Diandra Interviews Miguel Guerrero: Focus On Your Essence

Miguel Guerrero’s music is known for its upbeat nature; making heartbreak feel like just another cornflake falling in your milk. For him, everything in life is conquerable and your freedom is, at all times, yours: no matter what societal repression. This type of positivism is born from his years of studying Hip Hop, the lovers he has had to let go, and the determination he has to make Peru a formidable force in international music. In our interview, he discusses how focusing on himself, in turn, helps him become a reference for others.

Diandra: Your music is so positive. How do you feel music can feed that energy?

Miguel: I try to be natural. I live music according to my essence and I write songs about my life. When I first started music, it was because I liked it. Music makes me happy, and I was, naturally, attracted to Hip Hop, which is not so big in Peru. Yet, I try to stay with what speaks with my essence, and what attracts people is my story.

Diandra: What about Hip Hop inspire in you?

Miguel: Since I was a kid, I traveled a lot with my parents for work. As you grew, you start to explore your horizons. I have an older brother who started listening to Hip Hop, and I loved it. I felt like Hip Hop, as an essence, is about expression. It is about developing feelings, and it is inspired by and inspiring for a lot of genres. Rap is about raising your voice, revolutionizing, and doing it without filter.

Diandra: Is there a revolution you wish to inspire?

Miguel: Yes! I always try to express in my music that we are free. As people, we are free, and our society tries to repress us and become a contrast. I try to sing to the common and everyday, but it is hard. In Peru, it is so rare to try to live as an artist, but I try to promote, even by how I live, that you can be free. You can live as you want in our country, here, Peru. I want to inspire future generations and construct an entertainment world and music industry that competes with the world. We have so much talent here.

Diandra: So do you see yourself as a leader of sorts?

Miguel: I have never seen myself as a leader, but I think, in my country, we can’t afford to see ourselves as individuals. We have to see ourselves as a collective. We have join together as a collective to grow.

Diandra: Yet, what about your music, specifically, fills that space or inspires it?

Miguel: I think I see myself more as a reference. Peru does not really have an entertainment industry or a music world. Though we have so much talent, it is not like when you go to other countries like, Argentina, Mexico, and the U.S, where there is a literal, entertainment industry. I want to help build that. I want to leave something behind for other generations so that it is easier and the world can see how much talent Peru has. I think the purpose, of every person, is to leave something behind for others; to leave them with a lesson or impression that they can take with them to grow.

Diandra: So what is a lesson you feel you are passing on?

Miguel: I think it is a controversial one but to be sad. Let yourself cry and grieve. That is apart of the process of growing, but still be aware that that goes away; from your tears you blossom. I want to transmit a message that happiness and sadness are both temporary, and you have to fight and flourish yourself to feed these feelings and make them special to you. Your sadness and joy are you. There are moments that you will be on top and others you will be on the bottom, an those events with make you… you.

Diandra: I am kind of curious why you would think that telling people to be sad is controversial, especially in an era, of music, where it seems like everyone is singing to being sad?

Miguel: I think that we have a lot of people singing to anxiety and sadness like they are fads or topics you can latch onto for a moment or a song. Yet, I think anxiety, as a word, is really strong. This is a powerful experience, even if negative. So my songs are about love lost, but they are about how I get over the heartbreak. It may seem silly to feel really hurt about someone leaving or not loving you, but it stay with you and my songs are about overcoming that.

Diandra: What is true love to you?

Miguel: I think true love is about existing with someone as you are; getting to be with another person and feeling like you can be who you are. Whether it is as a person or society, there is repression, and I feel true love is the freedom to be you.

Diandra: What is the most romantic things you have ever done?

Miguel: When I was in middle school, I was in the floor above my then girlfriend. I put a rose on a string with a note that said, “Happy Anniversary!” and I hung it outside her class window. Then, when she picked up the rose and after har class was done, I escorted her to a bouquet of roses I had waiting for her in the cafeteria.

Diandra: DAMN! The 9 year old you was super romantic.