Tony Cam He is a storyteller. Many of the anecdotes that he tells in the following interview are facts that the public never knew about his career and his time on the imitation reality show 'Yo soy'. The artist who managed to get young and old to meet the Argentine singer was grateful to the public for his perennial good reception. In addition, he narrates what the deal with Ricardo Morán and the jury of the missing Latina program has been like. Likewise, he revealed his current state of health after undergoing hip surgery for avascular necrosis. Cam has a jovial nature and a good sense of humor. Find out all the details in the lines written below.
—There are people who are not Sandro's contemporaries who have had the opportunity to get to know the artist through you.
-Clear. In general, young people remember the music of memory because they have heard it, suddenly, in some new version such as salsa, bachatas or cumbias, right? Because there are several souvenir songs that have been recorded with another genre and, therefore, they know them. That's why we sing them and they recognize them a little. But, on the subject of Sandro, especially, I am proud to be able to say that the majority of young people have heard Sandro's songs through the interpretations that I had within the program ('Yo soy') because Sandro already He was known, but he had a slightly less commercial repertoire.
People ended up liking it a lot and there are children who write to me and tell me “Tony, I love the song 'El manequin'”, which is a super heartfelt, super hurtful song. Imagine, then, a child of 14 or 15 years old, what does he know about love, but he loves those songs and for me that fills me with pride, knowing that they have heard it through me.
—The production also had to trust you so that you can sing other unknown songs by Sandro.
—Well no, that was very difficult for me, because they obviously abide by the fact that their television program has to be 100% commercial songs. lThe first song with which I broke the ice with production was precisely with 'El maniquí'. I spoke with the producer Sebastián Martins and he told me to send it to him. After a while, he told me: “You're crazy, there's no way to talk for five minutes.” And I tell him: “Wow, what a shame.” One day, I insisted to Nina Mutal, who was my singing teacher, and told her that she wanted to sing this song.
She asked me to sing to her at that moment and, when I finished, I looked up and Nina was crying. She tells me: “Wait, wait,” she goes and calls the other teacher, Mariela de La Pola, and there they send her email to production. They answered me: “Look, that is at your own risk.” And we assume it. I sang 'El manequin' and the production loved it. There they gave me free rein to choose songs, in some I skated, but in others I didn't. Sometimes, we also changed the songs at the last minute, because we were recording three programs.
What does the public not know about 'I am'?
—How long did the recordings of 'Yo soy' last?
—Wow, there were days when they were recorded live, no matter how long it lasted. And there were others that did take about two hours to record. So, we had an appointment at 8 in the morning, we went through the test of the three programs: sound test, stage set test, all that and then they sent us to rest. The recordings started at 2 in the afternoon, the first program, and we ended up leaving around nine ten at night, sometimes. He was killed.
—And that movement was from Monday to Friday?
—Of course, it was from Monday to Friday, but there were days when we recorded two or three programs in a row two or three days in a row. Then, they didn't call us again until a week later.
—Did you feel that they were considerate of you?
—Of course, they were very considerate. Many colleagues began a plan to complain that they did not pay, that they did not give lunch, that they did not give special attention. I told them: “Look at it this way, brother, how much does Coca-Cola, Movistar or Claro pay to appear for 30 seconds on their program? And they give us all the time, it is a very big investment of time. Then you're going to have a lot of work getting out of here.” I never felt mistreated or exploited in any way, rather I am grateful to them.
—In the end was there any type of remuneration in 'Yo soy'?
—Yes, the production did a survey and made the payment of travel expenses; But we had all the facilities, but as Peruvians, we are used to complaining about everything. Even the locker rooms let us go. Imagine, then, having a suit like Sandro's made with a lot of shine and all that would cost me like 500 soles.
—Since you were little, you had the opportunity to see your father on television. When did the idea of entering the small screen start to catch your attention?
—Well, basically since I can remember. I am involved in television because at that time my father recorded 'Risas y salsa', later with Augusto Ferrando and Gisela (Valcárcel). My dad took me to the channel and I grew up watching all the artists. I call Jaime (Bayly) uncle, right? And with music, he also took me on tours to concerts where he had fellow artists and I also liked music.
How many times did Tony Cam refuse to join 'I Am'?
—Your arrival at 'I am' was like 'Relentless Search'
—(Laughs) Yes, when the program was just in its first season, they were going to look for me to invite me to the program and I didn't want to go, well no, I didn't want to go because I told the producer that I wasn't an imitator. I tell him: “I am a singer and I do parodies that are very different from what you want.” I parodied Camilo Sesto, José José, Juan Gabriel, Rafael, Sandro. And he told me: “But within the parody there is imitation, Tony. It's just about slowing down and going.” But I didn't want to, I didn't want to, and so, like three years passed from 2012 to 2015 that I never accepted.
In 2013, I got hip disease that caused my two hips to infarct and that's when I stopped working for almost a year and a half. He had already lost absolutely everything because he had nothing else to lose.
—What did you do with the 'I am: revenge' prize?
—Ah, I sold it (laughs). It's just that I won a truck. A Chevrolet Tracker from the year and I already had my cart that I had bought. So, for me, having a second car was an expense, and selling my old stroller that until now (I have) made me very sad. In the end, I ended up selling the new one, which had much more sales value than my own car.
At that time, I needed money because I was moving and I was raising money for my prosthesis. So, that for me was a relief. Selling the car saved me at least two years of raising money for (hip) replacements. I won in 2016 and in 18 I had already put on the prosthesis.
—Did you receive any lawsuit for your Sandro imitation?
—No, no, not at all. I don't know if there have been cases, I think so, but they were more with the Peruvians; but, in one way or another, the invitation is like a kind of homage, a kind of tribute that is paid to the artist. In the case of international artists, no, we have never had any legal issues, I think quite the opposite.
In fact, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sandro's wife.
Tony Cam tells how he met Sandro's wife
—How did the communication with Sandro's wife happen?
—Just after singing the song from 'El maniquí' they called me on Facebook. He was an Argentine gentleman. He congratulated me on the song he had sung from 'The Mannequin'. Then, he told me: “I'm going to transfer you to someone very special, but I want you to treat her with a lot of affection, with a lot of respect.” I spoke and he told me: “Let me tell you that of all my husband's imitators you are the one who looks the least like you, but physically you are the one who looks the least like you.” Obviously because I am Chinese, tall, cheeky, and her husband is aquiline and has big eyes.
So I tell him: “Yes, let's say I'm the Aliexpress version of Sandro.” She replied: “But he has what others don't have, that's what has impacted me the most. Son, you have my Roberto's interpretation. I have heard from many that his tone of voice is even more similar to yours, but they do not have the feeling, the interpretation.
-What happened after?
—That's where Sandro's official keyboardist calls me. He was working, taking Sandro tributes to all parts of Latin America and he told me that he wanted to come to Peru to do it with me. What more do I want than to sing with the faithful keyboard, but what happened? That he was not coming alone, he was paying tribute with Sandra, with Sandro's daughter. Since it had already come out that she was not the daughter, according to the DNA, because they came to exhume her body, I said damn, I'm not going to get into any trouble or talk.
—After your recognition as an artist, did you receive support from Ricardo Morán outside of 'Yo soy'?
—Let's see, no financial support, no visual support either, but he has gone to my events. I'm going to lie to you if I tell you today if we are pinkies, no, there is no way; but suddenly he has filthy me on Instagram (laughs). Every time I have come across him he has never walked past me like that, he has never been arrogant, excessive. Look, whoever tells you that is lying because he was selling that character; but behind the scenes, excusing the word Ricardo was a p*** m***.
—Did you have a good relationship with the reality jury?
—Look, Ricardo, Mary (Maricarmen Marín), Katia (Palma), Tony (Succar), Mauri Stern who also came in as unfriendly and hateful, but behind the scenes he was very very kind. There is still that affection towards us.
—It's been 8 years since you won 'Yo soy', is the public's support still the same?
—The public's affection now is much more than better. Everyone remembers us, they receive us with great affection. It's magnificent. The program was a boom, but now it is much more so.
His time in 'Yo soy' and the illness that afflicted him
—Do you think you would have had the same success if you entered 'Yo soy' when the producer of the program looked for you?
—I believe that my type of dance would have been different, my spirit would have been different, my shows would have been different; But, thank God, as I say, God is perfect and God's timing is perfect.. If you gave me the opportunity in 2012, which started a program until 2013, that year I would have done everything I wanted. It would have been magnificent, it would have been spectacular and if I got sick and then stopped working, because people are like that: an artist is absent from the stage for a year or seven months and they forget, of course, they forget about you.
Then I wouldn't have been able to come back and have another bounce, I wouldn't have been able to, because people would have seen how I danced before and then they would have seen how I danced afterwards. People don't miss what isn't.
—When you get to 'Yo soy', you were still recovering from avascular necrosis of the hips, how is your health now?
—In 2022, I had surgery on my right hip, but it was incredible because I had surgery on my first left leg in 2019 and it took me about two and a half months to rehabilitate and be able to walk again. But, on the right, the next day, I was walking alone to ask to use the bathroom at the clinic. So I recovered in a week. I was already walking, obviously the doctor told me: “Now, now, you are already a perfect Ironman, but take care of yourself.”
So I had a good time and, to this day, I no longer walk with crutches. I don't use a cane anymore. It no longer hurts when I sleep. I can sleep straight away, that is, I stopped the painkillers, which had damaged my liver and now, that is, my life, has practically recovered to 99%.
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