Jandy Feliz reveals the story behind “Procura”, one of the songs that marked the 90s

Before talking to Jandy Feliz (46), I thought that the close relationship it has with Peru was a personal choice; Now I think it’s destiny. “When I came the first time, I didn’t know anything about Peru and I say this because I have a very special relationship with this country. I remember that I went to Gisela Valcárcel’s program at noon. It was the first program we went to and when I saw the reaction, the affection of the people, I was shocked.”, he tells us via Zoom, just a few days before returning to welcome the New Year with the White Party.

“When they talked about coming here I said, ‘but why are we going to Peru’, because I didn’t know anything about here and from there I think that there was a relationship outside of music, a relationship that also reached the emotional part and from there From there I began to know people more, to value people’s affection. [peruana]”, adds the artist.

Feliz first came to Peru when he was still the vocalist of the group Chichí Peralta y Son Familia; Later, as a soloist at the beginning of the 2000s, his visits became more constant. A colleague tells me the joke that the singer seems to have a bunker here, and how can I deny him: Peru opened its arms to Feliz and he, happily, reciprocated with his concerts, participated in interviews, recorded a video clip and even sang alongside Pedro Suárez-Vértiz (“a tremendous composer“, he calls it) in the Arequipa Beer Garden.

But for almost five years, when he also came to celebrate the end of the year, the singer has not sung here; Nor anywhere else, so this next show is part of a reunion with his followers. “I began a journey of faith, I decided to give an important time of my life to God and then I felt that it was necessary for me to separate myself. It was like a vow, an offering, a spiritual need that existed in my life.”, he responds and says he is aware of the privilege he has; There are artists who have one or two hits, he however has several more, there was a time when it seemed that everything he sang turned into gold. “When I wrote each song, I never imagined [este éxito]; In fact, many of the songs that have given me the most joy were written during very difficult moments in my life.”.

We insisted on that last point and discovered that one of his successes, the one that says “Try to flirt with me more, and I won’t worry about what I’ll do to you.”, has a story behind it. “When I wrote ‘Procura’ I was going through a very severe depression. And my refuge was my guitar in a room of an empty house, I went to that place to release some stress and some frustrations; It was an acoustic guitar, made of nylon, that cost me less than a dollar. I wrote ‘Procura’ at a time when I could understand why people go into severe depression and can even make attempts on their own lives.”.

Feliz adds that there is always a way out of difficulties: “Every time I have to sing it, I am transported to that time and I discover and verify that there is no reason to let ourselves fall in the most difficult moments. There is no reason. In the most difficult moments you can be sowing your greatest joy in the future”.

Speaking of joys, there is the New Year celebration. “The meaning of a concert is to have fun and the fun does not have to be based on the stage itself, but on the relationship, on the empathy of the artist with the people. In my opinion, spontaneity is the most important thing because it is what leads you to true enjoyment with the person..”