When looking at the definition of what a complete artist is, no one better than Draco Rosa embodies those words. A singer, composer, musician, writer, poet, painter, actor, and producer, Draco Rosa is, simply put, an unstoppable creative force.
And now, a year after the release of his latest musical production of new material, Vino, the Puerto Rican performer returns to the music scene, and to Sony Music, with what may be the most personal, intimate, and authentic album of his career, Amor Vincit Omnia (Love conquers all).
Showcasing Draco Rosa’s roots, filled with a nostalgia that is touching yet never a cliché, and presenting a fusion of styles that always seeks to be original, make the nine songs in Amor Vincit Omnia a production that is totally different from anything else on the market.
This should not come as a surprise, however, for if something can be said of Draco Rosa, it is that beginning with his debut solo album, Frío (1994) and his followups during that decade, Vagabundo (1996) and Songbirds & Roosters (1998), he has taken music to new levels: experimenting, defying, challenging, always being true to himself.
“Last year, I happened to be in the mountains of Puerto Rico and, while there, I found myself surrounded by the music of the troubadours, by the improvisational skills (soneo) of salsa, by the rhythms of the people who live in the countryside,” explains Draco Rosa from Los Angeles, California, where he also resides. “I thought, ‘I am going to try to tackle the experience of what it is like to live in New York, to live in Puerto Rico, and see how I can present a bit of the atmosphere of the Caribbean as well as of the great city.”
The result: an album with sounds that reinterpret in an accessible and modern way the legacy of an artist who, while born in New York, finds his Puerto Rican spirit in Utuado, a town famous for its coffee in the mountainous region of that Caribbean island.
“All that inspiration for the record came because of staying at Hacienda Horizonte, in Utuado, where my dad is from,” says Draco Rosa. “For about five years, my wife Ángela and I had looked all over Puerto Rico for some land. We finally found it three years ago. There is a house that we have restored next to the mighty Tanamá River, and we have citrus trees, medicinal plants, all kinds of fruits and food.”
For this husband and father, there was never any particular plan as to what his next musical production would be like. He had spent several years releasing music independently, devoted to his webpage and to his company, Phantom Vox. The album Cómo me acuerdo (2004), gathered all his greatest hits and included four new tracks. Having won a Latin Grammy award that same year, Draco Rosa went on a world tour and closed the monumental Colombia-based rock festival known as Rock al Parque. In 2005, he released the CD/DVD Draco al natural, which featured rehearsals of his music. Then came other innovative projects: the album Vino, and Teatro (based on a concert called Teatro del Absurdo, or Theater of the Absurd), which this year won the Latin Grammy in the Best Rock Solo Vocal Album.
Just like a theatrical character, Draco Rosa has evolved with each new musical stage he has embarked on. Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, originally from Long Island, New York, moved to Puerto Rico at a very early age, and from 1984 to 1987, was part of one of the most popular boy bands ever, Menudo. After leaving the group at age 17, he left for Brazil, where he sang in Portuguese. He starred in a movie, Salsa, in which he met his future wife, Ángela Alvarado; and, after relocating to Los Angeles in 1990, founded a band, Maggie’s Dream.
The 90s were a very successful period for Draco Rosa not only as an interpreter but also as a composer. He wrote some of the biggest hits, such as María and Livin’ la Vida Loca, among others, in the musical career of his colleague and fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin.
Draco Rosa (Draco means dragon in Latin) has used various names when writing for other artists: Dolores del Infante, Ian Blake, Robi Rosa. Those days, however, are in the past.
“Composing was a lot of fun, but I wanted to leave while I was on top,” analyzes Draco Rosa. “I am committed to my music, and I am painting, drawing, once again. I had always wanted to do something that didn’t sound like anything else, and in Amor Vincit Omnia, I tried to experiment with a new sound within something that has already been done.”
For more information on Draco Rosa, visit www.phvx.com
