“The lyrics of a song should not be destructive, even if they tell me it could be more popular than Bad Bunny”

How is football related to music? In addition to the songs made for the World Cup, Kalimba He associates both disciplines with the passion that, in his personal case, he could never reconcile on the same path. After hanging up his boots and continuing with a musical career that began in his first years of life, the Mexican singer once again surprises his audience with his new single “Con las Ganas de Verme Cry”, a song prior to his tour of Peru in November.

“Music was part of my life because my parents are musicians, but my focus was on sports, even when I was in OV7 I dreamed of retiring and starting my career as a footballer at the age of 24” comments the artist in an interview with El Comercio.

—A few days ago your new single came out “With the desire to see me cry.” Is this how your twentieth anniversary begins?

Yes, I like to start my anniversary this way, an entire life dedicated to music. My solo career has focused on dance pop, but I am also widely known as a balladeer. Therefore, this song is a ballad. I am a romantic singer, not necessarily about love, since not all love is necessarily romantic.

—It’s your 20-year anniversary as a solo artist, but you started your career two years ago as an artist.

Technically, it’s like an athlete who starts as a child. At first, it is a hobby, something you enjoy, since no child thinks about recording a commercial video or earning income. Then, in adolescence, your ego grows and you learn to enjoy applause because it gives you status. As an adult, you understand that it is a job. At this stage of my life, I have merged those three stages, so I can enjoy what I do while receiving the applause that this job offers.

—During your time as a child and teenager, you were not a musician but a voice actor.

The first thing I did with my voice was dubbing. Curiously, they weren’t looking for me, but for my bandmate OV7. They offered me and I started dubbing in the movie “Harlem”, then I played Bambi and did the songs for “The Lion King”. After that, at the age of 12, another great passion was born in me.

—What was that new passion?

I wanted to be a professional soccer player, I told my parents and they accepted it, but they recommended that I not leave the entertainment industry, since it is good to have some support. I dedicated eight years to soccer and at some point during that time I got to play for my favorite team, América, but I started in the Pumas youth squad. After that experience, I returned to dubbing and later to music.

—Why give up that dream?

My dream was always to be an athlete. I played tennis, football, volleyball, basketball, badminton and many other sports. Music was part of my life because my parents are musicians, but my focus was on sports, even when I was in OV7 I dreamed of retiring and starting my career as a footballer at 24 years old. However, one day, when I released my third album, was the moment I realized that music was not just a hobby or something I could leave behind, but something professional. I realized that what I did had an impact on the families of the people on my team and the musicians who worked with me. I didn’t realize it before because music was always present in my house since I was very little, so I never considered it something so serious. Now I know that it is something I will continue doing throughout my life.

—At what point does a hobby become a job?

One day I was singing in the middle of a stadium for 16 thousand people, but I didn’t feel happy. Throughout the concert, I thought about going home without understanding why. After much reflection, I realized that I had to separate Kalimba the artist from Kalimba the individual. When I went to school or other activities, people knew me as “Kalimba, the one from TV,” but one day I asked myself: “What if I don’t want to be a musician anymore?”. I began to consider plans to study psychology and be “Kalimba the psychologist,” instead of continuing to be just the guy who sang on TV. However, those thoughts only remained in my mind. Then, I began to question whether I had chosen this path or whether my environment had chosen it for me. I asked myself if I should have followed my dream of being a soccer player, if it was worth sacrificing friends’ birthdays, moments of happiness or the possibility of having some girlfriends. Among all these doubts that were running through my head, God and the concept of gifts appeared. It was then that I understood that I should be happy with what I have and continue on my path.

—Did you think about making a gospel album?

It’s not something I’ve thought about just once, but it’s something that occupies my thoughts every day, and I have plans to create an album along those lines. Last Sunday I had the opportunity to sing at the church I belong to, and every time I am there, I feel like I am at my core, at my center. Although I enjoy singing at concerts, bars, and with friends, in church I find a more intimate space for myself and my songs. So far, I have a song titled “Sublime Gracia”, which I included on the album “Homenaje a las Grandes Canciones Vol. II”. This inclusion was a personal request I made to the label.

—What things don’t you negotiate with record labels?

The quality of my songs. It can be just a beat, a single instrument, or even all computer generated, but it should always have a powerful melody. Another thing is that I don’t do filler songs for my albums, I can’t do it, it makes me in a bad mood. I don’t play back either, although I tune out when I don’t feel well.

—And the lyrics?

There may be no lyrics, that doesn’t matter; What is crucial is what you transmit through sounds. Also, the lyrics shouldn’t be in any way destructive, even if the label tells me I might be more popular than Bad Bunny or Michael Jackson because of it. I sing for people and for God, if I did songs like that, I couldn’t stand the shame.

—Is there a lot of that in the industry these days?

Yes, although many people may think that urban music is destructive, the truth is that it is not. Many pop, rock and ballad songs are more destructive with their lyrics of spite, vanity and resentment. It was never about the musical genre, but about the singers.