Luis Fonsi steps out of his comfort zone for new album

By John Benson Fresh off his sold-out “Somos Uno Tour” through South America, internationally renowned singer Luis Fonsi is now busy appearing as a judge on Telemundo’s prime-time reality show “Yo Soy El Artista.” “It’s been great fun, I really enjoy it,” Fonsi told VOXXI. “I don’t see it as a job. I’m a vocal performance major, so to me I sort of love that vocal lesson and arranging side of music, as well as being the head vocal coach of the show.” SEE ALSO: Gaby Moreno embraces the holiday spirit with new Xmas album “A lot of them are just really starting out, and you can still hear that purity and that young sounding tone that to me is fun to be able to mold. It’s a new format for TV. I think people are getting used to it. Hopefully I’ll be able to do different shows like this in the near future.” Known for Latin GRAMMY-winning song “Aqui Estoy Yo,” as well as hits “No Me Doy Por Vencido,” “Abrazar La Vida,” “Gritar” and “Respira,” the Voice of Pop is currently supporting his latest album “8,” which was produced by Swedish singer-songwriter and producer Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, James Blunt, KT Tunstall, Mary J. Blige, James Morrison). The project took Fonsi, who in 2011 was named “Leader of Latin Music’s Generation” by Billboard Magazine, out of his comfort zone with unique results. Apparently Luis Fonsi knew what he was doing with “8” debuting at No. 1 in nine countries, including the U.S. The lead single, “Corazón En La Maleta,” has more of a gritty, up-tempo feel that belies his power-ballad pigeonholing. Then there’s “Llegaste Tú,” a duet with Juan Luis Guerra that was nominated for a Latin Grammy 2014 in the Record of the Year category. “I was definitely reaching on this album for something different within the parameters of who I am and what I am as a musician,” Fonsi said. “I sort of have my niche, a mixture between pop and ballad with a little bit of the rock sound. But what I did do different was I sort of changed the team I worked with. For this album I said, ‘I’m going to go to London.’ That was kind of refreshing to go in there and work with a bunch of guys, all of them European, who didn’t know who I was.” “They hadn’t worked on Spanish albums a lot. That was kind of fun, to have a clean slate and to be able to do music without really thinking about what I’ve done in the past, whether it’s worked or not. That’s something I’ve never done before.” After the successful first leg of the “Somos Uno Tour,” Fonsi said he’s excited about February dates booked in Puerto Rico with a stateside jaunt expected this spring. Something else on his to-do list is a return to Broadway. In the summer 2013, he appeared in “Forever Tango.” “I love musical theater,” Fonsi said. “It might not be next year or the next five years but I definitely want to do another run on Broadway.” If there’s one hurdle that remains for Fonsi it’s entering the stateside mainstream pop world. The singer is well aware the opportunity awaits but he isn’t in any rush to dip his toe into the deep waters. SEE ALSO: Backstage Confessions: Olga Tañon, David Bisbal and more fess up! “It’s one of those things I haven’t had that last push to say I’m going to write an English song,” Fonsi said. “I listen to pop radio, mainstream radio, in English but from a singer-songwriter point, it’s not something I do everyday as a singer. When I grab a guitar, for some reason I switch to Spanish mode.” “A lot of people ask if I’m going to do the crossover, and I just say it’s a door I’ll never close but right now I’m so focused on what’s going on in the Latin market. But you never know, it’s one of those things. I’m one of those guys that all of a sudden I’ll just go for it. It would be amazing, obviously.”The post Luis Fonsi steps out of his comfort zone for new album appeared first on Voxxi.