Colombian singer Juanes’ third album is the number one download in all of Latin America, following its release on Monday.
The 14 songs on “Juanes: MTV Unplugged,” recorded at the New World Symphony Center in Miami on February 1, 2012, are an ecletic blend of latin, jazz, blues, rock, and folk sounds.
“You know, it’s scary, but it’s kind of what I’m looking for now, just to take the risk and go to different places and try different things. So it’s not about fear, it’s more about risk,” said Juanes.
Juanes credits singer-songwriter-producer Juan Luis Guerra for getting him out of his comfort zone when the musician started rearranging the songs for his MTV Unplugged taping.
“He put me in another place, but for me as a musician, as an artist, I was like: ‘Wow. This is a new world. I feel like I can do this,” Juanes said in a recent interview. “We tried different styles … [and] I was not used to that kind of arrangement.”
The album is the singer’s first release since splitting with his long-time manager, Fernan Martinez.
“It’s all about cycles, things stop and sometimes things end,” he said of the split. “And now I just feel like writing new pages of my life, new chapters. So I feel really positive, and at the same time, really thankful of the past.”
The Colombian superstar has won seventeen Latin Grammy Awards and one Grammy Award.
He is set to begin a new tour that will take him to Mexico, Europe and Latin America starting in August.