No había publicado hace rato debido a cierto desorden de pensamientos que he tenido los últimos dos años debido a la enorme cantidad de acontecimientos que me levantaron por los aires durante varios meses. Ahora estoy mucho más centrado, mucho más tranquilo y las aguas turbulentas me ayudaron a limpiarme de muchas cosas que no me dejaban ver claro el panorama.
Siempre ha sido terapéutico para mí escribir cualquier cosa, a veces me relaja, a veces simplemente me mantiene la mente ocupada una vez que las redes sociales me saturan de tanta tontería. Esta vez me gustaría compartir una entrevista que me hizo mi cuñado, un estudiante de literatura del New Hampshire Institute of Art, el Señor Shane Bendaña, que me hizo pensar sobre mi carrera y lo que ha sido para mí estos 10 años dedicados a la música (en Febrero cumplo una década de haberme ido a México, wtf!!!).
Perdón para los que no sepan inglés pero me da hueva traducirla:
Shane Bendaña
Interview
Tim Horvath
Professional Artist
December 14, 2012
Donaldo Sevilla was born in Managua, Nicaragua in 1985 during “the war of aggression” (as Nicaraguans call it) between the Contras and the Sandinistas. From his explicit chorus lines in “Proyectil” down to his unconformity in a country that he feelt could improve economically, it’s evident that having grown up in a revolutionary atmosphere influenced Donaldo’s desire to want to become a professional musician. This hostile atmosphere greatly influenced the vocalist who would later travel to México and embark in the most important adventure of his life.
Donaldo always knew that he wanted to be a musician. He stated that “this type of profession is not chosen, it is something a person is predisposed to from an early age,” whether they’re conscious of it or not. Fortunately, his parents had the economic means to send him off to México City, where he began his career as a professional musician. He studied in Fermetta, the most prestigious music school in México, which offers Bachelor of Arts degrees, Masters, and PhDs in various areas of music.
The vocalist currently lives in Managua, but he assured me that the move is only temporary. He is excited to move back to México City early next year to begin his career as a solo vocalist, where he plants to record his first album. Donaldo had been a member of indie- rock band Doble Circulación for about six years, with multiple appearances in Telehit and Ritmoson Latino, two of the most popular Spanish speaking music channels in Latin America. After the release of their first album, Suspiro in 2009, the band appeared national and international music festivals like Goliath Festival and Festival Libre Latino. They also appeared shared a stage with La Cuca, Las Victimas del Dr. Cerebro, Abominables, Austin TV, Black Eyed Peas and Calle 13.
Nicaragua is a third world country. When Donaldo moved to México in 2003, there were approximately 1 million inhabitants in his country. Nicaragua just didn’t have the resources that would allow him to go big. Before he left his patria, Donaldo had participated in various talent shows in high school, but he professed to me that those shows were all “too local and microscopic.” He wanted to be a part of a larger group of individuals that shared his same passion for music, and the news hit that México had a more broad music scene. He finally decided to travel to México with one of his best friends from childhood, Emiliano Polo, who proposed the idea to him because he too wanted to tackle the Méxican artistic world but unlike Donaldo, Emiliano wanted to be part of the film industry.
During his study at Fermetta Music Academy, Donaldo formed, Doble Circulación (Dual Circulation). He stated that he never planned to form a band with these mutual academically trained friends. The band gradually formed itself slowly after the Mexican- Nicaraguan men eventually found themselves at the same parties. They began to form lyrics and melodies and quickly found themselves on the stage. The name of the band represents “the merger of two countries, México and Nicaragua,” Donaldo said. “We liked the merger that had a name with many interpretations. It was very symbolic for me because it included not only the musical aspect, but also el aspecto de naciones.” I did not alter “el aspect de naciones,” because google translate butchered its meaning to “appearance of nations.” What Donaldo was trying to get at is that the meaning of the band’s name not only stood for a merger of the band’s dual heritage, but it also encompasses all nations into one. While Ivan (guitar), Emmanuel (drums), and Bernardo (bass), are Méxican born, Donaldo is Nicaraguan, therefore, Donaldo’s plan was to link every Latin nation under one name. There are no personality traits that divide their countries when the band is on stage.
A variety of 60s and 70s rock bands influenced Donaldo’s love of melodies, The Beatles in particular, but its Canadian artist Rufus Wainwright that personally influences his song writing process. “There are a ton of good songs out there that it is difficult for me to chose one or five. I would hate to have to leave other great ones out.” The Nicaraguan vocalist is an avid reader: he is most influenced by Julio Cortázar, José Saramago, Sergio Ramírez, Gore Vidal, to mention a few. Donaldo reads anything he can get his hands on, online blogs, newspapers, magazines, literary fiction, nonfiction, and history. Literature has helped Donaldo express himself more elaborately in conversations about his work. He’s the type of person that always has his face inside a book, whether he’s at home sitting on the porch, or in a beach in Managua with several close friends.
When I asked Donaldo if he ever had writer’s block during his song writing process, he said, “Sure, stagnation is present as in any artistic discipline.” The only word that can be translated to refer to “writer’s block” in Spanish, is “stagnation,” therefore, the two words sort of have the same meaning in Donaldo’s response. The Nicaraguan vocalist doesn’t leave his house without first securing a notepad inside of his back pocket. He expressed that he gets writer’s block whenever his emotions don’t link with what he is trying to write.
When I asked Donaldo what he wanted his listeners to get from his songs, especially that of “Proyectil” and “Otra Vez,” he told me that when a piece of art is thrown at the public, the piece no longer belongs to the creator, but to the public, therefore, interpretations vary. He says, “When someone that has listened to my albums or has been to my concerts, comes up to me and tells me that they loved it because it reminds them of something they have personally experienced, I know that I am doing my job well.” Every song that Doble Circulación presented to their fans with is an emotion that Donaldo had felt, a particular state of mind, a conflict, or a longing for something or someone.
Donaldo has to be one of the most outgoing individuals that I have had the honor to meet. His commitment, passion, and dedication to music are so great that he would train young amateur vocalists in his house. Last year, he had about six students that would come to his apartment to practice different melodies. I was there visiting his sister, a very close friend mine. We would usually be in her room, trying to watch a movie, but Donaldo’s keyboard and his constant Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do made it impossible to concentrate. Donaldo’s career will only keep growing when he returns to his beloved México City—the city that opened its arms to him and gave him opportunities that were unthought-of in Nicaragua.
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