A heartbreaking admonition of lost love for family, children and the planet, Melbourne's Iaki Vallejo returns with new single 'Donde está el amor (Where Is The Love?'), an earnest and ardent plea for urgent action to counter climate change.
A dual-language serenade that features guest verses from Zimbabwean-Australian singer Thando, Vallejo wants to bridge divides and bring the world's people together.For those new to you, what's your background and how would you describe your music?
I am originally from Colombia, precisely from a beautiful city called Cali. Cali is famed around the world, as being the capital of salsa.
My music is a blend of different rhythms. I love to fuse Afro-Colombian rhythms with jazz, soul, reggae, salsa, Afrobeat and funk, and now I am beginning new adventure with electronic music.
The fusion of your African and Colombian heritage; how does that manifest in your music?
It manifests by allowing the rhythm to be the protagonist of my music. Everything I make has the rhythm up; that's a strong African tradition. My music has always been a celebration of the rich heritage I have and the cultures I grew up in.
Tell us about your new song 'Donde está el amor (Where Is The Love?'), which features guest vocals from Thando?
'Donde está el amor' is an anthem of urgent passion that talks to humanity's waning love for family and for the planet.
The song talks about 'the missing love for our families, our children and our mother earth' and it speaks of need to rekindle this. When you realise the Earth is so much more than simply your environment, you'll be moved to protect her in the same way as you would yourself.
This is the kind of awareness, the kind of awakening that we need and the future of the planet may depend on whether we can cultivate this insight or not.
How did the collaboration with Thando come about; and what did she add to the project?
A few years ago, I met Thando personally in a concert at the Melbourne Immigration Museum where she was a speaker and I was performing.
I saw her in the green room caring for her baby and getting ready for her time to go to the stage. That was the moment when I thought that she would be a wonderful collaborator for this song. Not only because she was/ is a wonderful singer and songwriter, but because she is a mother and so she could understand deeply the message that I wanted to bring with the song.
I thought her contribution to the lyrics would add enormous value. That's how it played out so I am very happy with the results.
The lyrical direction of the subject matter; creating a song that expresses such powerful themes – was it important personally to present a song that encapsulated a universal love for each other as well as the planet?
Love is as important as breathing to me.
Self love, love for others, love for the planet are the key to survival. Our emotions can dictate our actions so that universal love will determine how we view and treat the world.
You produced, directed and edited the song's music video; what was the concept for the creative direction of the clip?
I first imagined a red heart as a central point of the video. I really wanted to represent love with a red heart, which might seem obvious but in this case I used a big heart made with fabrics, like felt to connect the story.
The concept features female hands sewing with thread a 'broken' heart, highlighting the role of women as 'crafters of life'. I also wanted to have children as the protagonist of the story and emphasise how vulnerable and fragile they can be.
I wanted to create an atmosphere that could give me the sense of pollution – representing that missing love for the planet and presenting our most dangerous issue, climate change. So I used smoke in the shoots with Thando and myself.
Can we expect more new music from you in 2022?
Yes, I will be releasing another single in June which will feature a special collaboration with a well known, Colombian artist. After this I will release three more singles and finish with the EP launch in November.
Bringing together different cultures through music and arts; how vital is that to your own music making?
Music is one of the most important elements of human cultures, and when music from one culture is shared with people from another, like in my case, they get a meaningful glimpse into another way of life.
I make music to express my feelings, my ideas, my concerns and I want listeners to relate to that; finding comfort, feeling understood and/ or supported.
The melting pot of cultural richness that is Melbourne. . . the city is teeming with talented individuals. It must be a joy for a creative like yourself to be exposed to so much talent fostering collaborations and other joint ventures?
What I love most about Melbourne is its multiculturality.
You don't need to travel around the world to know the world because the world is here. Being exposed to such a variety of cultures enriched me and enriched my music.
Another of your creative pursuits is visual art, working across a number of different mediums – is there any correlation between your music and the visual art you create?
It is all correlated. The subjects in my visual art are mainly women of colour and nature.
I have always had the urge to use different kinds of materials, surfaces, and techniques in my work. This curiosity led me to the amazing world of printmaking.
I use recycled and modest materials such as leaves, fabric, laces, bark and many other resources which allow me to express my concerns for mother nurture, our planet earth and my strong desire for an equal and inclusive world.
You mentioned on social media how excited you were to return to music after two years away having been directly impacted by COVID (with the loss of your brother) alongside the associated mental anguish of extended lockdowns. What have you learnt about yourself during this time that has made you a stronger woman?
I learnt that I am not the only one that suffers. I learnt that without compassion and love we are lost. I learnt that I am beautiful, free, worthy and capable of being everything I want to be.
