We recently sat down with the Pan-American recording artist Cienfue in Los Angeles; check out the interview and his latest music below:
MUSICA ROOTS: What’s the origin of the name CIENFUE?
CIENFUE: I love magic realism and Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez really influenced me. I like that it also invokes past lives like Fue Cien and fire as in Cienfuegos.
MUSICA ROOTS: Where do you live?
CIENFUE: I live in Panama, Central America! It’s an amazing place, warm water, great waves, great food, beautiful people.
MUSICA ROOTS: When visiting LA – what’s a must go restaurant here?
CIENFUE: I love Mrs. Parks Korean BBQ in Korea Town, so tasty and fresh! That’s real nutrient dense food!
MUSICA ROOTS: When did you take the step to become an artist? What/Who inspired you?
CIENFUE: Well since childhood growing up in Panama in the 80s and 90s , I watched a lot of Mtv and listened to a lot of radio. Some of my favs were Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Soda Stereo and Caifanes.
MUSICA ROOTS: What genre of music do you consider your work to be?
CIENFUE: Indie Rock / Indie Pop, we’ve been influenced heavily by Rock en Español also but we actually refer to our current genre as “Psicodelia Tropical”.
MUSICA ROOTS: What has been your favorite venue to perform?
CIENFUE: Opening for Juanes a couple of years ago in the Panama Canal for 20,000 people! What an insane show, the visuals and the polleras and diablicos live really came together. Also got to meet him! Super chill guy.
MUSICA ROOTS: What advice do you have for young up and coming artists?
CIENFUE: Make great art. Put in the 10,000 hours. Quit hating other artists just because they’re succesful and focus on your craft.
MUSICA ROOTS: Is there a charity you advocate for? Why?
CIENFUE: I really like Food Banks, there’s a lot of supermarket throwaway food (43 BILLION pounds of food a year!) that can be salvaged and feed everybody. In Panama it’s “Banco de Alimentos”.
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Cienfue has premiered his new video for his electronic English-language debut titled “Life in the Tropics” available now in all digital platforms and retailers.
The mesmerizing kaleidoscopic video of “Life in the Tropics” – whose song was written, produced and performed by Cienfue himself – was influenced by “the Ayahuasca movement; ‘Life in the Tropics’ takes us on a psychedelic romp through the jungle. A significant Ayahuasca movement is happening right now where the shamans are leaving the jungles to awaken people to higher realms of consciousness and connection to the Earth,”Cienfue explains.
Here is his newest single “SUNSET SESH”
Thank you to our contributors Minerva Fernandez and Rick Huaynate
