Mau and Ricky: “We feel the responsibility of promoting our country culturally”

Since Mau and Ricky (Mauricio and Ricardo Montaner), aged 8 and 11, respectively, moved with their family of artists to Miami, this brother duo had not returned to Venezuela. The reunion with his land has been captured in his new album, Hotel Caracas, which they presented a few days ago to a group of EL PAÍS readers. In addition, the duo gave attendees an exclusive listen Day after tomorrowyour next single, which will be released the second week of February and of which only a handful of fans knew the title. The meeting, moderated by journalist Andrea Nogueira, is part of the exclusive activities program of EL PAÍS+.

“This album is the best we have done so far,” said Mau (Caracas, 30 years old). “And if they don't like it, they complain to us,” added Ricky (Caracas, 33 years old). After two albums and composing and producing for other artists such as Ricky Martin, Sebastián Yatra or Karol G, the brothers wanted to recover the feeling of “first love” with music and get rid of certain “formulas”, such as those they used in songs. as Without pajamas, sung by Becky G and Natti Natasha. To achieve this, it helped them to form their own record company and thus be able to own their work. Mau and Ricky also aspire to be “home” for other artists and help them fulfill their dreams.

They also had to return to the beginning in a literal sense. Mau and Ricky, sons of singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner and brothers of singer Evaluna, have spent more years living in Miami than in their native country and that was an open wound. After “an existential crisis” they settled in Venezuela for three months to answer all their doubts and questions about who they were and who they wanted to be. “It was a selfish trip, for us, to resolve some internal problems,” they told readers. From that adventure that, they say, changed their lives, their most personal work was born, Hotel Caracas, and a documentary that narrates the creative process and that aims to represent people who leave their country. “The greatest treasure that Venezuela has is its people,” they asserted.

The duo has also wanted to experiment with their sound, since they understand constant growth as “an artistic responsibility.” Although they are very proud of the songs they have written and will continue to sing, they are looking forward. They are not worried about losing an audience, since they feel a “beautiful” connection with their fans that makes them believe that they are evolving together. For this reason, they emphasize that “this new sound is definitely the Mau and Ricky that they want to be today”, but they emphasize the “today” because tomorrow they may try something different. This, without losing sight of their goal of “embracing” Venezuelan culture and identity: “We feel the responsibility with our album and our career to want to culturally promote our country.”

The cover letter of this Hotel Caracas is 'You're going to destroy me', a song that already has more than two million views on YouTube alone. The duo wanted to tell the readers of EL PAÍS that the next single will be released in the second week of February and the album will arrive in the summer. They revealed that beyond the presentation concerts, they are preparing surprises: small meetings with fans in a kind of “tour.”

In this work they have had in mind to make the album that they would like to listen to, that is why, they assure, they have taken great care of the details. For example, the videos that accompany the songs tell connected stories from beginning to end. Also, they have included “little gifts” as a nod to other artists they admire. “It's about living a story with us on the way to Hotel Caracas where all dreams come true,” explained Mau.

Subscribers asked the duo about how they felt when they returned from Venezuela, about the creative challenges they face as artists, or which other musicians they looked to for inspiration. Finally, the duo said goodbye by performing their song 'You're going to destroy me' and advancing 'Day after tomorrow', your next single.