It’s been a few weeks since Danny Ocean released REFLECThis third studio album, with which he thrilled many fans in Mexico City with two shows sold out at the Sports Palace. This weekend, the Venezuelan performer consolidated his position as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Latin music.
On his social media, Ocean mentioned that these were the two most incredible nights of his life so far. In an exclusive interview with ROLLING STONE en Español, Danny Ocean tells us how he lived these two nights full of euphoria, he shares details of the REFLEXA tour and much more.
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Around 9:22 pm on Friday, June 7, Ocean was starting his first Show at the Sports Palace. The presentation began with a mashup of ‘Mónaco’ and ‘Tel Aviv’, two songs that have led the Venezuelan native to be in the spotlight of the music industry.
”We only did ‘Tel Aviv’, then we were in Saltillo and I don’t know why I sang the chorus of ‘Monaco’ in ‘Tel Aviv’. I sang it because I felt it. I love ‘Monaco’ and I said: ”hey, this is what the song needed, I needed the last chorus of ‘Monaco’ and bye”. It was something that flowed naturally, it was not something thought out. I like it a lot,” shares Ocean.
He Show He continued with songs like ‘Epa Wei’, ‘Dime tú’ and ‘Volare’, with which Ocean transcended the barriers between artist and audience, creating an emotional connection that was palpable in every chord and lyric of his songs. Danny invited those present through his melodies to dance to his beat, in this way, he made them sing each of the verses of these songs.
The time has come for ‘LOVE’, a song that belongs to REFLECT, with which Ocean confirmed the commitment and the idea he had regarding this tour. ”I believe this has been a project from day one that is based on love,” Danny shares. ”We honestly know that it is a project where many couples come, where many people come who are in this personal struggle of growth with self-love, so I think my lyrics have been broad enough for that. Everything that is for love and everything that is personal growth.
The interpreter shares with us that he had the best nights of his life so far, for which he thanks Mexico. ”I have a lot of mixed feelings. I am very grateful that Mexico always gives me these surprises. Obviously I have seen many colleagues who have built a Sports Palace, and that I can do it this time gives me complete joy and gratitude,’ he thanks. ”There was a crowd, I remember, it was crazy. I was enjoying it like you have no idea. “I’m grateful to the people who came and gave me the opportunity to have fun that way.”
Ocean continued with ‘The Idea of Loving Me’, ‘Universal Law’, ‘Tauro and Pisces’ and ‘Ferrari’, songs belonging to REFLECT. The Venezuelan was surprised when his audience sang the songs from the album. ”I did not expect that in the Palaces they would sing the songs of REFLECT, it seemed crazy to me. I feel that ‘AMOR’, ‘Universal Law’ and ‘Ferrari’ were sung incredibly well. It just came out a month ago and I feel like people are connecting with the album. It’s nice that they took the time to listen to it before the Show” mentions.
As the night progressed, Danny found himself more and more in touch with his audience and the moment, showing his infectious energy and total enjoyment on stage. Between songs and verses, Danny Ocean showed that every moment on stage was a celebration of music and love. ”I’m just having fun, honestly. The moment I get on stage I’m just hesitating, I’m enjoying it. My only job is to try to make everyone feel included, but I’m just having fun and that’s it,’ he reflects. ”I think one of the magical things on stage is that it is one of the few moments in my life where I am not thinking, I am simply letting myself go.”
With a smile and undeniable charisma, the Venezuelan gave himself completely to his performance on stage, which shows the result of years of experience and the evolution he has had as frontman. With each performance, Ocean has shown greater confidence in himself and his art, thus consolidating years of experience. ”Time helps you perfect your stand in it stage, you have to be patient for that. Honestly, I’m not an artist, I don’t spend hours rehearsing, I don’t spend hours in front of a mirror, not really, but I can tell you that since I was a child I have been dreaming of that moment in the mirror,” he shares. ”I think it has been time that has healed that. When I feel like I have a fall or that I have to reinforce something, I dedicate a number of hours to it and that’s it. It’s like I tell you, when I’m on stage it’s a moment for the audience, but it’s also for me. I am very musical, so a lot of my shows It is focused on my voice and singing for me, the most important thing is to be able to sing and sing well, when I am like this the rest comes by itself. I put many hours of study into my project, but when I am live it is to have fun, to say what I want to say with the music. Time perfects you, you perfect your speech and your stand in it stage”.
The night continued with ‘When I Get Close to You’, ‘Báilame’ and ‘Fuera del mercado’. Throughout the night, the interpreter made sure that each block was characterized by different elements within the venue, such as the lights and the visuals that were presented. The stage was filled with fire the moment ‘Zero Conditions’ sounded, in a moment that changed the entire energy of the venue and filled it with euphoria.
The stage, full of mirrors, accompanied the concept of their new album. ”The only one that can judge us on this plane is the mirror. Nobody and nothing has the right to tell us what we have to do, what we want to do and why we do it. It’s our life and we decide how we want to live it,” Ocean reflected during the concert.
”We had the concept of mirrors. I think the challenge was knowing how to include the mirrors in the Show, so a creative director named Ben from London helped us, he helped us land this concept that comes from REFLECT, the latest album I just released. We wanted to give it a connotation regarding mirrors. We also wanted the music to be a little more up-tempo, a little more accelerated, and we mixed the musicality with the mirrors and lights,” shares Danny Ocean.
It may interest you: Danny Ocean seeks his purpose in his new album, REFLEXA
Danny Ocean created a nostalgic and emotional space by performing some of his songs in an acoustic version during the Show. The Venezuelan singer-songwriter took his audience to live a more intimate experience through his melodies, to which he gave a twist to highlight the purity of his message. This space demonstrated Danny’s versatility and adaptation. ”Sometimes there are songs that I don’t like to sing. There are songs that I love, I love creating them, doing them and composing them, but when you are on stage I don’t feel like singing them, I don’t know why, but there are certain songs that you are not wired to sing,” he mentions, ”just The acoustic one is turning songs that I don’t feel so good about singing with a track and everything else, but I turn it around. “I’m just creatively working out songs that I like, but I don’t like to sing.”
He Show entered the final phase with the performance of songs like ‘Detente’, ‘Swing’ and ‘Dembow’, which have been timeless hits in Ocean’s career. The venue sang along with the performer these distinctive songs, with which he thanked the Mexican public for having given him such an unforgettable night. Danny Ocean closed with his iconic song ‘Me Rehúso’, a song that came out in 2016, and to date is an essential part of the Venezuelan’s concert.
”I’m very grateful for how they take my music and how my music has been able to be a channel for people to cope with certain things. The truth is that I am only writing for myself, I am writing based on the things I feel and my vision. You realize that in the end we are all in the same fight, we all have demons, we all have certain struggles,” he says. ”This is the magic of music and something that will never stop surprising me. Sometimes you’re talking about internal things, but you realize that many people are going through the same thing.”
Currently, Danny Ocean is in a position of unquestionable success. The singer from Venezuela has a lot to enjoy about the musical career that he has consolidated in recent years, leading him to be a prominent figure in Latin music. ”Being Venezuelan, that’s what I enjoy the most. I love love love making music, I love creating something from scratch, I love having an idea in my head. Beyond music, what I like most about what I do is trying to translate something from my mind and make it a reality, that is the process that I love the most,” he reflects, “beyond that, it is the purpose of why I’m doing it, that’s what keeps me very connected. One of the things why I do it is because I am Venezuelan, because of the conditions my country is in, because we don’t have an industry. The challenge of wanting to establish an industry like here in Mexico, Argentina, Spain or Colombia, I also dream for Venezuela to one day be like that. I see it as a social work, that we are doing as a kind of social work and that is what keeps me going, continuing to create and do things. “That’s what I enjoy most about what I do.”
”I hope to sing very soon in my country,” concludes Danny Ocean.
