17a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY - 76

Foto/photo: Carlos Escobar
Interpretando "Dejé De Amar" con su padre, Felipe Muñiz, en un concierto
en Orlando, Fla., el 5 de octubre de 2015. Esta fue la primera ocasión, en
más de 10 años, en la que actuaron juntos.
Performing "Dejé De Amar" with his father, Felipe Muñiz, during a concert
in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2015. This was the first time they had performed
together in more than 10 years.

¿De niño, cómo descubrió la música?
Estaba rodeado por ella. Mi padre es un cantautor y dos
veces a la semana lo visitaban sus amigos, y ahí llevabas
cualquier cosa con la que podías hacer ruido para así ser
parte de la fiesta. Empecé a cantar con mi papá cuando tenía
tres años. Básicamente, yo lo imitaba. La manera de frasear
de mi padre no la escuché en ningún otro lado. Y siendo de
New York, había música latina en la casa y salsa que salía del
cuarto de mi hermano. Fania All Stars, Celia Cruz y el resto -
esa era la música de los años 70s. Y luego salías a la calle y
ahí era todo Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight y Aretha. Creo que
terminé siendo un crisol de sensibilidades musicales.
¿Cuándo empezó a ser evidente que usted era un cantante
excepcional?
[Se da una pausa] Eso no sé ... Gracias por lo de
"excepcional". Yo simplemente supe que era mi forma
favorita de expresarme. Tiene que entender que yo era un
chico flaquito de las calles de New York y tartamudeaba
terriblemente - no podía decir una frase sin tartamudear
- pero eso no me ocurría cuando cantaba. Por eso cantar
se transformó en mi refugio. Yo cerraba mis ojos y era otra
persona en otro lugar. Aprender todos los trucos, trabajar el
oficio y usar la voz que Dios me dio con las herramientas que
tenía a mano se volvió una obsesión para mí.
Continúa ➤

17th ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS ®

How did you discover music as a kid?
I was surrounded by it. My father is a singer/songwriter, and
he would have his friends over two times a week and anything
you could bang on [you would bring to] join the party. I started
singing with my dad when I was 3 years old. I would just basically imitate him; my dad's phrasing is like nothing I've ever
heard. And being from New York, there was Latin music in
the house and salsa coming out of my brother's room, which
was the s*** in the '70s - Fania All Stars and Celia Cruz and
everybody - but then I'd go out in the street and it was Marvin
Gaye and Gladys Knight and Aretha. I think I ended up being a
melting pot of musical sensibilities.
When did it become obvious that you were an exceptional singer?
[Pauses] I don't know that ... well, thank you for the "exceptionally good" part. I just knew that it was my favorite way
of expressing myself. You have to understand, I was a skinny
kid from the streets of New York and I stuttered horribly - I
couldn't put a sentence together - but I didn't stutter when I
sang. So it became my sanctuary. I would close my eyes and
be somewhere and somebody else. It became an obsession
for me to figure out all the tricks, learn my craft [and] use the
tools I had at my disposal with the voice that God gave me.
How did you get over the stuttering?
I was about 13 or 14 years old. Actually, I remember I was
on 125th Street and 2nd Avenue - waiting for the bus with
my mom - and this guy came up to ask directions, but he
stuttered and couldn't get a word out. And as he left, my
mother looked at me and said, "That's what you look like." And
that sorta snapped me out of it. It was a pivotal moment. It still
happens every now and then but it's not as debilitating.
Continued ➤

17a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY

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