With the holiday season in full swing, we’re all excited about what’s taking place next year as well as thinking back to what we enjoyed this year! We caught up with Latin Grammy nominee RAWAYANA’s lead singer, Beto Montenegro to talk about his sensational group, the successes they’ve had this year, their partnership with Old Parr Whisky and what we can look forward to with them in 2024!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with music?
BETO MONTENEGRO: Because music makes me happy, makes me smile. I feel it is the best tool to express my point of view about life.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to do this professionally?
BM: After I realized that we had a big community waiting and asking for new music from us.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to come together to create RAWAYANA?
BM: We really just did it for fun. There was no real plan to “create” it.
AM: How would you define the RAWAYANA sound?
BM: I think it’s an eclectic mixture of Caribbean sounds influenced by pop music.
AM: You were nominated as Best New Artist at the 18th Annual Latin Grammy Awards back in 2017, what did it mean to you to have that distinction?
BM: I don’t like to pay attention to awards. I feel that art or music is not a competition, but in a way it felt cool to be recognized by the industry so we had such a good time spending time with a lot of friends in the business.
AM: What have been some of your favorite collaborations that you've had musically?
BM: Danny Ocean, Elena Rose, Natalia Lafourcade, Micro TDH, Mr Eazi… all our collaborations are amazing.
AM: You've released 5 studio albums and most recently ¿Quién trae las Cornetas?'(Who Brings the speakers?) tell me about this and what we can expect from it.
BM: It’s an album about cycles and new journeys. For us the music and Rawayana is about a journey, so the music is a very important part in our journey. It’s a very personal album but also the union of like-minded people making music and having fun in the studio.
AM: You just finished a tour here in the US and you already have dates lined up for next year, do you have any routines that you do right before a show to get ready to hit the stage?
BM: I warm up my voice in the shower.
AM: Do you have routines that you do after the show so that you can come down from all that energy?
BM: I really don’t have one. It always changes on nightly basis.
AM: You have a nice breather now with it being the holidays. You created a cocktail in collaboration with Old Parr known as Old Parr Rawy. How did your partnership come about and tell us about this drink?
BM: We’re thrilled with this partnership with Old Parr to bring even more golden moments to our music. The brand is an icon in Latin America, and just like the whisky, our music is a fusion of different sounds, flavors, and rhythms, so we know our fans will be just as excited to raise a glass of Old Parr with us. Also, we wanted to give our fans a taste of home during the Holiday season by creating a cocktail inspired by Venezuela and the fusion of flavors we create as a band—The Old Parr Rawy.
AM: If you haven't stated it already, how does this drink tie into the band and your sound?
BM: The Old Parr Rawy is a delicious and easy-to-make cocktail made for everyday golden moments this Holiday season – from enjoying the energy from a concert to toasting with our closest friends. This cocktail is a fusion of different flavors, sounds, and rhythms, like our music.
AM: How will you spend the holiday season?
BM: With my childhood friends and family!
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