I have vivid memories of travelling Venezuela with my mum, my brother and my dad, crossing Amazonas to Barlovento (Miranda State) to celebrate San Juan, Christmas and Carnival every year.
My mother gave me the tools to find myself and then develop as an artist, a profesional and, most importantly, a consious and caring human being. She said: "I want you to do whatever makes you happy, no matter what that is or what it takes."
I come from a long line of Venezuelan musicians, members of legendary bands such as Grupo Folklórico Experimental Barlovento and Un Sólo Pueblo, so music was always there, to the point that I took it for granted and studied Film instead. I’m a big fan of Stanley Kubrick – but my life has always been about music even though I didn’t know it. I do not fit music into other work. I fit any other work into music. Whether I'm directing a music video, a documentary about Venezuelan culture and traditions, writing articles about music or politics.
Losing my mother was devastating, but it also transformed me. Having cancer for years and the indescribable way she fought it, made me realise I wasn't being the best I could be or doing the best I could do. I changed once and for all from being a confused and lost adolescent that didn't know what he wanted to do to a man, focusing all that energy towards art, creativity and human interactions.
I hate the term 'world music' but that would sort of describe what I do. I’ve been influenced as much by Jimi Hendrix, Nick Cave, James Blake and Ronnie Wood as Rubén Blades, Draco Rosa, Juan Luis Guerra and Daddy Yankee. My music is a massive salad that combines many things. I don't reject or judge any music genre. I nourish myself with good music but can also take stuff from bad music, to transform it into something else or simply to not repeat its mistakes.
Connecting with the audience is as important as the music. There's no live music without an audience so you have to go out there and make them part of your show. My various projects provide different outlets: as a solo artist (Baldo Verdú) I experiment with electronic music, with Tonto Malembe, I channel all my anger about what's happening in Venezuela, while Pintón con Ñema is all about Afro-Venezuelan music, traditions and roots.
A song that most moves me…: Amor y control by Rubén Blades, especially the version in his concert in Puerto Rico alongside Juan Luis Guerra and Draco Rosa (my favourite music artist).
Being a dreamer is amazing but way more important is to materialise those dreams. I’ve had to overcome my tendancy of being extremely emotional and impulsive to being more disciplined and organised.
I love the UK. It's welcomes me and my work with open arms, so I reckon it's been like that because my approach is a completely different approach to anything else that exists here creatively and music wise.
The situation in Venezuela is what has most impacted me in recent years. What I find most upsetting is how people in the UK who claim to be liberal and progressive justify the oppression, humiliation and killing by the Maduro government just because it doesn’t suit their ideology to accept the truth.
Baldo verdu will be performing this Sunday 02 June at The Scoop, opposite Tower Bridge, next to City Hall, London SE1 2AA from 7pm in an exclusive free event. More info here
@baldoverdu
