Gian Marco and what he never said about the critics, his separation and postponement of his concert: “What happened to me was serious”

The pause ended. The lights come back on. After passing tough tests that were about to end his professional dreams, Gian Marco Zignago comes back “stronger and more patient.” Announces the new date of his concert for his 30 years of artistic career. It will be on July 16 at the National Stadium. “We are going to reclaim our resilience, we are going to feel alive again“, tells us.

It should be noted that given the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in our country and the restrictions imposed by the Government as a preventive measure, the national singer-songwriter had to reprogram “Gian Marco 30 years.” The show was scheduled to take place on August 15, 2020, then it was announced that it would be held a year later, on August 21, 2021.

“We had a concert that we had planned with enthusiasm. In just two weeks we had sold almost 30 thousand tickets and from one moment to another life changed. In February 2020 everything was canceled. I felt a lot of frustration. It was strong psychologically. There was also the genuine pressure of not being able to cancel a concert.”Says Zignago Alcóver, winner of three Latin Grammy Awards.

Did you think about canceling the concert? At what point did that happen?

I must confess that that moment existed, it was after the second time that it was postponed, but when we released the first statement announcing that people could claim their tickets or keep them for a future date, we had fifteen to twenty percent return. That promised me not to throw in the towel. I had mixed feelings. It was frustrating in every way.

What was the most frustrating?

But that happens because of a matter of dates, of the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) calendar, and I had asked for August. Keep in mind that it is a stadium dedicated to football.

What lessons have these last two years taught you?

It has been two years in which – I think – I have become a much stronger and more patient person. It was in February 2021 and it lasted a long time, but I don’t want to go into details.

Was it an ordeal?

In this career, anyone who does not know us perceives a certain amount of things. I recently posted on Instagram about the difference between perception and knowledge, we humans will usually perceive, not know. There are perceptions that lead you to good things, but it is not the truth and vice versa. Nicole is a happy woman with her girlfriend, I adore her. As I used to tell my friends, I’d rather have a daughter-in-law than a son-in-law. The amount of ignorance that exists in the networks is incredible. They have been tests of support, of strength, and it also came from a separation.

New beginning

Did you separate from Claudia in 2021?

I was already separated for several years, what happens is that that year I made a comment on a podcast (“Doubts are given away”) and a whole bolondrón was put together. I took the trouble to watch certain videos of national programs and it made me laugh how some people with impudence talk about one as if they knew us from the neighborhood, as if they had coffee with you every weekend. It happened to me and all of that I think made me much stronger. I looked like his son. Things like this make you stronger, they teach you not to take anything for granted, nothing personal, because people don’t know me. I know that I am surrounded by dear people, I have few friends, I am a survivor of the pandemic, of emotions, of learning and of continuing to be a good dad. My children are the result of what Claudia and I have done for 27 years, the length of our marriage.

How are you currently getting along with your ex-wife?

We have an extraordinary relationship.

Is it in your plans to rebuild your life? Would you like to fall in love again?

As Rubén Blades says: “I have more past than future.” I feel young, I am jovial, and the day someone appears and wants to tell it, I will tell it. I learned to take care of that space in my life. I demonstrated it with my family. I have a lot of respect for the people who do it, but I think there are things in life that are very yours and not everyone is happy with your happiness.

A few months ago you shared a video singing with Abril, your youngest daughter, the song “How deep is your love”. Like Nicole and Fabián, do you also want to dedicate yourself to music?

April is a being of light, she is a 16-year-old teenager, and yes, surely like her brothers she is going to dedicate herself to music. I am always interested in you paying attention to finishing what corresponds to you, which is school. I think it is important not to burn stages. My three children are doing it. Nicole lives in Mexico with her girlfriend, Fer. He is doing super well. He signed with Warner. He has far surpassed me and is experiencing this new stage. She was hesitant to sign with a label because I was independent. I told him to experiment, no problem. And Fabian is discovering a vein that is difficult to discover.

International bets

What international and national guests will accompany you in Gian Marco 30 years?

I’m seeing that, it would be irresponsible of me to give you names. A little while ago I spoke with Tony Succar and Grupo 5 because they are part of the race. I imagine that night playing together in the stadium “The rhythm of my heart.” What I can tell you is that my show is going to be produced by Áureo Baqueiro, it will be great. We want everyone in any part of the stadium to see and hear it perfectly well. In that sense, I think my audience knows how to value, they are going to value what is going to happen that night. I have thousands of ideas, it would be an absolute explosion if Gloria comes along. It would be like closing the circle of so many years.

What do Emilio and Gloria represent in your career?

Emilio opened the doors of his offices to me when I had left everything here: work, concerts, television. Everything was going well for me, but. And not because it wasn’t pretty, I miss playing there, I played every Friday for ten years.

How do you receive the nominations for the Luces a Hit of the Year and Album of the Year Awards?

Always grateful and happy to be nominated, thanks to you friends of El Comercio for always thinking of me, for following and supporting my career. “Mandarina” is an album that I have a lot of affection for and “No va ser easy” is one of my favorite songs so I’m happy. Thanks for the love and support.

What do you think of Tony Succar’s nomination for the 2022 Grammy with “Live in Peru”, an album in which you have participated?

He deserves it, it’s his nomination. He is the producer and the artist. You have to be aware of the work Tony did, how it made him want to. Coincidentally a few days ago I spoke with him about the birth of his daughter and at one point in the conversation, he told me: “If you hadn’t called me to do ‘Ritmo en mi corazón’, I would still be here in Miami”. He is a brutal talent, as there are not many, and he is Peruvian. Hopefully he gets the Grammy, he deserves it. The new generations are trying without fear, it is happening with my son Fabian. He wants to sing, make a record, yet he doesn’t have the experience of the street. I already told you to be careful.

Has it been difficult being a parent as an artist?

I left a lot of things, great job opportunities so I could be a dad. And I do not regret it, especially when I see the photos, the videos, the moments, the conversations. There are those who tell me: “You could have been a more famous artist with all the songs you had, working with Emilio Estefan and the Grammys.” Now that my children are grown up, I have much more freedom to take up things that I left behind because there are still opportunities. Next week I’m going to Miami, I’m going to start producing and co-writing an album with Julio Reyes, a person I admire a lot. My 17th album is quite a challenge because I have never co-written an entire album with someone. I never stopped recording, although there are people who believe that I only did “Canción de amor”, “Domitila” and “Campaneando”, ha ha ha.

Are the stories of your songs part of your life?

“Mandarina” has many things of mine. “En tu suitta” is a super hard song, “Mirage” is also strong. They are hard songs but they always end up saying: “Look up.” I put you in a place of reflection.

What stage of your life do you describe in “En tu suitta”?

I once heard Silvio Rodríguez say that he did not tell the stories of his songs because he wanted people to put their own stories. The same thing happens to me a bit. There are songs that have different parts of different stories. That happens with “In your suitcase.” And a song called “Still” says: “There are still traces of your hands on my chest. There are still traces of my kisses at the end of you. ” It’s when I was in front of my dead father. And “Hoy” is a song that I made in Peru, but people swore and perjured that it spoke of the love of a couple. Then you have “Calma en me”, a very healing song that I made at a very hard time, I had moved from home, I had another studio. It was bad, at the limit, on the ground. Nothing came out. I opened the studio door and said to God: “I beg you, I need the album to come out now.” I grabbed my guitar and made the song in half an hour. It was healing because she was doing it to me.

When is your new album coming out?

This year, at the end. It will be one of the most exquisite. But before the album, this February 17, we started a tour of the United States: Tampa, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Virginia …

What does this show on July 16 represent for your career?

I am going to speak on behalf of my work team, it represents claiming our resilience, our ability to be behind this without falling into pessimism. The vindication of teamwork means the possibility of feeling alive again, the possibility of being able to prove to ourselves that we can do a show in a stadium like the Nacional, that my career and my songs allow it.

What other dreams do you pursue?

Then, the earrings are the tours, making a one-man show that could be of great use especially to young people who want to start in this world of music. To be able to tell you about my experience from the soul, the humor and the theater that welcomed me when I was very young. With music, with stories.

And a series inspired by your life?

That I could never do.

THE DATA

Tickets for the Gian Marco 30 years concert are on sale on the Teleticket website with an exclusive 20% discount with Interbank cards for a limited time or while supplies last.