Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado AKA Farruko announced recently, while he was performing in Miami for his LAS 167 Tour, that he would be retiring from music to focus on God. Farruko opened the show by beginning to preach sermons. He apparently chose not to perform his smash hit “Pepas” and instead chose to apologize for his lyrics. With a career so successful, I can’t help but ask the question; Why are more and more Latin artist choosing the path of God over Mainstream music?
Farruko is only the latest Latin artist to have a spiritual conversion. Juan Luis Guerra was one of the most beloved and famous Latin artists of the 90’s, after songs like La Bilirrubina and Burbujas de Amor smashed the Billboard charts, he decided to retire in 1994 to focus on himself. He said that all that success had anegative effect on him, and he suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. He found peace when he decided to convert to Christianity. 10 years later he returned to the stage and began to compose songs and several albums dedicated to Christianity, managing to popularize “Las avispas“, a musical piece composed with several verses from the Bible.
El General, who some might believe is the Godfather of reggaeton, had a seventeen-year-long musical career before he retired in 2004 to become a devoted Jehovah’s Witness. He later went on to claim that the devil was behind his musical success.
Hector Delgado (El father) also know as one half of the duo Hector and Tito was another successful reggaeton artist from the 2000’s that chose to devote himself to Christianity, after the negative environment which he was surrounded by helped him make that decision.
So why are so many Latin artist choosing to take the path towards spirituality? Is it the fame and fortune? Maybe it’s the environment in which they find themselves in that makes them see things differently. Many famous people say that the pressure to be someone you’re not or to be in character always, can sometimes take a toll on an artist.
Farruko said that for him it was about a spiritual emptiness he felt inside and that he felt he had to forgive all of the wrong doings in his personal life. He felt that he had destroyed the family that loved him and had been astray from his women and children that he loved so much.
Juan Luis Guerra had suffered from panic attacks and anxiety and only after reaching out to God he was able to find peace within himself.
We may never know why more and more Latin artists are turning to God, but I’m sure we can all agree that it is a decision that was made out of pure love and commitment to healing themselves and bettering the relationships they have with their fans and those that surround them.
Written by Claudia Sandoval
Credits: Isabella Vega for ReMezcla
Theoscar Mogollón for Latin American post
