Edgar Barrera is nominated for nine Grammy Awards

As a child, Before playing Nintendo, Édgar Barrera played at being a musician; Over the years his dream has come true, which has allowed him to work alongside artists of the stature of Ariana Grande, Marc Anthony, Ed Sheeran, Maluma, Christian Nodal, Camilo and Grupo Firme. He is one of the most nominated artists for the Latin Grammy on November 17, after Bad Bunny, who competes for 10 gramophones.

The composer and producer (1990, Ciudad Alemán, Tamaulipas) who has distinguished himself by the versatility of the singers who interpret his inspiration, appreciates the recognition, although in an interview with MILLENNIUM He highlighted: “I don’t make music thinking about the awards, but to connect with people”.

What does this recognition represent for you?

You don’t make music for awards, but when you get recognized it feels nice. I care more about connecting with people than because the song is well recorded or well produced, because the feeling you imprint on each song achieves the connection with the public.

How complex is it to be so versatile and write for different singers?

Since I’m from the border, I’m in the middle of two worlds: Mexican and American. In my house I grew up listening to boleros, cumbias and regional Mexican, and when I went to school in the United States, I was impregnated with American culture; that has helped me to work with Arianna Grande and with Ed Sheeran. Being in the middle of the two worlds has been a great help.

What inspires you?

I like to study the great composers, I am a big fan of Juan Gabriel, José Alfredo, Joan Sebastián; his songs were very specific and the songs that stand out are the ones that are very different. I am one of those who think that if I have nothing to say, I better not write anything. I don’t compose every day, sometimes weeks go by and I don’t write, and other times in seven days I can make a complete Maluma album, which is what we did: 10 songs in a week.

Inspiration comes at certain times and I am very inspired by the stories they tell me; people think that one has to live what one sings and it is not like that. In my case, I talk a lot with Edwin Caz from Grupo Firme, he tells me what is happening to him; the same Christian Nodal. I get into that role and write songs, as happened with “Ya no somos, ni seremos”. When he took it to him, he told me: “Just like what is happening to me”.

I also like to listen when they tell me: “Let’s get him in here, let’s change this”, and we start collaborating. I like that a lot, I am like the confidant of the artists and I try to say what they want to say in the songs, in a very simple and very colloquial way.

At what point did you know you had that ability?

When I was little I didn’t play with Nintendo, I’ve only been playing with Nintendo now that I bought a Game Boy; So I played at making music, I grew up playing at being a musician. When I was seven years old, I played with children’s songs that I wrote, like the one about a little bear that I had and sang with a cousin; At 14 I started writing more romantic songs because I wanted to win over the girls at school and my girlfriend. The first song I wrote when I was ready was called “Tonto de Verdad”, a very bad name (laughs). I wrote songs for my friends who were going through special situations in their lives; but they never recorded me. It was in Miami when they started recording me. CNCO was one of the first. There is a saying “When God gives, he gives, and when he doesn’t, he doesn’t”, for many years I was doing work to be recorded and nothing, and when one recorded me, another and another came from there.

I arrived in Miami serving coffee, collecting cables and I had to go through that process to value what I have today.

DAG