just last month he performed alongside some of the biggest stars in Hispanic music in a free concert atop a bridge linking Colombia and Venezuela in a show of unity between the South American neighbors still recovering from a diplomatic crisis.

Juanes said the "Peace without Borders" is an effort to ease tensions caused by Colombian raid into Ecuador to kill a top rebel leader March 1. In response to the attack, Ecuador and its ally Venezuela briefly sent troops to their Colombian borders. Others performers included Miguel Bose, Carlos Vives and Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, who has seen two recent concerts cancelled in Venezuela because he criticized President Hugo Chavez.

"We want to consolidate the union between our peoples," he said. "We are brothers and sisters, we are equals. We just have to raise one flag together, the flag of peace."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.