Gipsy Kings: Spanish music brings sunshine to everyone’s hearts

Dressed in vibrant floralthemed shirts and colourfully printed jerseys husbands danced with their wives fathers danced with their daughters couples and singles alike ndash all entranced in the music of Gipsy Kings when they performed in Mumbai in the beginning of JuneThe French band with origins in Spain saw Montpellierbased lsquoGipsy Kings by Diego Bailardorsquo come to the island city after Pune and before Bengaluru as part of their threecity lsquoBamboleo Tourrsquo in India If you were there you know it was nothing short of a carnival that also happened to mark 35 years since the release of their song lsquoBamboleorsquo one among many hitsWhile many people did not understand the language it did not take long for them to tap their feet and start jiving almost immediately because the music was doing the talking These were evidently those who grew up listening to their songs apart from the popular Bamboleo with hits like lsquoVolarersquo lsquoDjobi Djobarsquo lsquoBem Bem Mariarsquo and even their version of lsquoHotel Californiarsquo originally by American classic rock band Eagles Others particularly youths took to dancing and letting their hair down because it was a refreshing celebration of Flamenco musicPart of the original band which has members of the Reyes and Baliardo family this one consisted of lead vocalist Nicolas Reyes guitarist and vocalist Paul Reyes guitarist and vocalist Andre Reyes backing vocalist Canut Reyes guitarist and vocalist Patchai Reyes guitarist Diego Baliardo and guitarist Paco Baliardo They made the audience groove to their tunes as they unfurled their foottapping fiesta at Phoenix Market City in KurlaSpeaking to Midday Diego Baliardo and Max Baliardo expressed their happiness for their visit to India and delved into why their music still has a huge following after more than four decades They also talked about their popularity around the world dealing with the Covid19 pandemic working on their upcoming album and starting a fiestaYou have performed in multiple cities on your India tour Which one is your favourite till now and whyDiego Baliardo There are no favorites for us All cities are different and all the audiences wanted to enjoy the Gipsy fiesta with usMany Indians like me have listened to your music for over two decades For a band that has been singing in Catalan Spanish and French dialects why do you think your music has managed to cross boundaries over the yearsDiego Baliardo We sing in Spanish and we speak Catalan in our life and also French of course So it is fantastic to see that our music crosses many generations including the ones not born 35 years ago when Bamboleo was createdThe story of how your band was formed is fascinating Even though you call France your home do you believe your music has kept you closer to SpainMax Baliardo Of course We also perform in Spain in festivals and openair theatres also at Canaria Islands and Mallorca islands We have a huge fan following in SpainInterestingly the band also sings in various French dialects What inspired you to include them in your musicDiego Baliardo The band has sung in different French dialects apart from Catalan and Spanish to give the music a real mix There are very few bands that stay together for long today Your band has stayed together for over four decades What would you say is the reasonMax Baliardo We think it is because the public really feels that we sing with passion and our heart and we continue to share this Gipsy fiesta with themThe music by Gipsy King has been a part of so many movies over the years Do you believe the film industry is far more accepting of Spanish music today than when you started outMax Baliardo I think Spanish music is not only more accepted nowadays for movies but also for publicities advertisements Do you know that in Japan they use our songs for TV spots Spanish music brings sunshine to everyonersquos heartsYou have been nominated for multiple Grammy awards and even won one for your 2013 album Firstly what inspired the album and how did it feel to win it after three decadesDiego Baliardo The album was inspired by our flamenco origin Of course it was an honour to win such an award We were very happy and proud of thatThe Covid19 pandemic was a difficult time for many How did you all spend itMax Baliardo The Covid19 pandemic was catastrophic The concerts were stopped immediately We donrsquot have good memories about that period Fortunately this is behind us hellip we hopeAre you currently working on any new music What can fans expect from you this year and the time to comeDiego Baliardo We are preparing a new album with new songs and new instrumentals We have added some to our new playlist for 2023 concerts Come and enjoy them with us