In this Q&A/showcase series Tell Me Más, we asked some of our favorite Latine artists to share some inside information about their lives and routines, revealing everything from their most recent readings to the songs that made them famous. This month, we headed to Joe’s Pub in the historic East Village to see Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Alex Ferreira take the stage and chat with him about his latest project, fatherhood and how he balances both.
Alex Ferreira’s dressing room at Joe’s Pub is small and sparse, without many personal items or even musical instruments. There’s a guitar case on one side, a backpack nearby on a leather chair, and the singer himself is sitting sideways in front of a lighted dressing table – his trademark curls falling in front of his face. It was a transformative environment, a fitting one because in the evening Ferreira would take the stage with just a guitar and a soundboard and take the crowd on a journey full of love, heartbreak and everything in between. But right now, he’s smiling, seemingly in keeping with his style: in a back room, in a big city, on the road.
“I love touring. I love going to different countries, meeting different people. It’s an inspiration for me,” the artist told PS.
As a completely independent artist, Ferreira understands that he is extremely lucky to be able to make a living through his music. But that often comes with trips away from home, so it’s good that he enjoys touring. This current tour has seen him on the move since last year. He has performed all over Spain and will soon make a stop in Mexico. His two-night stint in New York surpassed the US region that had him in Miami and Puerto Rico. However, when he first became a father, Ferreira admitted that he did not have as much time to go out to these places as before.
“I want to be with my daughter. I feel like this is a very important time in her life, her first year… my responsibilities as a father are much greater than my responsibilities in life.” my art,” he said.
This is especially true because in his artistic life, Ferreira is quite steady. Making waves since 2010 with a singer-songwriter style that incorporates a healthy dose of experimentation and genre shifts, he knows he’s an artist. And so are his fans.
Later in the night, the crowd would sing in unison, singing along with the crooner so naturally that it seemed like they were rehearsing. That’s the type of musician Ferreira is known for. Music itself can make a room feel small. One minute he’s joking, the next he’s singing with such vulnerability that it’s hard not to be moved.
At home, however, he is still adjusting to his role as a father.
“Everything is new. Each stage of the process brings a new challenge. Each stage is a learning process and there is no manual or university to teach you these things. You learn one at a time.” quickly,” Ferreira mused.
Such a challenge? Finding time to write and work on his upcoming album while being a full-time father.
“Before, I could — and I hate this word but — I could delay a little bit. Now I can’t,” he said. “If I have an hour to work, I can’t waste time. So now my creative process is much more efficient.”
Now he treats composing like going to the gym. To complete it, he needed some consistency, spending a few hours a day playing, writing and practicing before he could put pen to paper and come up with a song.
But that doesn’t mean making music has become just another job for the veteran artist. Speaking about his upcoming project, “Para El Tiempo Version Y La Distancia Vol. 2”, Ferreira shared that he wants to continue to refine the sound he has created over the past decade, while also experimenting goes deeper by combining elements of rock, bachata and other genres into a unique experience. We can expect more of this from his upcoming album.
“In the same way that fatherhood is a process of change, I think my career and discography can be seen in that light as well. I like to have a bit of doubt, not knowing what I’m going to do “, he say. said. “I also realized that my fans don’t have the preconceived notion that, ‘Oh, he’s a singer-songwriter, everything will be the same.’ People who come to see me know that I don’t pursue any genre.
Ferreira possesses an uncanny ability to see through the connections we all share and translate them into poetry. In “Me La Saludan”, he uses sarcasm to express the weight of the wound that has not yet healed. In his new song, “De Verdad,” he pleads for love in all its complexity. Love is “like a decision,” the artist mused.
The official version of the song is a fun, upbeat mix. But on stage, in the small theater of Joe’s Pub, Ferreira turns it into a moving sonic ode to the long term — a relationship measured not in days or months but in the moments that make up a life together. together. Even if you’ve been listening to his music for years, hearing him perform live is still an experience. His voice has a quality that cannot be translated through speakers, it is more vulnerable, more dimensional and has the ability to not only touch but also bring the audience closer.
It is Ferreira’s ability to tap into emotions, to expose life’s raw nerves with tenderness, while cracking jokes on stage, that has led to Ferreira’s enduring and consistent success, even when the industry going through the indie boom. Silvana Estrada, Daniél, Me Estás Matando, Guitarricadelafuente – these are today’s favorite Latin music indie artists. Ferreira has worked with many of them. Members of Daniél, Me Estás Matando were once members of his band. But when asked about his role or position in the current context, Ferreira, despite his legacy and achievements, remains humble.
“I never thought about that role… for me [Latin music] like a chain and I think I’m just another link in that chain,” he said. “I think it’s great that this music can connect with not only first-generation Latinos but the second and third generations too, Latinos who don’t even speak Spanish, who don’t even speak Spanish. For me, it’s fun to be a part of that, like a little grain of sand.”
Ferreira is happy to see his friends and artists after him achieve success. But he’s also wary of the direction the industry as a whole is headed as everything moves toward songs created in a few minutes for virality rather than for show.
That doesn’t mean he’s against electronics. Ferreira often adds electronic elements to his music and is a fan of experimental-minded artists like James Blake and Bjork. He’s more interested in using things like autotune and AI as a shortcut to art than as a means to enhance it.
“When everything starts sounding the same, when the rhythms are all the same, with the same musical structures, the same effects and the same melodies, I feel like that’s when the machine wins,” he says.
But until then, he has faith in the process of creating “imperfect art” and has some wise advice for those who want to make it in music in the current climate.
“People always want more than what they have. Don’t fall into that dynamic. Make music because it’s your passion, because you love it, [and] because you cannot live without it. Because, as a business model, there are better models out there,” Ferreira said with a wink and a smile.
Read on to learn about Ferreira’s morning ritual, his favorite artists at the moment, and his secret to finding peace.
PS: What is your morning ritual?
Ferreira: Coffee and music. If I don’t drink coffee, I will have a stroke.
PS: If you could only choose one place to spend the rest of your days, where would it be?
Ferreira: Madrid
PS: Who is your favorite artist right now?
Ferreira: Adrianne Lenker.
PS: You have a song called “Sonrisa Valiente.” Who would you say in your life has the bravest smile?
Ferreira: My daughter.
PS: What is your method of finding peace?
Ferreira: Music. Singing, playing, listening to it, whatever it is, is therapeutic for me.
PS: The best thing about being a father?
Ferreira: Reconnecting with my inner child. Harness the childishness we lose in life.
Miguel Machado is a journalist with expertise in the intersection of Latino identity and culture. He does everything from exclusive interviews with Latin music artists to opinion pieces on issues relevant to the community, to personal essays tied to Latinidad his, as well as thoughts and characteristics related to Puerto Rican and Puerto Rican culture.
