Exclusiva: Gustavo Galindo Dishes On Music, Culture, & 'Quinces'

By Michael Lopez

Gustavo Galindo is epitome of what you'd call a "rising star." Since emerging on the music scene back in 2008, the Mexican-American singer-songwriter has opened for Juanes, put out a high-profile album, and (perhaps most importantly) secured a slot on next season's Quiero Mis Quinces. Speaking exclusively with Tr3s, he dished on all of the exciting projects he's currently got in the works.

"So far, so good," Galindo jokingly said when referring to his career.

Gustavo's new album, Entre La Ciudad y El Mar, was released last March and has already had a major impact on the iTunes and Billboard charts. When describing the experience of recording it, Galindo went into detail about the lengthy, but rewarding process.

"The process of recording it started about two-and-a-half years ago," Gustavo said. "I had sent a five song demo out to different people in the industry. One of those people happened to be Gustavo Santaolalla and he responded. It was a lot of fun to make and a lot of love and thought went into it."

In case you're wondering, Santaolalla is one of the most respected producers in Latin music. Not only has he won Grammys for his work with Juanes, he also has two Academy Awards, for composing the scores to Brokeback Mountain and Babel. Not surprisingly, Galindo happens to be a big fan of Santaolalla's most famous collaborator.

"Last year I got to open for Juanes," Gustavo explained. "It was fantastic!"

But don't think that Galindo’s musical influences only come from the Spanish realm. He was quick to list off quite a few American acts that he's used for inspiration.

"Being bicultural and bilingual, I like to listen to both sides," he said. "I'm a big fan of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty."

Gustavo also went into detail about his "biculturalism." Born in Mexico City, he spent a good portion of his youth in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and parts of northern California. Interestingly, he said the experience of growing up in different places helped him branch out as an artist.

"Growing up the way I did made me who I am as a person," he said. "But it also made an outsider of both worlds. Sometimes it feels like I'm never quite comfortable in either place. To Americans, I'm perceived as a Mexican artist, but to Mexicans I'm perceived as American."

Though Gustavo's debut album was strictly a Spanish affair, he hinted that there could very well be some English tracks in his future.

"Right now I've written about 30 or 40 songs in both English and Spanish," he said. "I never stop writing."

And next month, Galindo may have something entirely new to write about; quinceañeras! Yup, he's booked to be a guest on the next season of Quiero Mis Quinces and he expressed quite a bit of excitement about the gig.

"I'm really happy to be doing it, because the girl who's getting the quinceañera happens to be a very big fan," Gustavo said. "It's really fun to be a part of something like that. It should be a lot of fun!"

Be sure to keep up with all of Gustavo's happenings by checking out his website and Twitter page.

Are you a fan of Gustavo Galindo? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Entre La Ciudad y El Mar, Exclusive Entrevistas, Gustavo Galindo, Gustavo Santaolalla, Juanes, Música, Tr3s Exclusives