Ep. 42 Diego Torres: "Lo que valoro en este último tiempo es el tiempo"

Charlamos en este capítulo con el cantautor argentino Diego Torres

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Backstage. From this moment on,a new backstage where the only restriction is
that everyone can enter. It opensthe door to what is not seen in
the entertainment industry. The time topass the lights, the cameras and the

(00:26):
microphones to the baxstage, as thisis the forty- two episode of Backstage
and this is the first time Ihave done this podcast. So cute number
Andrea of the Forty- two.You like it, like the number diego
towers, even numbers. Welcome backstage. Health and pleasure, because I drink
with water, health and I fight. Thank you for treating me in Colombia.

(00:49):
Look at the sony girls bringing mea math kit. Stop thank you,
because if you want to see theartist happy and give him more work
and more work. I know they' re manipulating. We don' t
want you to be happy. Yeah, it' s important, but look
what women are, and we're men and so and I love it,

(01:11):
we' re pllistas, we're more strategists than you are,
but everything I use a lot moreand let' s go ahead, a
hundred steps ahead. These are verybasic. We are very basic. But
if you say that I' mgoing to tea, I' m going
to confirm it and I lived itwhen I was a father and I said

(01:32):
wow look at that little girl andhow she manipulates it that' s not
what faith jechito. Besides, Imean, having a great life. Besides,
look that it' s not aflaw that men can' t do
many things at the same time.What' s more, I love to
give us not the privilege of actuallydoing it to us. Look how happy
it is to have you here inColombia, of course, to chat,

(01:55):
to know your heart and your head. I think an artist is very arty
You' re very artist. Birthdayof the same day as me, the
9th of March or I of the9th of March. When I see it
like this and I thank you somuch, Amory, March 9, we
' re not close. Birthdays,very close and my daughter when she turns
twelve, you see very Pissian,very Pissian, ok, very Pisin Mira.

(02:22):
I think you just released an album, but there are always first times.
So you keep turning many years,many days and make many albums.
You' ve had these first fewtimes lately with this album that you'
ve never had any better than yesterday. As a song. It was like
a tremendous love that happened to mewith that song, what provoked me,

(02:43):
what I felt in the lyrics,in the rhythm of that song, to
be able to put this message thatI fell, stumbled and suffered and I
got up and I' m goingto follow and sometimes attentive to my own
happiness, as there are many thingsthat have to do with what one feels,
with what one thinks. But ina beat you wear danceable, danceable,

(03:07):
but it' s danceable. ButI sing you the song with the
guitar like that and it' sanother frequency that plays you. No,
so I think it' s betterthan yesterday. They are those magic songs
that come out frequently and that Itried, they provoked me that and thank
God, like a feeling, afeeling yes look, I heard the album

(03:28):
and the feeling that gave me firstwas in the voice. I mean,
listen to a diego towers and Imean, as fresh as I want you
to understand the word of freshness withyour impressive voice, you can tell that
you work a lot, that is, how you always look as cool as

(03:49):
you go through the years and I' m really impressed to hear Diego Torres.
What freshness you convey to me withyour voice to speak of the voice.
Thank you, thank you, look. I think singers take great care
of you. Our voice is ourinstrument, the color of our voice,
it' s what defines us,it' s what makes people listen and

(04:10):
say ah that' s Andrea andin the day that' s the same
identity. It seems to me thatwhat you have to look for as an
artist is identity. Then what youwant is not and it' s a
record that' s good, that' s very varied, as you'
ve heard, it doesn' thave things. It' s a journey
that makes you dance. All ofa sudden a cool song pops up,

(04:31):
like you understand and say ay themare And all of a sudden it'
s a can and you saw everythingfor you that' s much more power
that' s because you' relike a good pisian that you know what
we' re talking about. Youhave a lot of compartments that you open
and different things happen in one andlike a roller coaster, a roller coaster

(04:54):
of feelings, emotions. For melife is that as inconclusive. Yeah,
I' m intense. You feelvery intense, if for good and for
bad I am nostalgic. I justtalked to someone here I' m very
melancholy. I am very tango tome, the tango that not only refers

(05:16):
to the city where I come from, but I listen to tango and tango
singing and I have that feeling.I' m not sentimental about this hug.
My friends are afraid of me,because I hold them tight. No,
and here comes Uncle. They callme ay, come tito. Now
if it breaks everything, it breaksbone and it breaks kiss. And then
I do one thing that I like, sound my daughter' s back that

(05:40):
she loves. Oh, Liz andit' s so hot. It'
s a factory for you, andthat' s how I' ve earned
the love of many of my daughter' s friends and boys. Dad tells
me that an ali is missing asa beating, as they call it,
they take out what we read here, we take out the cassava and I

(06:00):
sound to the soul he hears.I say to myself I am very curious,
of course, because I am verypassionate about the industry, about entertainment
and about music and art, whathappens in the backstage behind, how concepts
are created, how identity is generated. I think it' s an eternal
exploration of artists. Let' sjust say you' re obviously with the
voice, so don' t listento me. I hear I laugh.

(06:21):
Oy is diego towers, no,but how it is found, how you
are in that suddenly eternal quest,also of a musical exploration. Yeah,
even though you' ve already gotyour voice as set up, to put
it that way. Yes, Iam restless. Andrea and even in one
last song that I just worked onnow told the engineer and producer of the

(06:44):
song I said watch your voice.Let' s give it an effect that
I still do, but that Ihave an effect, things like engineering and
sound obsession. No, but I' m restless, I like it and
this album, better than yesterday,is proof of that, of having worked
with new people, with young talentsthat bring you new ideas and that one

(07:09):
brings his own. Yeah, andevery time I start a record, I
need to put on new clothes,a refresh. Not exactly, and I
' m always trying to stretch thatmusical horizon to say oh look at me
has this rhythm, look, thissong aesthetic. I didn' t do

(07:30):
it, never, I don't hear it frequently in Spanish. Let
' s get something in there.In fact, there' s a little
surprise on this album that' sgoing to come out that part of the
album and it' s going tocome out later, which is a song
also danceable, but very very pretty, very cool, with a collaboration of
a girl who sings all and nothing. I' m very happy with that,

(07:53):
that' s the answer to whatyou were asking me. It'
s my encouragement. Give me somethingnew, give me a challenge and if
I get better, challenge me andif I join in writing something with you
to compose some you. I knowI' m gonna throw some tunes,
but I want to know what I' m doing. It' s gonna
occur to you and if there's a melody, a line that I

(08:13):
like, I' m gonna trynot to do it my way, what
you sing. You try to copythat picture, because maybe it takes me
to a new place you understand notthe same ones I' ve already visited.

(08:33):
So for me what you asked iskey. You' re talking about
you' ve worked with young peopleon this album and I feel like what
you say, what you and Ican put on the table can be a
spectacular bomb, because we think differentteamwork, not how you feed on teamwork,
who' s part of your team, how it settles, and why

(08:54):
it' s so important for peoplearound you not to look here on this
team. I' ve been workingwith sony for years I have great friends.
Also first a fundamental piece for mewas Emiliano Vázquez, who was a
sort of associate executive producer on thisalbum that helped me a lot, in
the repertoire, to put together thesessions, to summon people and say good

(09:20):
to see. I want you tojoin them two, with these three in
the studio? I want you tomeet here, so it was a fundamental
piece. Esteban Heater, who wasalso a great partner in the work of
this album. It' s Openberg, my uncle. I work with Luis
Salazar, with Naby, with Santander, with Brasa, with Barbarita, with
Samant, a lot of young divinepeople who spent some amazing moments writing together,

(09:48):
doing therapy about what we wanted towrite, because composers always started as
a therapeutic talk before or being Andreaswhat we want to talk about in this
song left Huella, abandoned it asthey try to get the best out of
you to put that story together.The rocker just had a story, a
song. It' s a storylet' s call it fiction script.

(10:11):
It' s not something personal thathappened to you and sometimes you fantasize and
sometimes it' s something personal.You understand, then all these mechanisms exist
in the composition, at least inmy way of working. So I'
m very grateful to all the peoplewho have come and collaborated, because something
many have grown up with my songsunderstand, but like that, this happened

(10:35):
in generation after generation and is goingto continue to happen. I mean,
it' s awesome and what you' re talking about in the compositions is
that you suddenly did it with intentto your mom, your partner, love,
that love. But when the olancesalready belong to us exactly and each
gives them the meaning they want,you agree. That' s why,
I think, Andrea, there's no way to explain that, because

(11:00):
if not, because I break youand your own and your own imagination you
' re going to mark it exactlyand so leave it to me. Let
yourself fly with your imagination, leaveit to me. I think that to
be a composer and for what youwrite, because it' s color hope,
I have to talk about this song. What you say is going to
generation in generation, and it's been very important. But I do

(11:24):
think it comes from the inside outand it' s obvious those messages that
I think you don' t accompany, grow, evolve, learn with the
lyrics and the messages, but Ithink what you transmit is an important personal
evolution. Or it' s whatI perceive and you keep doing it.
It' s not on purpose.I try to make sure that the crises

(11:50):
in life and in the difficult timeswe go through do not mean learning something.
Why I' m suffering, becauseI feel bad why I have to
make this decision and it has allthese consequences this decision, why the blame
leaks to me in making my decisions, why I run away to make myself
honest to that which I feel Iintend to transmit out. We all have

(12:15):
obstacles, we all have complications.Nobody flows in a way. Not then,
in those emotional, existential crises,in those affective disorders that you have
with people that you create not onlywith a couple, but with a brother,
with a friend or with someone thatthere is that you love I get

(12:37):
fucked up a lot, like agood Pisian. Disorder. In cash,
you understand dress is common. Itaffects me or not much. It affects
me a lot, and indeed,mythor. It affects everything that happens around
me. It doesn' t happento you, and yes, it affects
my whole being, so to speak, and above all, that we have
to work on communication. So ifyou' re not, you' re

(12:58):
not clear, you' re notexpressing what you need, you' re
expressing or you have to split upand leave your personal problem next door and
grab the other hemisphere and say good. I' m going out to do
my job. What I have todo. No, then good. I
think I tried all those learnings tosay good. Something, something, something

(13:18):
has to be this I' vebeen lucky enough to have good friends next
door, to have a good therapistwhen I needed it. I' m
a guy who uses this huge headI have because I' m stubborn.
Yes and you care, because Ihave a lot of content inside. So

(13:39):
I have a lot of work withmy head and with my emotions really humbly
I say it I' m nota guy my observer, very observant and
when there' s a job Itry to extract it from my emotions,
I' m not a good guy. I' m also an artist,
I write songs, I communicate things. I think it' s all related.
Not because of that, when there' s interference in me as a

(14:05):
person, you go to your artexactly and let' s say that that
exhibition you' ve had for manyyears doesn' t overwhelm diego. I
don' t know the recognition,the likes. Let' s just say
you' ve been in that transitionfrom making music, consuming music, from
platforms, from discs. They usedto sell records. Now it' s

(14:28):
another way. Logically, Andreas,times changed to what you did. I
was wondering about the adaptation. Onone side of the adaptation, I thought
you were also asking me about people' s affection and affection. No.
I' m a guy like you' ve seen, I' m very
social and I' m a guywho' s always been a friend and

(14:48):
talk and get out and the guyfrom the Kiosk who sold me to the
chocolates, ga ché caleto and theflower one, and my dad was the
same. He went out on thestreet and was, as they said,
Dad, the beauty queen, stretchingor where you' re going, waving
to everyone. I didn' twant to lose that sociability to fame.
Let' s call him. No. I want to enjoy what happens to

(15:11):
people with me and I want peopleto enjoy what happens that sometimes harassment is
medium, it' s kind ofannoying too, because I' m going
to say whore here how she's having a quiet coffee. There are
times and there are also people whoapproach you badly. You understand how there
are artists who are grumpy. Notin my case there are people who approach

(15:33):
you more. You don' tvote cell phones, you don' t
vote cell phones, but I'm gonna tell you not to look.
I think you' re dealing badly. No, because that' s for
life. I' ll tell mydaughter if you go to a waiter and
ask her for something. It's hello, sir How are you?
Excuse me, you and I area sick greeter. With that, okay
we go out then I think that' s part of the respect, that

(15:58):
' s not it. It's not hello, how are you,
Andrea, you' d be sokind. We took a picture. It
happened to me the other day withmy daughter who told me we' re
going to say hello, let's go hello, girls, how is
she here and how is she doingto me? Okay? It' s
not part of the communication. Notthen did I ever want me to interfere
with my human side, to beable to enjoy the charm of people,

(16:19):
to stay talking to one another,because there it is, that is,
learn a lot, not and thereis food. There' s the contents.
There' s the contents. Yes, I fully agree. You'
ve redefined things like I don't know. The fear for me is
wonderful, I don' t knowif you see it just like me or
love. Over the years, throughalbums, songs, tours and concerts,

(16:40):
you have re- signified things asimportant to me that can be like love
and fear. Time. Time.I think I realized that time is the
most valuable thing we can' tbuy and that it' s something so
precious and that it seems to methat that' s also why from the

(17:00):
laws of life, the choir thatsays you have to live, that live
the moment that summers end and thenwinter comes, because I' ve lost
friends to diseases. I have manyfriends much older than me. No.
Then some soldiers started falling on me. Then they are friends who were referenced
to me, who have raised mein some way, who have shown me

(17:25):
choices of way to go in lifeand how to manage in life. So,
when you lose people dear, yourealize that we' re passing through,
that we don' t know howlong we last. We are limited
and we are very limited and forgetabout it because we live together as if
we were in truths and you stumbleand fall then what you value enmpo in

(17:48):
this last time. Is it time? Is it time? Is it time?
Tremendous? Francis, you didn't see it, yes, the
story of seven more I love thatthey value in this last time what the
you is tremendous wow, divine phrasediego. Creative processes move me a lot.

(18:10):
I' m very moved that aproducer, a life composer of the
very nothing. I' m amom, obviously, and for me it
' s still something. I can' t believe nine years ago or you
' re my or not, forme that doesn' t make any sense
yet. A girl has a nine- year- old girl wo and I
' m still amazed. I don' t want to stop amazing about life

(18:30):
and how things are born. Andfor me a beautiful creative process of music
is out of nowhere a melody,a story, a lyrics, a recording
studio, not like those creative processesand as for some suddenly silence is the
source of inspiration And for others itis going to a library, reading titles
and for others listening to music allday, what is your creative process and,

(18:52):
above all, of inspiration and howthe life of an album arises for
you uy is that different ways arise. There are times when you sit in
the writing studio, compose a sessionwith some colleagues and sometimes you look for
a reference and say che. Ilike the sound of this base, I
like this guitar. I like this, but to see for a reference.

(19:14):
I don' t like the soundof this. Let' s look for
something over here, let' slook for something over there, and suddenly
you' re driving. You leftyour daughter at school and something tells you
your head. So with the phoneyou start to sing a melody, an
idea that you then say you knowwhat this was like. Ah look suddenly
it doesn' t work or it' s good there' s something born,

(19:40):
so the songs are you. Forexample, one of the songs on
this album, which is like thisvery cool. I showed up type three
in the morning, four in themorning, which sometimes happens to me when
I' m with the songs turningmy head around. I can' t
get them off my back. That' s why when I finish a record
I let him rest so that myhead rests, because it' s many

(20:00):
hours you' re listening to thesongs, looking for the detail, when
you know that it' s ready, when there' s nothing else to
do for them, because it canbe infinite the process and you can go
on and you can be counterproductive.Sure. That' s why there'
s a moment to let go ofall that and not leave it and make
it. They must also be releasedso that others can arrive. Not exact
And well and that night he throwsyou all tosaratu pulls me all under that

(20:30):
so rare throws love you see whenyou lower something as very like a wave
you saw I am flowing, youdo not like to walk on board and
I like to surf and snow.Then you saw. Spins are key,
as you turn around and there aretimes when a melody appears to you as
a perfect spin. I didn't get to the studio that day I

(20:52):
had a session with joel Enriquez,who is a colleague composer and I say
he has nothing. They' llsay and start you not yourself, just
you. And that' s whereyou start looking for those everyday phrases.
Not that good news in the newspaper, that corner in my neighborhood, that

(21:14):
saula and I want to surf yousaw what I like about life. Not
then do the day- to-day thing. Not every letter has its
game. No. This collaboration isthe second with Carlos Vives, and I
feel that the way to collaborate ismore your honoring Colombia and Carlos Vives,
because the sound clearly is very CarlosVives Japanese very Carlos Vives and you enter

(21:40):
perfect in that song and chemistry andso on. But I felt it as
a way in which you honor Colombiaa lot and somehow, Andrea. It
is so because, of so much, come to Colombia, so much listening
to music that comes from the landof Colombia. My friendship with Carlos somehow
makes those things stick to you likea sponge. And I' m not

(22:03):
sponge enough. Where I' mgoing I' m absorbing, I'
m watching. I really like towatch as a good Pisian, I just
feel reflected. I mean, I' m talking to my wait- and
- see and we' re thesame day. The only thing I need
to be the same in che.Now, I know what it is I
' m in my year. I' m a pig, I' m
a dragon even in my year I' ll fire you to the ball.

(22:29):
I want to give birth, butif I have the whole combination and yes,
and yes, but what I've been telling you that no,
that I feel a reflection that yousaid that as a good Pisian, you
absorb and Colombia, and it's the link that you have with collambi
exactly and I' ve always beenabsorbing. And if you see from the
first album, to the second,to the third, to the fourth,

(22:52):
you start incorporating a lot of things. Because of course, because I started
traveling a lot, a lot andconnecting with other cultures, with other rhythms,
other musicians. No and yes andsomehow capun is that return, somehow
of him, as a Colombian sound, although it is a thank you,
I feel it in a way yes, yes, yes. And now that
you' re talking about these culturesand your travels, it' s inevitable

(23:17):
not to think about what happens withregional music today, with your country and
with this new Argentine wave that Isay good or is very important the Mexican
regional music at its top this aswith its vallenato, we will always love
folklore what you said a little bit, tango, your roots, cumbia,
a lot of things. How doyou see these guys doing regional music today,

(23:40):
besides, rescuing like these roots thatI feel everything comes back to what
we' re talking about at thebeginning of this conversation. To me it
seems very good and support and Iaccompany that the Latin music in Spanish as
we want to call it, iswide and does not lock up in the
same sound. This that you havejust written, is an opening that is

(24:02):
good to accompany and support it thatLatin America, which is a continent where
in much of the region reigns thesame Spanish language, but with a diversity
of rhythms, genres, colors.Let' s support that. That'
s what you suddenly see in theAnglo world than the most played songs.
What Taylor Swift does is very different, with what he does for one Mars,

(24:25):
with what Charlie Pat does with whatthe other does with the new artists,
with what Miiley Serus does. That' s the way. Let'
s not do the same formula.It always works. Let' s go
over here. This works, thisworks, this is over here. Satura,
you understand. Then it' sgood. When you find a new

(24:48):
sound and there' s opening andthe middle of the radio, people get
that opening. I think people arevery open. Maybe. We have to
push that from the media as welland not be prisoners of like and visits,
but say there is music of allkinds. No. Now that you
' re talking about likes and socialmedia, I had seen the whole transition

(25:11):
of beef and how I' mgoing, a song comes in really fast
and so it goes. It's very disposable and previously sold records.
And since you realized that the colorsstopped was a world hit, because I
don' t know if you wentout on a stage and everybody sang it
to you. Today feedback is immediate, yes if not, and at that
time also because they sent you videosof people singing songs and life stories with

(25:33):
songs. What' s going onis that, well, today, this
whole digital world comes in, you' re looking at numbers and networks.
I don' t honestly say youdon' t answer those messages because I
' m the rebel. I'm not not not me, what I
like to enjoy is what happens topeople on the street, what people tell

(25:53):
you and all of a sudden comesa tis uy that last song, that
cute song, that fie you gowith your nephews. That' s a
nice song. How it touched meI like that, that' s why
I told you before. I needcontact with people. I need to keep
being the one who walks down thestreet and puts on his little hat and
goes and is there, you sawwith that one, with that food.

(26:18):
Logically I find out and I'm part and they call me my nephew
tells me uncle the song went viraland you saw in Tiktok and this one
that I published. Very good,very good, what is your personal training,
because let' s say the onethat looks like a plain sight does
that exercise. And yes, that' s what' s most in networks.

(26:40):
But the silent, that training thatyou suddenly say to me works for
existence and that you can recommend todayto see there is vocal training, on
the one hand, there is bodytraining on the other. Not me,
which I always advise. The singer' s profession is very difficult, because
emotions go straight to the knot inthe throat and with a knot in the

(27:03):
throat, you can' t singwithout sleeping. Well, you can'
t sing. Then it demands somecare. Then, on the one hand,
there is the care of the voice, the constant exercises to be done,
that you have to do the sleep, the hours to sleep. And
when the voice is replenished, youexercise it, how you exercise other muscles

(27:26):
in your body, do your exercises, your routine, sing a little bit
and move the instrument, the samething you do with your legs when you
go out for a run, whenyou go to the gym and move the
tip above. So that' swhere the training is, the rites that
everyone has. When you are singingThursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday,

(27:47):
two hours, because it is avery big demand, very big for the
voice. Then everyone knows how totake care of themselves. I don'
t have to sleep, I haveto eat healthy. I have to watch
the voice, because it has tobe at the best time for the night.
That' s the instrument of thevoice and the singer. Then I
' m lucky I do sports allmy life. Play football, rag,

(28:07):
s uga tennis my daughter also givinga snotwork that is something to run,
that I go to the gym.They are ay clichés, but it is
important, no yes, yes forlife, for me the sport and more
today, with the invasion of technology, you have to take the lipad out
of the boys, that is,you have to lower the anxiety. She

(28:27):
loves tennis, pum pum pum pumand on Saturday you train with dad dad
makes you sparring ping pum and whatdo we do? Let' s go
to the gym, let' sgo to the gym. Nothing to move
your legs, a little bit,read an hour of reading, give it,
an hour of reading. All thingsthat mobilize and balance the invasion of

(28:52):
technology. And I think the differencein everything you' re saying is in
discipline. It was the discipline tothe constancy more to do and that makes
the difference. I' m inanything in the art world or whatever,
and I' m looking for activitiesthat will help you in that discipline.
My daughter, for example, issailing, she' s clinging, not
ok and that' s a greatmetaphor of life. Why, because you

(29:14):
sail with the wind. If there' s no wind, you don'
t sail, you understand, ifyou have to arm your own team,
your boat, your anchor. Isee her when as a weapon, the
candle, as a collo pink paeach how it goes. Why do I
run medium and long distance races,because it' s not running to the
corner like the madman, because it' s for me it symbolizes life.

(29:38):
If I' m going to runtwenty- one and a half miles as
I run on Sunday, I'm going to leave you very calm,
because I know my rhythm. ThenI have to go out quietly. I
don' t have to get carriedaway by the gale, I don'
t have to get carried away bythe urban world. I' m a
pop artist You understand everything has goals. Now go run back. I won

(30:00):
' t see you I' llsee you there. I don' t
go with my pop here go easy. Don' t leave me here alone,
I' m a prisian and Ineed to be happy, perfect tacta.
So there' s a strategy,there' s a plan for what,
so that you in the last quinotsend up whole and you can run
and improve the rhythm. For mea great similarity to the race hey quiet,

(30:21):
that this long race is not goingto make a record. Look at
your rhythm, go to your rhythm. Don' t despair,' cause
they' re all running out intoone place. The finish line is over
there. You have to see whichway you get your voice. Diego was
nice to meet you and talk toyou, because a lot of stories,
to know your head and your heart. No thanks for being here, seen
Andrea and really a nice talk anda pisiana of the same du and you

(30:45):
will forget that we fulfilled the sameday, the same day that we have
a daughter woman also the two closest, yours nine and mine ten for almost
eleven, so beautiful talk as asong of your chance, causality I don
' t know. That was theforty- two backstage episode. Thank you,

(31:07):
Diego, Chas, thanks to youfrom this moment on a new backstage
where the only restriction is that everyonecan enter. It opens the door of
what is not seen in the entertainmentindustry, the time to pass the lights,

(31:33):
the cameras and the microphones to thebackstage