Exclusive Entrevista: Hello Seahorse!

Believing is seeing when it comes to creating your own "Bestia" land.

Roaring tigers and hidden dragons come to light in this fantasy voyage created by the enigmatic sounds of Hello Seahorse!. The Mexican indie-rock band consisting of Oro de Neta, Denise Aka Lo Blondo and Bonnz! met via cyberspace three years ago and delivered an organic sound as natural as their first album, "...And The Jellyfish Parade." Unknowingly, the electrio-trio gave birth to a second universe titled, "Hoy A Las Ocho," which has left international audiences transfixed ever since. We recently spoke to the lead singer, Lo Blondo about their third album release and their freaky universo right below the hood!

You guys met each other on MySpace. How did the band develop into what it is today?

It's true that Hello Seahorse! started from nothing. When Oro de Neta, Julio, and I first met we were three strangers trying to make music in a dirty and empty apartment. At that point we weren't even sure if we were going to see each other again. I can't even say that we made anything great the first time we met, but we were just there for fun. I didn't really know what was going on musically at first, but it was that same common feeling that made us become friends. This went from a weekend hobby to becoming part of our lives.

Where does the name of the band come from?

It really just came out of nothing. We were just hanging out one day entre copas and it sprung out. It was just floating around and one of us just fished it out [jokes]. We didn't want to name the band anything cliche or something that had been done already, so we thought it was the perfect title for us.

So it didn't come from a love for horses or sea creatures?

No not at all. Neither are our favorite animals, it just kind of turned out to be our name. It stuck that's all.

What can you tell us about your new album titled "Bestia"?

"Bestia" is pretty much a mix of all the emotions we were living within that first year of meeting. It has an aggressive sound to it, but also the vulnerable feelings we had inside. We all had a role in composing this third album and we also worked with our producer, Yamil Rezc. He helped create that darkness in our style. We were really looking for something fresh and different in this new album. We are super excited to present it to our fans.

You have a couple of English song titles. Do you eventually want to create an all-English album?

I write just as well in English as I do in Spanish, but there is this sense of freedom that I get with writing and singing en Español. We did sing in English at one point in our career, but I don't know if we will do it again in the future. Who knows maybe we will end up singing in French. If it just so happens that the creative energy just leads to us doing an English album naturally then we would rock it out with all the joy in the world.

How was your experience at SXSW?

It was awesome. We played with a bunch of bands from Mexico, Colombia, and Spain. It was a different audience, city, and experience. The most important thing is that we were well-received by the fans out there. Some venues were more intimate than others, but people honestly don't care. It is all about the music when you are up there.

What do you enjoy doing when you aren't singing or playing?

When I am not singing out loud, I guess I am just singing in the inside. My mind is always running on different melodies.

Where do you expect the band to be in the next five years?

In the next five years I hope that we are still making music. Most importantly I hope that we are still friends. Of course, we also want big things to happen for the band, but it's equally as important to maintain a good friendship between us.

You don't have to wait until next year's SXSW to get your latest rock fix. Besides discovering Hello Seahorse!'s sonido, you can check out Green Day's new headbangin' video premiere for, "Know Your Enemy" on Thursday, April 24th at 8pm on MTV Tr3s! Can't wait until then? Check out our Green Day artist page for all of their classic throwbacks.

Photo via MUN / Magic Marker Label

Tags Bestia, Free Music, Hello Seahorse!, Latin Music, MTV, Musica Latina, Tr3s, Tres