Livin’ ‘La Vida SilenciA’

Silencio, por favor!

That must be the message Ricky Martin is trying to convey in his latest (seventh) album Almas del Silencio (Souls of Silence), released by his home company Sony Music, which brings together the cream of contemporary Latin songwriters (Alejandro Sanz, Ricardo Ariona, Juanes and Franco de Vita, Emilio Estefan, among others).

Silence, please!

That’s what you need for you to absorb the message of the selections on what’s described as Ricky’s "most romantic album yet," such as (check your Spanish now) Tal Vez, Jamas, Si Tu Te Vas, Nadie Mas Que Tu, Besos de Fuego, Y Todo Queda En Nada and, of course, Las Almas del Silencio.

As you can see, the Silencio songs are far different, far more reflective/introspective and far less "danceable" than those in Ricky’s past albums, such as his first solo all-Spanish-songs self-titled album Ricky Martin (1990), Vuelve (1998) which carries his hit single Cup of Life/La Copa de la Vida (which became the official song of the 1998 Soccer World Cup), his first all-English also self-titled album Ricky Martin (1999) which includes his even bigger hit Livin’ La Vida Loca, and Sound Loaded (2000).

I first saw Ricky "live!" in Milan during the launching of his first all-English album in a villa owned by Armani no less. Onstage in the flesh, shaking his bonbons, Ricky was pure dynamo, all-magic. He was the same a year later in Singapore during the Asia-wide promo for Livin’ La Vida Loca, and even wilder and sexier and...lustier?...in Hong Kong a year later when he did a concert-promo for Sound Loaded for which he put on a "bad boy" look and even starred in the album’s MTV shot underwater, showing him bare-chested in highly-suggestive love scenes with a woman in all her almost-bare essentials.

Last Thursday when Ricky sat down for this Conversation at a function room of Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore (where he did a four-song showcase and met with winners from all over Asia of a "Ricky Martin Trivia" contest) he was back to his old "boy-next-door" self, his hair cropped short, his shirt buttoned up to here and his aura calm and serene, perhaps in keeping with the theme of his Almas del Silencio album.

But always, his eternal smile lit up his handsome face. He was as engaging as ever, warm and friendly like other Latin artists, even recognizing you from those past three encounters.

How nice of you to come to Asia in spite of the SARS scare and threats of terrorism.

"I don’t care!"

Very obviously, Asia has a special spot in your heart.

"You know, I was Asian in another life. I will come here and I can say that this is one part of the world where I feel at home."

What other Asian cities did you visit before you came to Singapore?

"Oh, I’ve just done a very beautiful little tour. I’ve been to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Thailand, promoting my new Spanish album which is kind of ironic for a lot of people because it’s Spanish. But for me, it’s natural to come here with my Spanish-language album because it’s the language with which I started coming here for the first time. So, I feel great."

Don’t you have any plans of going back to the Philippines, maybe for a show or for an album promo?

"No, not for a promo but for a show. I’m planning to go there maybe in March next year."

The Philippines, as you said in interviews, is like a second home to you. You’ve been there as a Menudo member when you were a kid and for shows as a solo artist. What are your fond memories of the Philippines?

"You know, when I think of the Philippines I always think of the acceptance of the audience and how expressive the Filipinos were to our...to my shows. I remember the Folk Arts Theater and the Araneta Coliseum always full of people...People welcoming me at the airport and people visiting me at the hotel. The Philippines is a multi-cultural country ."

Very Latin. Very much like Puerto Rico.

"Very Spanish. The people are very warm and very friendly. What else do I remember about the Philippines? Si, adobo!"

You always include Asia as a major launching pad for your albums.

"Asia is in my heart. I have learned to find a beautiful serenity in Asian philosophies. And then again, I guess it’s an internal work that you have to do. It doesn’t really matter what part of the world you are in. You can find that serenity if you try hard to. But I prefer the serenity that I find in Asia."

The title of your new album, Almas del Silencio, sounds very profound. Does it reflect the new direction in your life and career?

"I think Almas del Silencio is a journey...Almas del Silencio is where I’ve been...It’s very important for me to find some silence after the adrenaline has subsided. I need to go back home and put my feet on the ground. I went back to Puerto Rico and started meeting with my old friends and spending more time with my family. I felt free in many aspects. And that’s what I did when I started working on my music. It was all about challenging my emotions as much as I could. And out of that silence I created a beautiful sound. That’s where I am at today."

Is that ‘silence’ similar to the ‘stillness’ that you said in several interviews you’ve been longing for?

"Yeah. Exactly. Silence is very important in my life. I’ve said it over and over again. Silence helps me get closer to my beginning. In silence, you can hear a lot of things; you can hear the beating of your heart; you can hear yourself think."

How can you achieve this ‘silence’ considering the world you are in...considering that you seem to be constantly, you know, livin’ la vida loca?

"If you try hard enough, you can achieve it whether you’re at home, or anywhere you are. All you have to do is close your eyes and look inside you."

But in your case, you have to travel to India and to Nepal to enter ‘la vida silencia,’ if I may call it that.

"My trips to India and Nepal have made me know myself better...to recharge my feelings and my emotions. You know, in this crazy world you can get really weird if you allow yourself to be."

You’ve also shown interest in Buddhism.

"That’s right. To be able to deal with all this craziness, you have to have order in your life, you have to put your priorities in order. Spirituality has to be a priority. Or else, you can’t survive in all this madness, can you?"

What’s the difference between Ricky Martin of Livin’ La Vida Loca and, should I say, La Vida Silencia?

"Oh, la vida silencia. I like that! You know, I hope there’s a big difference. That’s probably my priority. I hope I can change."

As you said, you’re more spiritual now.

"I think the spirituality has always been there. But I guess I am probably a little bit less of a workaholic now. I pamper myself a little more. I used to work a lot but I realized that it’s not necessary."

More than two years ago, you kind of projected an image far sexier than the one in Livin’ La Vida Loca when you promoted Sound Loaded, your last album before Silencio. Does it flatter you being called a sex symbol?

"A sex symbol? Who cares? It doesn’t really matter whether I was considered a sex symbol. Before, I used to be embarrassed being called a sex symbol but I realized that I shouldn’t be. There are icons out there who are and will always be sex symbols and they’ll never die; they’ll stay forever in the memory of the public. There’s Marilyn Monroe, there’s Elvis Presley, there’s Frank Sinatra. They were brilliant artists and they were considered sex symbols. They’re dead but they live on."

How do you maintain your sexy body?

"I’m doing my best to maintain it. You know, I haven’t been onstage for more than two years. When you’re onstage, that’s the perfect workout. I eat as healthy as I can. And I do exercise...I love exercise!"

Which part of your body do you find sexy?

(Laughs, blushes) "I don’t know. I don’t know! I have no idea.. I just let it all off."

Okay, what do you find sexy in a woman?

"The legs."

Only?

"The toes."

Onstage, you’re so full of life and energy, a livewire...How are you away from the spotlight?

"I’m boring, very boring! You don’t believe it? Actually, I’m a simple person. When I’m not working, I’m with my family and friends...with my dogs and my car. I’m a homebody. That’s where I find peace... Home. That’s where I find silence."

What are your best qualities?

"I’m sincere and honest."

And your worst qualities, if any?

"I can be stubborn!"

Of course, aside from promoting Silencio, you’re also busy with your ‘People for Children Charitable Foundation’ (which has contributed undisclosed amounts to a rehabilitation center for disabled children in his native Puerto Rico). Could you tell us more about ‘People for Children’.

"It’s a project against child abuse, child exploitation and child pornography."

Why this cause?

"You know, I have the opportunity to go to India for many years now. The last I went there I worked for an organization called Cosa Vida whose mission was to rescue kids, especially little girls, from the streets. I’m still educating myself what our mission is going to be like. I’m still learning."

You’re fond of kids...

"Yeah. I’m fond of children. I’ve always been fond of children. When I was 12, I was an ambassador of the UNICEF. I went crazy in that journey of awareness about child prostitution and child pornography. I realized that this issue is affecting the entire plane in a very aggressive way. It will be the biggest problem in our society in the next 10 years. It will be even worse than the war against drugs. And we’re talking here about children. So, ‘People for Children’ was created to eliminate that silly industry (child prostitution/pornography) which is a very lucrative one, unfortunately."

You look and sound very happy – in silence.

"You know, happiness is not always there, just like silence. If you’re always happy, people might think that you’re on drugs; if you’re always sad, you must be in depression. You need help? One thing I can tell you is that the ups and downs of life help make me feel human and alive."

If you have to make a wish, what would it be?

"For people to stop judging other people."

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