Elsten Torres has a new music project. The Cuban singer and producer who gained fame as lead singer to Latin rock band “Fulano de Tal” and later went on to compose lyrics for Alejandra Guzman and Aleks Syntek, amongst other established musicians, is now part of “Hey Elsten”, a string quartet that came to life —as many things do— by chance.
In this exclusive interview with the two-time Grammy nominee, we talk to Torres about “Borders”, the first EP for the newly bred group where Torres and crew take us on a journey that encompasses his musical and personal experiences delivered with haunting melodies that are reminiscent of musical classics such as “Angie” from the Rolling Stones, “Eleanor Rigby” from the Beatles, or “Everybody Hurts” from R.E.M. And as a highlight for “Fulano de Tal” fans, the song “Ella” from the former bands second album also appears on this new project but with new arrangements that seem to prove that Torres, like good wine, only gets better with age.
How did the Hey Elsten project come about?
Elsten Torres: Hey Elsten came about really by accident. I was writing songs for a while with my good friend and very talented producer/musician/songwriter, Aaron Fishbein, in Miami. And one day I had a gig scheduled with my rock band and Aaron and I just threw out an idea of opening my show with something different. So we recruited violinist Belinda Ho and cellist Lisa Espinosa to come down and play a handful of songs to start the show. We rehearsed and together came up with some really cool string arrangements. Both Lisa and Belinda come from more of a classical music world and Aaron and I come from a rock/urban/Latin/pop vibe, so combining all those musical elements was really interesting. After we did our set at the show, the audience’s reaction was so great that Aaron suggested we do a small record to capture what we had just performed.
Was there something in particular that inspired you to take a different road other than the rock n’ roll approach you have used in your previous work?
I think it was definitely a time of personal and musical crossroads for me. Musically speaking, I wanted to really step out of my comfort zone and try something new and fresh. So the “Hey Elsten” string quartet project really gave me shot of musical adrenaline.
Although you always produced deep and socially meaningful lyrics for your music, this album seems to come from a more personal and mature place. Do you think your lyrics will continue on this path?
Yes. As I get older and as I keep writing, I’ll continue to expose or reveal myself more through my songs. I think most songwriters write from a very personal point of view. It just makes sense to do so because we react from what we experience internally and externally. As artists, most of the time we have no choice but to work out our demons and angels through our art. I think even when you hear a great, socially conscious song it’s still coming from the writer’s very personal feelings. I’m pretty sure Lennon’s “Imagine” or a song like, “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke came from very deep, personal emotions. And as matter of fact, some of those songs were also co-written with ex-Fulano guitarist Adam Zimmon.
Speaking of which, the song “Ella” from the second Fulano de Tal album appears on this new project with new arrangements. When you began this project, did you have in mind to rework the song?
I forget that “Ella” wound up on “Borders” but I think it was one of the songs that I always wanted to re-do, not because I didn’t like what we did with it with Fulano, but I just always felt that song was one of my more mature, complex songs and that it could use a new approach. I was a lot younger when that song was recorded and when I wrote it, back in the 90’s, I was going for an “Eleanor Rigby” vibe both thematically and musically. I think with what we did on this new record, I got a bit closer to achieving that initial goal.
Does the album title, “Borders”, have any special meaning?
It has a double meaning. It was one of the signature songs we wrote, which thematically speaks of someone who is at a crossroad in his or her life and I felt that it was a good umbrella song that connected the other songs on the album. It’s also a mirror song to my own life since I was going through a very difficult separation during the time this album was being made. The songs on “Borders” truly reflect the span of emotions that I was going through at that time and that I’m still going through as I try to figure out this new phase in my life. Music is therapy not only for the listener but I think even more so for the creator.
Has your overall writing methods or approach to music changed as a result of this new project?
Every project I get involved with always influences me in a big way. There’s no question that this one has as well. Just working with musicians from these diverse backgrounds is without a doubt a huge influence. And a songwriter, I certainly feel that “Borders” has opened my writing to other genres and musical styles.
