Juanes on Tour
When he takes the stage, global megastar Juanes blends the traditional music of his native Colombia with the international language of catchy, guitar-driven pop-rock, contemporary dance beats, and the compelling power of his silky and vibrant tenor voice.
On his 2019 tour, Juanes introduces a new stage set and light show. It follows his 2018 Amarte tour, whose outer-space theme reflected the science-fiction vibe of Mis Planes Son Amarte (My Plans Are to Love You), an ambitious video concept album about love both extraterrestrial and everyday. Juanes launched into the musical stratosphere in 2000 with the release of his solo debut, Fijate Bien (Take a Good Look), which won three Latin Grammy Awards. He's subsequently sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.
Juanes Background
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, known professionally as Juanes, was raised in Medellín, Colombia, during drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's violent heyday. After several albums with the rock band Ekhymosis, Juanes went solo with Fijate Bien, which included tracks influenced by Colombian coastal music, hip-hop, and emotional Hispanic balladry.
In 2002, Un Día Normal (A Normal Day) featured "A Dios le Pido" (I Pray to God), a hymn for peace throughout Latin America. Juanes has won 20 Latin Grammy Awards as well as Grammy Awards for Juanes MTV Unplugged (2013) and Loco de Amor (Love Crazy, 2015). While his latest music often touches on disco, reggaeton, and other forms of dance music, it still relies on cumbia, salsa, and vallenato — among other sounds Juanes heard growing up — for its core emotional resonance.
Juanes adds a strong streak of humanitarianism to his music. In 2006, he established the Mi Sangre foundation to assist Colombian landmine victims. In 2008 and 2009, he headlined Peace Without Borders concerts calling for cultural exchange across Latin America. "The world is crazy, if you look at who is running the world now," Juanes told The New York Times in 2018. "It's a very tough moment. But I really want to concentrate on the positive side. To me, music is a cure of my soul."