Juanes originally Juan Estebán Aristizábal Vásquez (born August 9, 1972, Medellín, Colombia), Colombian guitarist, singer, songwriter, and activist, who with an absorbing stage presence gained international recognition in the early 21st century for his passionate songs of romantic love and social struggle.
When Juanes was seven years old, his father and brothers taught him to play guitar, and he quickly became immersed in the musical traditions of his Colombian homeland. Later he became infatuated with rock and roll, and for 11 years he was a singer and guitarist for Ekhymosis, a heavy metal band that enjoyed a strong following in his country. Juanes grew restless with the artistic limitations of the band, however, and in 1999 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career.
In 2000 Juanes debuted with Fíjate bien (“Take a Good Look”), a brooding album that produced a handful of hits and earned the singer three Latin Grammy Awards, including best new artist. Juanes’s major breakthrough came in 2002 with the release of his second album, the bright and energetic Un día normal (“A Normal Day”), which included the chart-topping songs “”A Dios le pido”” (“I Ask God”), an anthem for peace, and “”Fotografia”” (“Photograph”), a duet with Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado. Un día normal won five awards at the 2003 Latin Grammys, including album of the year, record of the year, and song of the year. In 2004 he released Mi sangre (“My Blood”), which also received multiple Latin Grammys.
In 2007 Juanes launched his own record label, 4Js, named after his father and siblings (whose names start with the letter J). That year he also released the album La vida…es un ratico (“Life…Is a Moment”), on which he maintained his call for peace, love, and social change. His success at the Latin Grammy Awards continued as the album and its hit single “”Me enamora”” (“It Makes Me Fall in Love”) won in the same major categories as Un día normal had. Although Juanes’s sales declined somewhat with the rock-driven P.A.R.C.E. (2010), MTV Unplugged (2012), an intimate live recording that garnered him his third Latin Grammy for album of the year, confirmed his enduring appeal. He released an autobiography, Persiguiendo el sol (Chasing the Sun), in 2013.
World Liberty TV, Humanitarian Team was on Hand at The Eve of World Humanitarian Day (WHD) at The United Nations, NY to Interview Juanes as he was the head performer for the Concert, see what he had to say to us.
