An invitation to salsa

If you can turn the Black Eyed Peas’ My Humps into an operatic piece, why can’t you give the mellow Heart of Mine and It’s Too Late Baby an upbeat salsa feel?

Easy does it, says Puerto Rican singer Tito Nieves. The 48-year-old musician has turned the mellow songs upside down, inside-out and made them his own.

This "Pavarotti of Salsa Music" has come up with his own pulsating versions of How Do You Keep the Music Playing, I Won’t Last a Day Without You and other songs. Now he’s not just having the time of his life. He’s also singing his way all the way to the bank.

Nieves’ song, I Like It Like That, emerged as the anthem of the ’90s. He also popularized Can You Stop the Rain, You Bring Me Joy, I Will Always Love You, Bang Bang and salsa songs De Mi Enamorate and Fabricando Fantasias.

I Like It Like That, an album of English salsa songs, led to something Nieves could only dream of: a performance with his idol Stevie Wonder on nationwide TV.

"I’ve admired him (Stevie Wonder) for so many years and working with him was a great pleasure," says Nieves.

When you have music running in your veins like this man, breathing and making melodies the whole day is as natural as night and day. Nieves’ father and uncle are musicians and studying the drums, guitar and bass guitar came as a matter of course.

Winning awards, however, is another story. Nieves has a long list of them.

His first solo album, Classic, which included the hit song Sonambulo, turned gold. The following year, his second album, Yo Quiero Cantar, earned Nieves another gold award. The album carries the hit song I Will Always Love You.

The list of honors also includes the titles 1994 Singer of the Year and 1999 Best Tropical Singer (Globo Awards), 1996 Best Video of the Year for No Me Vuelvo Enamorar and 1997 Best Artist of the Year.

The song Asi Mismo Fue won Nieves the 2000 Premio LoNestro award. Two years later, Nieves hit it big time internationally. He bagged a Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album.

Besides genes and talent, Nieves has something else going for him. The Latino in him knows genes and talent alone do not a well-received artist make. He has to make the music of his ancestors understood by non-English speaking Hispanics.

He need not look far to get started. Nieves saw the need for English salsa songs right where he lived since childhood: New York.

"In New York, there were always a large number of Latinos who did not speak or understand Spanish. I wanted to do something for them," he reveals.

Back then, recording salsa songs in English was uncharted territory. But Nieves didn’t mind at all. For him, what matters most is for the youth to enjoy Latin music (lately, he incorporated reggae into the mix).

The gamble paid off. Nieves’ audience in New York rewarded him with a standing ovation when he performed at Madison Square Garden.

Recently, Nieves celebrated 30 years in the music industry with a show in his dream venue: the prestigious Carnegie Hall.

"I always dreamed of performing on that Carnegie stage, and that was one of my most memorable experiences," he recalls.

Now, he shares his music with Filipinos through a show on Aug. 19, 6 p.m. at the Harbor Tent of Hotel Philippine Plaza.

This won’t be such a chore for someone who, chances are, will find a lot of kindred souls in salsa-loving Filipinos.

Still, he is leaving nothing to chance. Nieves will bring his 16-piece orchestra from Orlando, Florida with him. This is the first time a foreign act will be backed up by a full 16-piece band.

Despite his awards, albums, music videos and other achievements, Nieves still thinks the best recognition comes from the people themselves. Thus, he is setting aside part of the proceeds from his concert for the Filipino street children under the Vides Foundation.

(Tito Nieves – Live in Manila! is sponsored by Hapee Toothpaste, Philippine Airlines, The New Spiral Restaurant of Hotel Philippine Plaza, Thunder Power Drink, Pagcor and PCSO. For details, call Ticketworld at 891-9999, Ticketnet at 911-5555, Northstar Entertainment at 896-9939 or 0917-6077971).