CNCO go back in time
For their latest album, Déjà Vu (out Feb. 5), CNCO — the ambitious Latin boy band consisting of Richard Camacho, Erick Brian Colón, Christopher Vélez, Zabdiel De Jesús, and Joel Pimentel — decided to look to the past. The new project includes reimaginations of 13 classic singles from mentor Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and other Latin legends. "The idea for the album was born while listening to music with our families during the pandemic," Vélez says. "We went on this deep journey, unraveling the stories behind the lyrics of songs we're intimately familiar with while honoring talent we admire immensely by refreshing their hits for a new generation."
One of the album's standouts is their take on Martin's 1991 Spanish-language ballad "El Amor de Mi Vida," which the boys updated with a pop-inflected beat. "Ricky didn't know we were doing his song until we were shooting the music video," De Jesús says. "We texted him a clip of us performing, and he was so gracious. It's the ultimate compliment when an artist tells you how much he loves and appreciates your work."
In The Basement with CNCO
Though they've yet to hear from Iglesias regarding their take on "Hero," they did get the seal of approval from the legendary Argentine-Venezuelan balladeer Ricardo Montaner on their cut of "Tan Enamorados," which they released as their first single. The companion music video was inspired by fellow boy band New Kids on the Block, complete with tank tops, fencing, and black-and-white visuals. "We're big fans of the New Kids, and their song 'You Got It (The Right Stuff)' came out the same year as 'Tan Enamorados,' so we used that to bring together generations. I cannot express how much fun we had doing that; it came out identical! There's also an homage to the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC in our other videos from the album."
In December, the members of CNCO — whose first two albums topped the U.S. Latin charts — celebrated five years together by skydiving in Dubai. Now they're looking toward the future. "We've grown so much together, and this new album reflects just that," De Jesús says. "Our flow is always evolving, and [we're] experimenting with our sound. It keeps everyone on their toes. As our role in production expands, we're more involved in the process than ever before."
Though touring of course remains on hold, Camacho explains that they have tentative plans for "when things get better." Adds Pimentel: "We have a lot of ideas for ways to promote the album during the pandemic like livestreams, online meet-and-greets, and more new music. We're ready to get back on the road and see our fans to thank them in person for their love and support — once it's safe."
De Jesús echoes that sentiment. "We want them to know we love them so much," he says of the group's fans, affectionately known as CNCOwners. "Don't think we're slacking out here, we still have a lot more to come. We will surprise them when they least expect it."
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