By LC Bermeo Gamboa, El País reporter
For this reason, in 2018, With Roxana Restrepo as the new vocalist, Kraken resumed its musical path with “new breath” that, by 2024, reached 40 years of history.
To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, Kraken will carry out a national tour called “The Steps of the Titan”, which will begin this Saturday, May 4, at the Praga Disco in Cali. Before her concert, Roxana Restrepo talks about the privilege and challenge of being the new voice of Kraken.
—What was going through your mind when you were chosen to be the new voice of Kraken?
I was doing musical theater at the time, so it was an opportunity to get back into rock. Since I was very little I admired Elkin Ramírez and the music of Kraken, so, for me, it was a great honor to be part of this story. At first I did not imagine the magnitude of what I was assuming, of the responsibility that was coming, but I think it was a good decision.
—How was the public’s reaction when they heard the news?
There was quite a bit of duality among the followers when they found out that a woman would be the singer of Kraken, some agreed and others not so much. But I think that the same process that we began, the great work that we have done with the band after the death of Elkin Ramírez, demonstrated in itself that we continue to make music with honesty and with a love for the Kraken story, not out of an interest of through.
Also, as we all know, Elkin always wanted Kraken to continue even if he was gone, That is why his musicians put their hand on their hearts and had the conviction to follow his words.
—When did you discover Kraken’s music?
I have a very special memory with ‘Language of my skin’, because when I was a child, around 1998, that song was played a lot. So, at my school, the student musical group put it on and, since I was the vocalist, I ended up singing it in many performances. From there I also began to generate a very rock vocal identity and, like many young rockers, I also dreamed that I wanted to have my own rock band and be able to share the stage with Elkin Ramírez.
Since I was a child I was always a big fan of rock, especially Latin American rock and, among those, Kraken was always at the top of my playlist.
—Did you manage to meet Elkin Ramírez?
It happened in a very particular way, I was playing with my band Hydrus in the bar he had in Bogotá and, during a break, Elkin arrived and approached me, I was shocked, he looked at me and started talking to me, it was an unforgettable moment. But I didn’t have any other opportunity to get to know him better, which I would have liked, because my bandmates tell me that he was a wonderful man.
—What is the message that Kraken’s music conveys to you?
His music has a very authentic philosophy of life, of not following a dogmatic, political or religious thought, but to seek the deepest being, to listen to oneself and have one’s own identity, to form ideas and convictions apart from the ego and to defend freedom of expression.
It also transmits that Latin American identity, rescuing the value of our indigenous history, from which we have much to learn. And it is all that we continue to maintain today.
—How did you cope with the criticism from the most radical rockers?
In Kraken I have had challenges of all kinds, musical and emotional. But before the public and their comments, before joining the band, I had already had a very great experience when I participated in La Voz Colombia. During this reality show I had the opportunity to face criticism and I learned to put on armor so that it would not affect me in my personal life. However, The magnitude of what Elkin Ramírez represents and what we do today generated difficulties at first, it was really a very strong change, going from a male figure to a female one.
I think I have coped with this process in the best way, over time you get used to the fact that criticism will always be there, it is part of the art and the artist. You know that not everyone can like it, there will always be a detractor and that’s valid, that’s why we have a lot of different artists.
There were also times when I wanted to throw in the towel, when I didn’t feel able to face it, but I had a great work team and my bandmates supported me a lot. All of this has allowed me to grow as a person and artist, believing in myself, that is, following the philosophy of Kraken.
—They begin a tour of their 40 years of history and choose Cali as the first city, how important is the Cali public for Kraken?
Very important, especially for me. Cali was the city where I made my debut as the lead singer of Kraken, so there is no better place to start this concert tour. I feel very fond of the city that supported me from the first time and where I felt very well received. I have done many concerts in Cali and it feels more like my second home, plus Kraken has had a loyal audience for many years.
