Four years after recording “Andas En Mi Cabeza,” Chino & Nacho made their anticipated comeback in March with the new single “Raro” — the first of many projects to come as a duo.
An online petition created by fans asking them to return as Chino & Nacho was a catalyst for the reunion. “It serves as motivation,” Nacho tells Billboard. “Those 10 years together were worth it all. Every minute, every day, every month we invested in making music as a duo connected with a lot of people. We left a mark.”
Venezuelan singer-songwriters Jesús Alberto Miranda Pérez (Chyno Miranda) and Miguel Ignacio Mendoza Donatti (Nacho) — known for Latin hits like “Mi Niña Bonita,” “Me Voy Enamorando” and “Tu Angelito” — agree that pursuing solo careers (Chyno as an artist and Nacho as an artist/producer) allowed them to grow as individuals. “Having our own space to create independent from each other gave us new perspective and it also made the fans miss us,” Nacho says.
Chino & Nacho are joining forces again in an unprecedented time, when recording new music together really means recording from a distance with Nacho quarantined in Venezuela and Chyno in Miami. “From home, we realize that we can also create good quality music, motivate our fans and make people dance,” Chyno says.
Billboard caught up with Chino & Nacho ahead of the release of an acoustic, quarantine version of “Raro (Live At Home)” and what making music together in a pandemic looks like.
Your grand return as Chino & Nacho happens to be during a pandemic. What type of impact does that have on your plans for new music?
Chyno: We don’t really know when we’ll actually see each other again or when we’ll see our fans in person. Obviously, we want that contact with the fans, but it’s hard to say when that will happen. We hope this is over soon and we can be onstage together again. But we continue to work and make new music. We actually thought it would be a good idea to release an acoustic version of “Raro” with that “live at home” feeling, and recording it was a lot of fun. I’ve always done music at home, but to record something live with the rest of the team connected virtually, it was the first time I had done that.
What was the biggest challenge about recording that acoustic version?
Nacho: The biggest challenge in this case was trying to imagine the energy that everyone is emitting while playing live. You have to imagine it and re-create it in your mind. When we perform live, I always try to have eye contact with Chyno and enjoy what we do collectively onstage, but when we can’t actually do that, we have to use our imagination. I imagine that they’re close to me and that we’re all enjoying it.
What did you miss most about each other during the time you spent apart?
Chyno: Personally, I’ve always enjoyed making music with Nacho. I admire him a lot, and when I started working on my first project as a solo artist, I felt that this whole thing of performing was new for me and I’d have to reinvent myself in some way, to showcase a new part of me as an artist. I love making music with colleagues and I admit that I needed those moments when I could look over and see Nacho by my side.
Nacho: For me, to not work with someone and share all of this was definitely hard. When you have a partner who brings in different things to the mix, the end result is stronger. Without that partner, I had to learn things that I didn’t know before because I depended on him for that. But that’s what it’s all about. Always learning and really understand each other’s worth and learn to appreciate what we each bring to the table.
Are there plans for an album release?
Chyno: We are working on a lot of new music, and it’s fun but also weird because we’re each working from home. I’m in Miami and Miguel in Venezuela, so to be separated and not in a studio is weird, but some really great songs have been created from this, and hopefully soon we’ll be able to share this new music with everyone. But yes, expect new music with that Chino & Nacho essence along with a new, modern sound.
Nacho: It’s not only us that have been writing the songs for this new project. That’s actually something we learned too. This time apart gave us the opportunity to meet new songwriters and collaborate with others. We’ve gotten a bunch of songs sent over to us, thank God. It’s not the same as before when we struggled more to find songs. Now, they’re naturally coming to us and the ones we’ve received are great. We then decide if they’re right for our project or not. There are a lot of great, young songwriters out there and we’ve just been recording songs to see which ones work for a future project.
Why did you think this was the right time to reunite?
Nacho: We believe in God and we think that his plans were for this moment and they’re perfect. We not only were able to prepare ourselves individually as artists but also as human beings when we were apart. We both realized at the same time that these were the right moments and it was an energy that was bringing us together again. We’ve lived such beautiful moments together, and while our careers are like a roller coaster, the most important thing isn’t speed, it’s maintenance, and in that area we’ve worked a lot, which is why we continue to create music that works.
The acoustic version of “Raro (Live At Home)” will be released Thursday YouTube.
