On September 15, 1998, Luis Fonsi (San Juan, Puerto Rico, 45 years old) released his first album, I will start. And since then she hasn’t stopped. It seems incredible that 25 years have passed, because his appearance and attitude are those of an excited young man. “I still enjoy it like the first day,” he confirms. Not a sign of fatigue, of laziness, of affliction. Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (which is his real name) is all smiles and good humor. A makeup artist chases him with face powder and hairspray wherever a camera lens is aimed at him, making sure that that freshness is transmitted seamlessly. “It is a luxury to have a job, any job, and complete 25 years in it and be able to say that you are crazy to continue working more,” he says. He is. At the moment, he announces a new tour that will commemorate his twenty-fifth musical anniversary and that will start with a special concert on February 16 at the WiZink Center from Madrid, where he has never performed before. “It is the beginning of what will be the most important tour of my career,” he told EL PAÍS in a small room set up for interviews in a Madrid hotel.
It’s not the only thing he has on his hands. In 2024 her new album will be released, Trip, composed of songs with names of cities and countries that have marked him. The cumbia Buenos Aires and the catchy Turn the page (Panama) These are the first previews that can now be heard on the platforms. For the next release, whose name is still unknown, he promises “a ballad vein cutter”. He will also make his acting debut in the film The Answer to My Prayera romantic comedy where he plays one of the protagonists, and will continue to be coach in The Voice Spain. “It’s going to be a sweet year, God willing, a fun year,” the Puerto Rican predicts.
It is no coincidence that his new project is called Trip, because Fonsi’s life has always consisted of spinning around the globe, even before he was famous. At the age of 11 he moved from Puerto Rico to Florida, and being part of the Florida State University School of Music choir allowed him to participate in various tours of the United States and London. Already with a successful career, years ago he decided to settle in Miami, but he recognizes that there is only one home and, for him, it is the Caribbean island where he was born. “I am 100% Puerto Rican Creole,” he warns, “how much or little I have achieved I owe it to that little dot on the map that I love so much.” Over time, and he insists that it is not to play the ball, Spain has become his second home. “As corny as it may sound, because normally all artists when they arrive in a country say that it is their second home, this is it for me. I live part of the year here, my wife is from here, my children are half Spanish. That’s why I feel so much pride and so much passion when something like this is born,” he says, pointing to the poster for his next concert at the Wizink Center.
Fonsi is one of those who calls everyone “my love.” But he only has one true love: the Córdoba model Águeda López, 42, whom he married in September 2014. In fact, this Sunday, September 10, they will be married for nine years. “Another distanced anniversary,” she laments. Luckily, he says, she understands perfectly: “She’s not one of these… ‘No, I can’t believe you’re not here!’ people. We’re more of the philosophy of, well, you’re not here this Sunday, but you’ll be here the following Saturday and we’ll go out for a nice dinner. The flowers will arrive on Sunday anyway.”
The couple has two children; Mikaela, 11, and Rocco, six (both born December 20). Two years ago, the singer of Imagine me without you, I do not give up either Slowly He admitted in this newspaper that the overwhelming success achieved with this last song in 2017, and its subsequent professional demands, made him miss many unrepeatable moments with them. It is an “eternal search for balance,” he says now. “I am very clear that I am very privileged because my passion is my work and not many people can say that. But it hurts me to say goodbye. Not being at my daughter’s dance recital frustrates me, it drives me crazy. But I am clear that that is what life is about, making sacrifices that will take you to the next step, and I think that with time and with maturity I am understanding it more. Also now the conversations with my daughter are different and I feel that I can vent with her and that she understands it better. I now get on the plane with less guilt and conscience. The little one still doesn’t have much of an idea,” he explains without losing his smile.
They better get used to it because there is still Luis Fonsi for a while. The music industry has changed radically during his 25-year career, but he has not only known how to adapt, but has also taken advantage of it. “I still released my first albums on CD and cassette,” he recalls. “I feel like I’m in a generation where I’m not the new guy, the 18-year-old kid, but I don’t see myself saying, ‘In my time…’. I am somewhere in the middle,” he considers. When he released his first album, it was seven years before the birth of YouTube; 10 years later, in 2017, the video clip for his song with Daddy Yankee, Slowlybroke all the platform’s records by being crowned the most viewed video in the world – in 2020 the children’s song took the lead Baby Shark―. “I miss the romanticism of the album a little, the five minutes it took to open it, remove the plastic wrap, open the little book… But I celebrate that music is more universal than ever. Now you press a button and the whole world listens to you,” she says.
His secret is, perhaps, not to close any doors. A pop ballad sings to you the same as a cumbia or reggaeton. The same goes for a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, Juan Luis Guerra or Rafael, or with Justin Bieber, Cristina Aguilera, Mike Towers or Rauw Alejandro. His other great asset is the good energy he gives off, the merit of which he attributes to his parents and siblings. “I grew up in an environment of great humility and smiles. In my house there is always a lot of joy, a lot of jokes, a lot of music and that is what I try to convey: positivity, zero drama, zero complications and, hopefully, a lot of art,” he says.
The experience of what he has lived has taught him to enjoy the road more. “Before, he was too hungry to be known and only looked ahead, instead of simply opening the window and breathing in fresh air and enjoying the views. Now I enjoy the landscape,” he proudly acknowledges. Now he has his place in music, a place that, far from diminishing over the years, is getting bigger and bigger. What he does, he assures, is to celebrate his silver anniversary with fans, friends and family with music. “The rhythm and priorities change a little, but I want to continue making songs for many more years,” guarantees the Puerto Rican. The desire, enthusiasm and passion will never go away, he reassures: “I hope I can do this for many more years. “I don’t see the end of the road anywhere near.” This is Luis Fonsi after 25 years of career. He has more vitality than ever, as always.
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