Arath Herce is in his studio in Mexico City, wearing an unbuttoned black shirt, jeans and a silver chain with a single charm. He touches his face repeatedly, trying to hide his genuine shyness and saying things like, “I guess death haunts us all. It's the only thing that gives meaning to life.”
Talking about life and death may not be for everyone, but it works for Herce. For some, his music may be quite rock-oriented. However, his ability to intertwine poetic lines like “I'd like to buy the rain / At any cost” with guitars and delirious piano keys produces a sound reminiscent of late 70's Argentinian sounds. Latin American artists are starting to name him as an influence when it comes to writing songs in Spanish.
He's the kind of artist who isn't interested in approaching the record label and certainly isn't begging for attention from luxury labels. He seems more interested in telling stories to find answers through them.
Although his parents were not professional musicians, his father played the guitar and his mother was deep in literature and poetry. “I guess everything comes from those two worlds. My mom was more poetic and my dad was more rock and roll,” he says. His father introduced him to the world of videos and songs by Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and beetles. Meanwhile, he analyzed song lyrics with his mother. he taught him how to analyze and interpret the meaning of each line. Herce was hooked on the idea of understanding the meaning of an entire universe hidden in a song. “I've always been a coward. And I think I found a way to put my secrets in songs without anyone noticing,” he confesses.
Herce started playing guitar with his father when he was eight years old. He would meet up with many friends to play at home, where he learned a few chords. With just these two lessons, he unleashed his imagination and began writing songs. Meanwhile, his mother told him something he would never forget: “A poem is like a song but without music.” Deep in a sea of verses and stanzas, he muses, “Since I was a kid, I thought writing a song was easy. So, with just four chords, I wrote my first song,” he recalls.
As Herce continued his studies, he quickly began to develop his writing skills. While studying piano, the artist had early breakthroughs and found himself finishing several songs at a very young age. His parents supported him in building an artistic career. “Since the day I wrote my first song, I haven't stopped.” Feeding on experiences, especially family ones, he managed to interpret emotions such as love, loneliness and death, finally completing the first demos. “I never thought of anything else. Suddenly, by chance, there came a day when someone heard me. And that's why I'm here today, I guess.”
As we talk about the songwriting process, Herece tends to get lost in the answers. He claims that his only formula for making songs is honesty. “I don't know what a good or bad lyric is, but I know when it's not sincere,” he explains. And this has to do with the fact that many of his lyrics depict the reality of his experiences and that he finds melody in simplicity. However, reading all the lyrics to his songs, it's clear that they serve their purpose. “I guess the hard thing about writing a song is everything you have to break away from,” he explains, biting a fingernail. “It's like a stone and you turn it off until you find what's really honest.” We talk at length about how important it is to feel that an artist is being true to themselves. “The only thing I would like is to hear my voice and know that I'm not lying to myself,” she says humbly.
When I heard him for the first time, artists like Luis Alberto Spinetta or Bob Dylan came to my mind, because of the honesty of his narration, but also for his melancholic sound and poetic projections. He grew up listening to Dylan and Joni Mitchell, whom he describes as “artists who make you feel like art is easy.”
On his desk, Herce has a book of poems by Charles Bukowski, whom he describes as a natural writer:
“[His poetry] it is very common. Suddenly, if I let my guard down, he hits me with something. I like that, the surprise. Sometimes it is very difficult for us to move on to this simplicity.'
Herce's artistic development was always accompanied by literature. His mother's influence was essential during his creative process. He remembers being curious, at a very young age, about a book by Gabriel García Márquez that had the word “whores” on the cover. He had always wanted to read it, and “when I finally got around to it,” he tells me, “I did it overnight.”
Some of his compositions make direct reference to death, “going where Heaven burns,” as one song says. He asserts with both certainty and uncertainty, “I'm afraid to die.” While writing his debut album, Balboa, two people very close to him lost their lives and from that place of sadness “Quiero Sentirlo Todo” was born. It's a song that defined the sound of folk in Spanish for the next decade. “Life does not exist without death, just as to write a love song you have to know loneliness,” he says.
Jesus Soto Fuentes for Rolling Stone Español
IT'S ALMOST 8 PM and Herce is in Colombian singer-songwriter Santiago Cruz's dressing room just minutes before he goes on stage. It's a treat to see two generations of singer-songwriters discussing and reminiscing about songs that complement each other. “His voice has the sensitivity of an old soul,” says Santiago.
A few days ago they started discussing what songs they would sing together: “Did you know his first single is over six minutes long? Arath is someone who takes the risk to show us what he wants to say, in his own way. It really moves us,” says Cruz.
Balboa became an exercise in fresh new folk songs recorded by Herce in Los Angeles, co-produced with Aureo Baqueiro. “It was me and him, and a bunch of incredible musicians.” The album was partially recorded live. He then traveled to London to complete the remaining songs with Jake Josling in a completely different technical process in which he became a multi-instrumentalist. “I feel like from the moment I wrote those songs I knew what I needed. I can actually say it was pretty clear. I was lucky that Aureo and Jake let me play. I am very grateful for that.”
For Herce, his goal is to create songs that will last forever. He's not really interested in making songs for a generation or following a trend. “I guess I can only be myself,” he says. “A lot of songs were born out of the need to connect with myself first.” He tries to stay true to the real reason he is an artist. music will always come first for him. “I keep my songs like a diary. I hope I can look back and remember what I went through.”
Some moments have already felt like great achievements for him. He fondly remembers when Leonel García listened to his songs and when Natalia Lafourcade gave him her personal and artistic support. Herce recalls showing all of his songs to Lafourcade before going into the studio. “He played me some vocal notes that day De todas las flores on her phone,” he recalls, excited that Lafourcade would be the first person to hear those demos. “I felt so uncertain and insecure, even though I was so clear about what I wanted. I feel like my head would play against me if I was all alone.” As soon as he heard the songs, he suggested that he collaborate with Leif Vollebekk.
The album is a statement of artistic principles and an ode to live analog music. Co-produced by Vollebeck and recorded live in the city of Los Angeles, it features an unparalleled group of musicians. Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant, Elton John, Regina Spektor) and Jim Keltner (John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty) took over the drums and the double bass ended up in the hands of Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Waits). “They are musicians I really admire. I will never forget that trip,” says Herce.
After registration BalboaHerce released a solo version of the same album, Balboa Naked, another version of the same songs performed only by himself. “Songs are like photographs and they get old,” he notes. That's why he felt the need to reconnect with his songs in their heaviest form, as they were first born, in his room alone with only his guitar and his voice. Meanwhile, he is in a constant writing process, looking for inspiration to connect with new stories. “Maybe I'll talk more about death this time. Death and hope,” Herce coaxes. “I fell in love after a long time and it's also about opening myself up to it again.” It makes sense that Herce, at his young age, is constantly growing and changing. “My music will change as I will. This is my story and this is my life, this is all I can do.”
Jesus Soto Fuentes for Rolling Stone Español
However, he understands that he faces pressure from a dire market that demands numbers and seeks to grow the audience on TikTok. “As I was telling you, my real goal is to write and make something that lives up to my heroes.” He knows that eventually the years will pass and any success can be erased. But he prefers to be recognized and judged by his work. “Once I'm dead, I'd love to know what I became.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/arath-herce-balboa-interview-1235045187/