It is no secret to anyone that I am a fan of Antonio Jose. I wrote my first article about him back in 2006 – followed by an additional five which more or less were speculations on the possibility that he would release his second CD. Now his album Todo Vuelve A Empezar is already released and, not surprisingly, everyone who waited patiently for its release can confirm that it was worth the wait. Knowing that many of the readers of theskykid.com like Antonio’s music, I decided to ask him for an interview. He agreed and you can read the interview below:
Hello Antonio and thank you for agreeing to this exclusive interview for theskykid.com. I am quite excited to have you as a guest at my blog, as I have been following your career for years . We agreed to do this interview in Engish and Spanish, so that more people can read it.
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theskykid.com : Have you had any formal vocal training?
theskykid.com : ¿Has tenido algún entrenamiento vocal formal?
Antonio Jose : Yes. I have had and shortly I will again. In 1993, when I got the first prize of Veo Veo, from the Foundation of Teresa Rabal, they gave me a scholarship to study for 6 months in an academy to form the voice. On my own now, due to my next tour, I’m going to prepare with a vocal tutor.
Antonio Jose : Si, cuando gané en el 2003 el primer premio Veo Veo, de la Fundación Teresa Rabal, me dieron una beca de 6 meses para una academia de estudios para formar la voz. Ahora, con motivo de mi próxima gira también voy prepararme con un tutor vocal.
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theskykid.com : Who would you say has had the biggest musical influence on you?
theskykid.com :¿Quién dirías que te ha influenciado más musicalmente?
Antonio Jose : My mother was the one who realized that I could sing and the one who encouraged me to participate in the contests Veo Veo (2003 and 2005) as well as in television in Eurojunior (2005).
Antonio Jose : Mi madre fue la que se dio cuenta de que podía cantar y la que me animó a participar en los concursos Veo Veo (2003 y 2005) así como en televisión en Eurojunior (2005).
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theskykid.com : How has your music evolved since the “Te traigo flores” days?
theskykid.com : ¿Cómo ha evolucionado tu música desde los días de “Te traigo flores”?
Antonio Jose : My music has evolved as I’ve gotten older and as the rest of the world has, hehehe. On one hand, the new disc has changed from the FLAMECO sound of the first album to return to more of a pop sound. But, on the other hand, the songs on the new disc are more international. The new disc TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR (All Begins Again) shows, through its lyrics, the different things that happen to teenagers in a positive and amusing way. The differences between people are the reason for the different musical styles in this disc. But, on the other hand, everybody wants to be part of something. Just look at FACEBOOK or TUENTI. This disc tries to bring everyone together.
Antonio Jose : A evolucionado como mi edad y como el mundo!!, jejeje. Aparte de cambiar los aires aflamencados del primer disco y volverme más pop, mis canciones ahora son más internacionales. El nuevo álbum “TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR” refleja en sus letras esas cosas que nos pasan a los chicos y chicas de nuestra edad de una manera positiva y divertida, y en su música lo diferentes que somos, de ahí que cada tema sea de un estilo musical. Pero en el fondo todos queremos pertenecer a algo, y si no mírate el Facebook o el Tuenti. Este disco pretende ser un punto de unión.
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theskykid.com : Why was there such a large gap between the release of your first CD and this new one? Were you working on other projects during that time?
theskykid.com : ¿Por qué ha pasado tanto tiempo desde la salida de tu primer CD y la de éste? ¿Has estado trabajando en otros proyectos durante todo este tiempo?
Antonio Jose : We decided to spend more time in the preparation of the new disc, to be sure about which was the best road to follow. Besides that, a proposal to change the musical style by my producer caused a lot of the delay. But once the project started, everything went ok and quickly and, for me, the most important thing is the result and my feeling is the disc is fantastic! What do you think about it?
Antonio Jose : Hemos querido tomarnos con más calma la preparación del nuevo disco, escuchamos muchísimas canciones antes de decidir qué camino seguir. Además, la propuesta del cambio de estilo musical realizada por mi productor influyó mucho en el retraso. Pero una vez echó a andar el proyecto, todo fluyo bien y rápidamente. El resultado final es lo más importante para mí, y creo que ha valido la pena esperar. Y vosotros que opináis?
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theskykid.com : You seem to have weathered your voice change just fine. Your music seems to be as popular as ever. Do you have any indication from fan mail, etc. that you’ve retained fans from when you were younger and/or have gained new fans since your voice has matured?
theskykid.com : Parece que has llevado el cambio de tu voz bastante bien. Tu música parece ser tan popular como siempre. ¿Tienes noticias provenientes de correos de fans, etc. que indiquen que mantienes fans de cuando eras más joven y/o has ganado nuevos fans desde que tu voz ha madurado?
Antonio Jose :My voice has been maturing, as is usual for my age, but I have managed to maintain my identity.
Concerning your comments about fans… although a lot has happened between the first album to this new one, my relationship with my earlier fans has been growing up and by now we are friends. They supported me back then and I’m sure that they will continue to do so now and I thank them so much. In the same way, I would like to gain more fans due to this second album and know that, in the end, they will become my friends too.
Antonio Jose : Mi voz ha ido madurando, es cosa de la edad, pero he logrado mantener mi identidad.
Sobre lo que comentas de los fans, pese al tiempo que ha pasado, aquellos que en su día me dieron todo su apoyo se han convertido en mis amigos, a los cuales les estoy tremendamente agradecido. Y si con el nuevo trabajo consigo nuevos amigos, bienvenidos serán. Cuantos más seamos mejor.
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theskykid.com : In a video clip of the making of “Todo Vuelve A Empezar”, I noticed there was someone who appeared to be a conductor in the video with you. Who was that?
theskykid.com :En el videoclip del como se hizo “Todo vuelve a empezar”, noté que había alguien que parecía ser un presentador en el vídeo contigo. ¿Quién era?
Antonio Jose : Hehehe. He is not a conductor. He is my producer,Crister Garcia, and during the recording of the disc he was inside the cabin with me to give me all the relevant instructions for getting the best interpretation of each song. I would like to point out that all that you can see in the video is absolutely true and direct; it is the actual making of the record of the songs.
Antonio Jose : Jejeje. No es un presentador, es mi productor Crister García. Durante la grabación del disco entraba conmigo en la cabina para darme las indicaciones oportunas para extraer todo lo mejor de mí en la interpretación de cada canción. Todo lo que veis en los vídeos es riguroso directo.
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theskykid.com : Besides your own official website, there is at least one very popular fansite, plus a number of bloggers like myself who have written about you and your music for several years. Are you aware of the hype?
theskykid.com :Aparte de tu web oficial, hay al menos una web de fans bastante popular, aparte de una buena cantidad de blogueros como yo que han escrito sobre ti y tu música durante años. ¿Eres consciente de la expectación generada?
Antonio Jose : I am concious of the expectations of those waiting to listen to my second album. You can be sure that I’ve been nervous about it as well. That has motivated me to do my best so that everyone will not be disappointed.
Regarding your comments about the web… I want to clarify that we have done a new official website: www.antoniojose.com with all the material relating to this new second album “All Begins Again”. On the site there are also links to ANTONIOJOSE.AJ at Facebook, ANTONIOJOSEAT at Twitter, ANTONIO JOSE CLUB AJ at Tuenti and Youtube.com/CLUBAJ
The arrival of the album in the shops is due by the end of November. All the people who buy this second album directly will be members of CUL AJ and all of these friends will be able to participate in my next videoclips. We have a lot of things pending and there will be more news about them soon.
Antonio Jose :Soy consciente de la expectación, los nervios se unen a la ilusión y eso me motiva a darlo todo para todos vosotros.
Aprovecho que lo has comentado, mi nueva web oficial www.antoniojosemusic.com se ha hecho para concentrar todo los contenidos e información sobre el nuevo disco “TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR”. Junto a ella, tenemos los canales ANTONIOJOSE.AJ de facebook, ANTONIOJOSEAJ en Twitter, ANTONIO JOSE CLUB AJ en Tuenti y Youtube.com/CLUBAJ.
Además, con la puesta a la venta de disco en formato CD para finales del próximo mes de Noviembre, todos los que lo compren en este formato o lo hayan comprado en digital en Internet pasarán automáticamente a formar parte del CLUB AJ. Los amigos y amigas que pertenezcan a este club podrán participar en mis próximos videoclips de internet así como en concursos. Muchas cosas están por venir! Y nos lo pasaremos genial!
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theskykid.com : So what’s next? Do have any plans for another CD? For tours? Spain? US?
theskykid.com :¿Qué es lo siguiente? ¿Tienes planes para otro CD? ¿O una gira española o norteamericana?
Antonio Jose : Step by step. Now, we are preparing for the tour for this new album, which I hope will take us to many places in the world. Now, is your turn to ask for our concert in the theaters and other venues in your cities… After the tour, we don’t have specific plans, but I’m sure that really good things will occur.
Antonio Jose : Paso a paso. Ahora preparamos la gira de este nuevo álbum, la cual espero que pueda llegar a muchos lugares del mundo. Os tocará a vosotros pedir nuestro concierto a vuestros teatros y ayuntamientos.
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theskykid.com : Is there anything you want to add ?
theskykid.com : ¿Te gustaría añadir algo?
Antonio Jose : Thank you very much to your magazine for dedicating these lines to me. It is a real honor. I want to thank my fans and friends for their support. They are the best! A very big kiss! AJ
Antonio Jose : Muchas gracias a vuestra revista por dedicarme estas líneas, es todo un honor, y sobre todo a mis fans y amigos por estar ahí, por su apoyo que para mí es lo más grande. Un beso muy grande! AJ