MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� 脡dgar Barrera is one of the most in-demand people in music. He's worked with everyone from Madonna and Shakira to and Karol G. He has one Grammy and 18 Latin Grammys already to his name, and is the top nominee at
Unlike most of his contemporaries dominating the music industry, though, Barrera is a producer and songwriter first, recently receiving a songwriter of the year nod for
鈥淏eing an artist who is a public figure and things like that doesn鈥檛 really catch my attention,鈥� he told The Associated Press in Spanish during a video call from Miami earlier this year. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like that prominence or anything like that. Being hidden behind, writing the songs, producing, doing what I like to do, what I know how to do, that is enough, and I don鈥檛 need the mark of being the artist, of being named.鈥�
Yet named he is 鈥� 13 times at this year's Latin Grammys, held in Seville, Spain, including in the biggest categories: recording of the year (for 鈥淟a formula鈥� by and Marc Anthony), album of the year (for 鈥淒e Adentro Pa Afuera鈥� by Camilo) and song of the year (twice 鈥� for 鈥淣ASA鈥� by Camilo and Alejandro Sanz and 鈥渦n x100to鈥� by Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny).
He鈥檚 also nominated in the brand-new songwriter of the year category of the Latin Grammys, and says he鈥檚 proud to be recognized alongside his collaborators and mentors. Barrera walks the line between what a producer is and what an artist is, feeling better behind the console than in front of a microphone.
鈥淚 am here to provide a service to artists,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am there to facilitate what they want to say in their career, and that is my job.鈥�
It's impossible to confine Barrera 鈥� or the artists with whom he works 鈥� to a single genre.
鈥淪ometimes I spend like weeks doing urban things and then weeks doing regional Mexican, then another week doing pop, tropical also another week,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do a little bit of everything, so as not to get saturated with a single rhythm or a single sound.鈥�
It was Barrera鈥檚 bet to introduce Bad Bunny to regional Mexican music 鈥� and, in the process, work with an artist with whom he had always wanted to enter the studio.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult, when the artist is so good at what he does, for example, Bad Bunny is one of the best (expletive) composers the industry has and with the best results,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat can I contribute to , what can I send him to make him look at me again? He doesn鈥檛 need anyone鈥檚 help.鈥�
Fortunately for him, the Puerto Rican reggaetonero had wanted to do something with a Mexican touch for a long time.
On the other hand, there's until recently a relatively unknown band who Barrera encouraged to go from its beginnings playing cover songs at parties to performing at Mexico City鈥檚 Z贸calo during the Mexican Independence Day festivities in September. (鈥淔rom playing for 20 people last year in April to playing for 220,000 is a great achievement,鈥� Barrera said.)
Barrera had an immediate connection with the band because they are 鈥渒ids from my town鈥� and grew up in the same region on the border between Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Barrera, who was born in McAllen, Texas, grew up in Miguel Alem谩n, Tamaulipas, and has dual nationality, defines himself as a man of the frontier.
鈥淲e come from the same culture, we speak the same language,鈥� he said of Grupo Frontera.
鈥淯n x100to鈥� is one of the few regional Mexican music songs that have managed to reach the song of the year category at this year's Latin Grammys.
Barrera is also nominated three times in the best tropical song category: for 鈥淟a formula" again, 鈥淎mbulancia鈥� by Camilo and Camila Cabello, and 鈥淓l merengue鈥� by Manuel Turizo and Marshmello. He wondered how Marshmello would translate to the genre, but Barrera was pleasantly surprised with the American DJ and producer's interest in Latin music.
鈥淗e told me, 鈥業t鈥檚 not about translating anything to my sound, I want to get into your sound, I want to make a merengue, teach me how to make a merengue,鈥欌�� Barrera recalled.
Being nominated for producer of the year again represents all the behind-the-scenes work Barrera enjoys, though he cautions it's 鈥渕uch more than just writing a song.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 wait for things to happen, I always make things happen in the studio,鈥� he said, summing up his overall approach.
And he ultimately measures his achievements not by how many trophies he accepts on stage, but by the streets.
鈥淔or me, the greatest success that a song has is the acceptance of the public and that the public consumes it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a mariachi (in Miami) that plays every night, and they are playing my songs all the time, that for me is the reward for what one makes music at the end of the day.鈥�
Berenice Bautista, The Associated Press
