F L A U N T
Today, Sebastian Yatra officially debuts his highly-anticipated third studio album ‘Dharma’, a 17-track project that includes chart-topping hits, latin GRAMMY nominated singles, and a song in collaboration with his therapist.
From reggaeton, to ballads and boleros, through flamenco, ending in rock and roll, the Colombian singer/songwriter did not hold back with this new album. The release is accompanied by a music video for ‘Dharma’ alongside Jorge Celedon and Rosario, which he denotes as one of the most meaningful collaborations of his career.
Yatra’s list of accomplishments now include nominations to the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Film Awards, and a buzzing feature on the Oscar’s “short list,” for the song ‘Dos Oruguitas’ from the Disney animated film Encanto. And he will soon have a world tour under his belt as well - ‘Dharma’ world tour kicks off on February 23rd.
Flaunt talked to the artist about the new album, the ‘Dharma’ world tour, and the Disney film.
What can you tell us about your new album, Dharma, out today?
In terms of genres, you can expect everything, because this album was not made according to a rhythm or style, but according to simply me wanting to tell each story that I wanted to write over the rhythm or harmonic series that came up in the moment and that allowed me to transmit those sensations and feelings. You are going to find from intense reggaeton, to ballads, and boleros, and rock and roll…There’s also flamenco, and vallenato. There’s a little bit of everything in this album, and that makes me feel very proud, very happy, and I feel like everyone is going to be able to feel something special with every song, and the songs will be able to take them to that special place, and then each person will choose their song or songs from the album.
What’s your favorite genre or one that you would want to experiment with more?
There’s one song in this new album that is rock, like a Blink-182 sound, in collaboration with Aitana, called Las Dudas, and I loved making it, and I felt very comfortable creating in that genre. So I feel like there will be more of that in my future albums.
What is one song that you cannot wait to share with the audience? Your favorite song maybe…
I think all the songs tell a lot, but there is one that, I think, is the only song we don’t have a video for yet, which I want to do. It’s called Modo Avión, and is one of my favorites. We already have it ready for the show, and it transmits so much, and the energy is incredible. I think people are really gonna love that song. It’s track 2 or 3 on the album, so one of the first you will hear on the setlist.
Another important song for me is Melancólicos Anónimos, which is a conversation between me and my therapist. It’s so funny, you are going to have a laugh, and I think many will identify with it.
What is the message you ultimately want to convey with Dharma?
Dharma means to accept reality. And I am at that point in my life right now, where I want to accept all feelings and emotions that life brings me, without trying to change them, but to find happiness and magic within each moment, and within me, and understand that life does not have to be perfect
The album is also about so many different emotions… There’s happiness, there’s pain, there’s hope, there’s rage, there’s anguish, there’s flirting, there’s dreaming, there’s faith. And every one of those emotions is part of our reality. Your Dharma is like your destiny, and it’s only once you get to that higher level of consciousness that you can accept that reality. That’s why I wanted to name the album Dharma, because it goes along so well with what is happening in my life at the moment, and it also connects to Mantra, my first album, and Fantasia, my second one, and this new album, Dharma, can also mean reality, so then it’s fantasy and reality.
You are getting ready for your world tour. What can you tell us about the show?
It is going to be a much more complete and whole show than any other show I’ve played before in my life. We are taking the time for the first time to really look into everything for the tour, and I am behind every decision, from the tracklist, to the choreographs. We are working with the best dancers and choreographer. And I am also going to be playing more instruments and be more integrated with the band.
We are also very conscious about the message we are trying to convey with the show, and when you are there, you are not only going to be meeting with me, but with each and every one of your emotions, and you will have an opportunity to feel every song intensely, and to confront those feelings and emotions, or get over them, but to stop being scared of them, and simply accept the reality that they are there. It’s a life experience more than a show, I would like to think. It’s therapeutic, truly. Because, for me, music is therapy too.
Okay, let’s go back to the past. How did you start making music?
I started making music when I was 12. I was in English class and they gave us a project, where we had to either write a song or change the lyrics to an existing song, or write a short story. And I changed the lyrics to Bad Day by Daniel Powter, and I remember feeling really good changing the lyrics, like I already had an understanding of the metrics and melodies, and which ones to change and which ones shouldn’t change, and how to formulate lyrics, and how to make it rhyme. It was a really nice exercise, and then I sang for the class, and people really liked it, and so I decided I should write more songs.
Then I went to Rodolfo Castillo’s recording studio. He is a producer in Miami that my uncle Rafa knew. And I wrote my first real song with him, it was called Convencete, and it was so dramatic. And that’s how I started as a composer.
Where do you draw inspiration for your music and lyrics?
Reality inspires me a lot. Obviously there are things that are made up within a song, or that are from the past, or from emotions and sensations that are not 100% mine, but I tell real stories, mine or other people’s, because I like songs to have a first and last name, and to speak of something specific. So sometimes in a song I will tell a story and include a detail that’s not about me, but it is a detail that someone told me at some point, even if it's only a phrase, it’s something that happened in real life. It existed. It is never made up, I am always leaving someone’s truth out there. And if it happened to someone, then it could have happened to someone else too.
What does your creative process look like when making a song?
I like to find a harmony that I like first, some chords that I like, and a concept. And I always like to have a conversation before sitting down to write. ‘What do I want to talk about? What emotion am I feeling from these sounds? And then I start thinking about the best way to share that emotion. The really good songs always appear when I am not thinking about the end goal, but when I am truly trying to express myself and tell a story. I am also always recording things on my phone. The people that write with me call me ‘the recorder,’ because I am always, always recording. I am a perfectionist, and I think specific inflections are extremely important, like an extra pause in a phrase, or a sudden change of a note that made me feel something. That’s why I always want everything to be recorded, so that when we set to record the final version the magic details don’t get lost, because the magic is in the details.
I also love to improvise, and when I really feel my emotions, that’s when the most beautiful things come out. Most of the songs in the new album are really improvisations of mine that we then sat down and finished writing. They always started with an improvisation session. For example, Adiós, Pareja del Año, and Amor Pasajero all started as improvisations.
You have collaborated with incredible artists, what is your favorite collaboration or one that left a mark or signaled something for you in your career?
Robarte un Beso with Carlos Vives is a song that made me extremely happy, and, being colombian, it means the world to me. And now I am experiencing something very similar with Dharma alongside Jorge Celedon and Rosario. It's something incredible, because they are artists with an incredible trajectory, each being extremely respected in their own genres. For them to have accepted my invitation as a musician, it’s huge, and it’s something I would be thankful to them forever, for leaving a piece of their art with me.
How did you get to this place of being so open and honest with your emotions in your music?
I have been writing better as I have lost the fear of following my heart and being honest with my feelings. I am writing better than ever now, because I am accepting my feelings and emotions.
Sometimes in life, while trying to please everyone and do the things that would make everyone else happy, you frustrate your heart, because you stop doing the things that really fulfill you. So once I was able to be honest with myself, I was able to create better music. I’ve also experienced things the past few years that have taken me to emotional extremes, and that’s where the most special songs have been born, like Tacones Rojos, Adiós, and truly just this whole album.
You also sang Dos Oruguitas for the Disney movie Encanto, what was that experience like?
It was enchanting. [Laughs] It was the best. Disney is on a whole other level in every sense. We talk about it every day with my team. And Lin Manuel is a genius. For him to give me the opportunity to sing Dos Oruguitas, which is the most important song in the movie, as it happens in the climax, as well as the most emotional moment of the movie. I really think is a dream for every singer, no matter what language you sing in. It’s movie number 60 for Disney, but also the first time that a song in Spanish is the one playing around the world. The Spanish version is being heard in China, and Russia, and Taiwan, and Australia, and everywhere. It’s something I am extremely proud of, and thankful to every kid and parent, and everyone listening and feeling something with my interpretation.
