Whether you love reggaetón or are not too familiar with Spanish, Rauw Alejandro is a name that is constantly growing in pop culture. Found in the same sphere as Tainy, Daddy Yankee, and Shakira to name a few, Rauw Alejandro makes a name for himself through his creative music and dance choreography. One could argue that he is a modern day Big C Creative in domain of Latin music.
Born in 1993, Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz grew up in the quiet city of Canovanas, Puerto Rico. He was raised by his guitarist father and backup singer and dancer mother until they divorced in 2005, where he lived with his mother permanently. Raul went to school in the busy city of Carolina, Puerto Rico having dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. By the age of 20, Raul saw that his soccer career was not taking off and witnessed his mother face constant financial hardships. In a Billboard interview Alejandro said this period of his life was rough, having adversity stacked against him. Yet, music was his therapy, "like a medicine to get away from every problem." He would sing and dance with friends during his hardships and they were the ones who ultimately pushed him to pursue music.
Commonly seen with the same musical caliber as Bad Bunny, Rauw's journey is both unique and influential to his creative process and motivation to make music. His career started back in 2014, making songs on the audio streaming service SoundCloud. By 2019, Rauw made a name for himself when two of his songs made the top charts in the US resulting in him receiving the Best Urban Fusion/Performance in 2021 Latin Grammy. Rauw stands out from other singers because his creative process is presented through his work and personal life.
Rauw Alejandro's albums "Afrodisíaco", "Vice Versa", "Saturno", and "Playa Saturno" and his performances of them are the creative products he uses to express himself and connect to his listeners. An example of this at work is the video above. This is a live performance of the song " Desenfocao' " which is featured in the album "Vice Versa", in English the title of the song translates to "Out of Focus". It is about the emotional conflict and numbness that is involved with heartbreak all while trying to live a lavish lifestyle. Alejandro uses storytelling alongside calculated choreography to express topics and themes that he has experienced that he wants his fans to understand and relate to. The beat of the song captivates the audience, the movements express emotion, and the lyrics carry Alejandro's message. This is just one of many examples, this pattern can be observed in all of his other live performances.
In our class we have discussed collecting and how it influences the concepts we have about the world around us and how it plays a significant role in the Creative Process. Alejandro uses the personal experiences he has collected throughout his lifetime and incorporates them into his work to communicate his feelings in an art form he appreciates all while engaging with listeners. In the same Billboard interview mentioned above, when being asked what he would do if he was not a musician Alejandro responded with, " I think I'd be an architect. I like to design and create and draw". His response conveys his desire to express his life in meaningful ways, sharing the concepts of the world he has developed throughout his childhood and beyond. Alejandro's collecting is allowed him to build his own concepts leading to the integration of new information via his prior knowledge of the world around him. His collection of childhood hardships and interests in music and dance are the stories he wants to tell. Once he was given a platform, he brought his childhood and made sure that listeners were able to learn something from him all while enjoying a catchy tune.
In Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being, he discusses the goal of creative works is to not to fit with a status quo, but amplify our differences as individuals. Rauw works with this philosophy in mind, he does not hide who he is or his experiences - he celebrates them. He shares his special characteristics that have helped him with his unique approach to seeing the world around him. Additionally, Rubin mentions that the purpose of creative works are to awaken something within us, then awaken something within others. Rauw is constantly finding ways to change is approach to new music, whether it is interacting with producers or engaging with other artists in collaborations. Looking at his entire discography, Rauw changes beats and genres that end up inspiring him with new ideas and those ideas end up with his fans. Ultimately, Rauw uses his collecting to define creative process and establish his music and choreography as an artist
(My favorite song by Rauw Alejandro is Todo de Ti, here is a video)
I don't listen to much Spanish music but have definitely heard of Daddy Yankee, Shakira, and Bad Bunny -- I've never heard of Rauw Alejandro though. I especially like that you mentioned how he "celebrates" his experience and uses his childhood and differences to inspire the art and music that he creates. Also, it was a nice reminded that collecting doesn't have to refer to only tangible items but can be about experience and other abstract things too!
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