VIP No.3 / 2022 Interview with Diamante Eléctrico

One of the most important bands of the last generation is celebrating its 10th anniversary—yes, we're talking about Diamante Eléctrico. A true testament to resilience and, above all, quality, they've persevered through years of adversity. In the lead-up to this celebration, we spoke with them about their upcoming album, what we can expect on December 7th at the Palacio de los Deportes, and what their performance at the 2022 Estéreo Picnic Festival meant to them.

1. Ten years isn't something that happens every day. What's the most memorable moment from all this time, and why?

Over these ten years, all the most memorable moments, the ones that move us the most when we think back on them, are the shows. Especially our own shows in different cities. What happened in Bogotá, after "Mira lo que me hiciste hacer" (Look What You Made Me Do), seeing the city respond, seeing the city come out to see us. What happened right after the pandemic ended for The Bonfire and Sánchez is the reason the fuel keeps burning, why our spirits and energy remain high. Standing on stage and playing for the people who buy a ticket is, and always will be, the most memorable and important thing in our career.

2. You're about to release your new album, "Leche de Tigre," from which we already know some singles. What can we expect from this new work? What surprises does El Diamante have up his sleeve?

We made "Mira lo que me hiciste hacer" during the pandemic, remotely and on the computer. And for this new album, "Leche de Tigre," we wanted to get back to sitting down together in the studio to play, the whole band. We recorded some of the songs live, some on tape, mixed a bit from the beatmaking stage. But we also played together with the band in one place, locked in a studio for ten days, recording twelve tracks, which is the number of songs on the album. We're really happy with the result. We've already shared six songs from the album, and the full album will be released in February. We're thrilled to be able to give everyone a new album.

3. This year you conquered the FEP stage, a nighttime slot, a packed tent. What can you tell us about the band's growth at the different FEP festivals, back in 2013, 2018 alongside a legend like Billy Gibbons, and 2022?

What happened this year at Picnic was overwhelming, more than important, more than any logic one could apply to what happened, it's simply something that transcends feelings and anything one can explain. Having that tent full, everyone singing along, seeing that everything we've done is important, matters to people, means something to them, that the songs no longer belong to us, but to the people, is absolutely overwhelming. That's where we believe the difference lies with previous Picnic festivals. Sometimes you use festival stages to introduce yourself to people you don't know, and sometimes you use them to connect and celebrate with people you already know. But mainly, having a festival this packed with a huge crowd who are there to see you and know what you do—it might sound cliché, but it's the reason you do this. This year's Picnic is confirmation that everything we've done has been worth it.

4. Let's talk a little about the show on December 7th. What do you have planned for this celebration at the Palacio de los Deportes? Is there anything you'd like to tell us or give us a sneak peek of?

For the Palacio show, we have several surprises. Two of them are special guests who will be singing with us during the show. One is Conociendo Rusia, one of the coolest bands in Latin America, and the other is Vicente García, one of our great friends and one of the coolest singer-songwriters in the Caribbean. They're going to join us for two of the band's most important songs. We really have a lot of surprises in store; we don't want to give too much away, but we just want to say that you can't miss it. The light show we're going to have that day is going to be incredible. Don't miss it.

5. To wrap things up, what advice would you have liked to hear when you were just an up-and-coming band? What would you say to the Diamante of 2012 right now?

To the Diamante of 2012, I would say what Saul Hernández from Caifanes told us back in 2016. Maybe he said two things to us in the dressing room in Guadalajara. One, never think you've arrived, and two, you are instruments of the song. I feel like the first one is what we should have heard from the beginning, because there are moments in a career when you think you should be in a certain place so that this or that happens to you. And it turns out that's not the case; you have to keep going, going, and going. So, "never think you've arrived" is a sacred piece of advice that we take with us every day, that we repeat a lot. And, "you are the instrument of the song" means understanding that at the end of the day, yes, people are there to see you on stage, playing, but they're really there for the songs. You're just the tunnel between the song and the people. That puts the artist in the right place.

6. Recommend a national band or artist and a Latin American one, and tell us why.

We want to recommend a Colombian singer-songwriter named Briela Ojeda. You probably already know her; she's amazing. She writes beautiful songs. She's from Pasto. And we'd also like to recommend, for those who haven't heard of them, Conociendo Rusia, Mateo, an incredible band and artist from Argentina, who are bringing back the great Argentine songs that we loved so much from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. If you haven't heard these two recommended artists, take the time to listen to them, because they are incredible.

Interview by Jaime Cortés