Folk dancer, drummer, guitarist, singer, producer and director . . . Christian Guerrero is the ‘showman’ of Latin music in Australia. He shares his musical beginnings in this interview.
Australian Latino
Australia has a connection with Latin music thanks to artists like Christian Guerrero, who is known in Sydney as the ‘showman’ of Latin music. Christian is a multi-rhythmic musician extraordinaire with his group ‘Salsa Kingz’ who play jazz, swing, soul, rock & roll, salsa, disco and pop.
Christian was born in Australia, but his passion for Latin music was inherited from his parents, both Chileans. He claims that his mother wanted him and his two sisters to give joy to the world, and so sent them to music and dance lessons. A childhood memory for Christian is that during the multiculural weeks put on by his schools, he always represented Chile because his mother did not want him to lose touch with his roots.
Christian was so influenced by folkloric dance that he learned Chilean and later Mexican dancing. He says that he still loves and practices this type of dancing, but he was always interested in playing live music. Latino audiences in Australia call him the ‘showman’ because of his combination of dance, lights and music.
His beginnings in music
Christian defines his profession as: “Delivering an art that is not only singing, but giving your whole heart to the public. I do not think as a showman. People say ‘showman’ because I give love, affection and passion and want you to feel what I feel at the time of being on stage.”
Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Chayanne, Julio Iglesias and Luis Miguel are some of his idols, but he also loves Colombian music and pop music. Christian says he does not cover all genres, but plays what he is most passionate about.
After dancing for more than seven years, Christian joined folk music groups, fell in love with tropical music and realized that he wanted to do an orchestra. So he began to develop as a musician: trumpet, bass and guitar, but he never imagined he could be a singer. However, one day the opportunity came to his door: “The orchestra needed a chorus girl who could sing in English and Spanish, and I did not even sing. I found that she could do it and was not out of tune.”
In order to make it more interesting for an Australian audience, Christian and his band combined Latin music with rock and chachacha. He also mixed Latin with well-known Australians songs like Jimmy Barnes. “In my band I have Australian musicians and the first thing they learn is the hug - but Christian says that when he gives a hug possibly an Australian will say: ‘What you you doing?!’ The Latino audience, Christian says, are much more affectionate.
The affection of the Latino audience
“I guess I'll die in Latin America. For an artist, the love that Latino audiences give is not found anywhere else in the world. I do not say this because I'm Latino, I say this because I have seen it with my own eyes! The Latins know how to love.”
When making a comparison between the Australian public and the Latin audience, he states that the Australian is more prudent, if you're really good they will clap, and if you're lousy, they will also treat you with courtesy. “Instead when a Latino loves you, they shout, they applaude, they ask for another song, until three or four in the morning.” In Australia, several laws mean that parties end around 11:00 pm. Christian says that he was left with a shock after visiting Latin America, because the bands play until dawn. “That does not happen in Australia."
Christian has always been a dancer and now as a producer, seeks to have dancers performing with his live music. That is why they call him a showman. Christian is already thinking about his legacy and is concerned with how to conserve Latin music in Australia to teach a younger generation of musicians.
