Ulises Hadjis: “I grew up making records and that’s what I know”

Written by Ángel Aguilar Wednesday, 10 October 2012 10:43

When the 2012 Latin Grammy nominees were announced last month, Venezuela’s Ulises Hadjis was nominated in three categories: “Best Alternative Album”, “Best Rock Song” and “Best New Artist”. The nominations recognized the artist’s work on his most recent album Cosas Perdidas, a pop-infused work that serves as his sophomore release. According to Hadjis, the Grammy news came as a great surprise to him considering that when he was working on the album, the last thing that crossed his mind was a possible nomination.

Hadjis talked to us about the Latin Grammy nomination and about his plans to take advantage of his trip to the U.S. for the awards ceremony to play a few gigs in Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Miami.

Angel Aguilar: How do you feel about being nominated for “Best New Artist” when this is already your second album?
Ulises Hadjis: We have to remember that the Grammy Academy really looks at the recordings. So to them an artist really starts their career when they start recording and sometimes an artist may take two or three albums before they get good enough to be nominated. In my case, this is my second album so I am okay with being nominated for “Best New Artist”.

AA: After receiving a triple nomination for Cosas Perdidas, do you think this will put pressure on you to outdo what you have accomplished with this album?  
UH: The pressure is always there and it is a healthy pressure. I am not one who sits on his laurels as a musician. I grew up making records and that’s what I know so I will continue to try to keep getting better at it.

AA: You mention growing up making records, tell us more about that.
UH: Many musicians begin their careers by playing live and eventually they bring that experience into the studio. In my case it was the opposite. I began recording at home. My creativity has always come from either being in the studio or at home in front of my tape recorder. So for me, performing live is more of a by-product of my musical creations.

AA: How was the process of making Cosas Perdidas?
UH: It was very slow. By 2010 I already had the drums and melodies recorded, but because my producer and I were often traveling we never seemed to have the time to finish the album.

AA: How did the contributions of other artists come about?
UH: I met Juan Manuel Torreblanca through MySpace in 2008, and when I visited Mexico we met and started playing together. We also started writing together and out of that came “La Ciudad”; so it just felt right to have him play on the record. Denise Gutierrez from Hello Seahorse! heard my first album and requested me on Facebook. We became friends and hers and the rest of the collaborations were very spontaneous, they were never planned.

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The 2012 Latin Grammy's are taking place on November 15 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.

 

 

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