![]() ![]() “We’re so happy with the results of this record,” says Saumet. Photograph: PRĪmanecer sees the band travel through the soundscape of different environments, from the dubstep-flaring Fiesta to the daydreaming Somos Dos, an ode to Puerto Rican reggaeton and kizomba. Take the 2008 crowd-pleaser Fuego, in which the band entice the listener with playful Colombian dancehall mixed with Saumet’s flirtatious voice and lyrics.īomba Estéreo’s Simón Meijía and Liliana Saumet. Mejía is a master of experimentation who blends cumbia, salsa and Latin pop with electronica and reggaeton-infused energy. Now that she is a mother, she prefers yoga and meditation over late-night partying – a total contrast from her onstage persona with Mejía, the other half of the 11-year partnership. She lost her then boyfriend, Alexis Bechu, to suicide in 2014 last year she married Canadian Brian Rea. Saumet has been through a lot over the years. For me, in this particular case, it was a positive energy, as a lot was going on around me at the time.” “And when we feel something is happening inside of us, effectively it affects our lives, whether it’s positive or negative. “I wrote this song during a crucial stage in my life, where I was going through a lot internally,” she says. In Algo Está Cambiando (Something is Changing), Saumet sings: “I am who I am and who I have to be / And I go where I go without losing me.” Admittedly in Spanish the lyrics have a much smoother flow, but what is not lost in translation is Saumet’s intensity. Now, with Amanecer, they have created something unique.Īlongside the band’s patent high-energy party sound, Amanecer also features more introspective moments, exploring issues of self-growth, love and discovery. In 2010, viewers of MTV Iggy, the channel’s outlet for alternative and global artists – which shut down last year – voted them as the best new band in the world and since then, Bomba Estéreo have only become more widescreen, eclectic and innovative. By the time 2008’s Estalla was released, they were fully aware of their sound and the US began to pay attention. “Despite the fact that we have a Latin perspective, our message is global – you don’t have to be Latino to understand what we’re about,” says Saumet.īomba Estéreo have come a long way since their first release, 2006’s Volumen 1 – a seven-song EP in which they explored who they were as a band. There is a strong and passionate connection between the Colombian band and the Latino community, but their appeal goes beyond just one demographic. The video has made an impact (arts website Remezcla called it an “ ode to little brown girls everywhere”) and amassed more than 3m views on YouTube. In fact, she confronts them triumphantly, one by one. In it, a youth – charismatically played by 11-year-old Sarai Gonzalez – walks confidently through the streets of New York after leaving the hair salon, not letting any side-stares or judging looks get her down. The video, directed by the Danish director Torben Kjelstrup, perfectly encapsulates Bomba’s message. “Whether we are talking about someone’s race, age or sexual identity, we wanted to have something in the album that talked about confidence and respect.” “The song is about being comfortable in your own skin and at the same time revere others for who they are,” the lead singer, Liliana Saumet, says. It’s a confident anthem of self-expression from their latest album, Amanecer. The band’s single, Soy Yo (I Am Me) sums up this attitude. We have European influence and we have Arabic influence.” “We are a race that comes from Africans, Indians and whites. “We are a hybrid culture,” said the band’s founder, Simón Mejía, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times last year. Currently on tour in the US, the tropical-electro- cumbia duo from Bogotá take risks and embrace evolution – they recently teamed up with the Bay area-born producer Ricky Reed (who has worked with Jason Derulo, Pitbull and Jessie J) and added a hip-hop element to their sound – but their identity is rock solid and proudly Colombian. C olombia’s Bomba Estéreo whip up an irresistible carnival of rhythm. ![]()
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