Episodio 79: Life in Miami - The Music Scene

Duolingo English for Spanish Speakers Podcast

En 2006, el DJ Rodrigo Arana, también conocido como DJ Ka5, estaba de visita en Miami, su ciudad natal.

Una noche salió a Mansion: una de las discotecas más famosas ubicada en South Beach, la punta más al sur de Miami Beach, en donde las calles están repletas de clubes y llenas de música.

Allí, todo el mundo iba de fiesta y Rodrigo siempre había querido ir.

Mansion was the coolest nightclub at that time.

People dressed up and paid a lot of money to go there.

I was really excited to go to Mansion for the first time.

As soon as I got close to the front door, I could hear music, and I saw lots of people who were dressed up and waiting to go inside.

And when I went in, I felt like I was in an amazing new world.

The music was loud, there were lights everywhere, and there were even performers hanging from the ceiling!

Miró hacia la pista de baile.

Estaba llena de europeos de vacaciones, turistas estadounidenses de todo el país y nativos de Miami con raíces en Latinoamérica y el Caribe.

Todos estaban de fiesta juntos.

Y en un escenario, por encima de la multitud, estaba el DJ.

The DJ was the most important part of the party.

He played hip-hop, then electronic dance music, and then a little bit of Latin music.

But whatever kind of music he played, people loved it.

I thought, “How does he control the crowd like that?” It was amazing.

And I told myself, “I’m going to be a DJ here one day.”

Welcome, les damos la bienvenida a “Relatos en inglés”, un podcast de Duolingo.

Soy Diana Gameros.

En cada episodio podrás practicar inglés a tu propio ritmo, escuchando historias reales y fascinantes, contadas por las personas que las vivieron.

En esta temporada especial del podcast, vamos a Miami, en el estado de Florida donde aprenderemos por qué este lugar es tan especial para sus habitantes.

Hoy tenemos dos historias sobre un DJ y una cantante que están creando algunos de los sonidos exclusivos de Miami.

Antes de que fuera por primera vez a Mansion, Rodrigo ya se había convertido en un DJ popular de Texas.

Pero como nativo de Miami, sabía que sería un gran desafío abrirse paso en la escena local.

Era una de las ciudades más fiesteras del mundo, y los DJs que organizan esas fiestas son considerados “lo mejor de lo mejor”.

Being a DJ in Miami Beach is a hard job.

They play all night, from around 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.

And they need to play music that everyone will like, even though a lot of different types of people go to the clubs.

To get inside the nightclubs, people have to dress up, wait in long lines at the door, and pay lots of money.

So, the DJ has to be very good.

Rodrigo sabía que sería duro, pero estaba preparado para un cambio y un desafío.

Así que en 2009 regresó a Miami, donde había pasado parte de su infancia.

Quería ser DJ en Mansion y hacer feliz a la gente.

Pero sabía que no podía simplemente llegar y conseguir una actuación; nadie lo conocía, y Mansion no era un club cualquiera.

This place is part of the history of Miami Beach.

It has been open for more than 70 years! The name of the nightclub and the owner changed many times, but it was always famous.

Lots of celebrities went to parties there, too.

It was one of the most exciting places in Miami Beach.

Pero Rodrigo tenía que empezar por algún lado.

Así que comenzó a mostrarse regularmente por el club como asistente en las fiestas.

I went to Mansion as often as I could.

It was expensive to go there, but it was part of my plan.

I was studying the nightclub and meeting people.

And soon, I started meeting the DJs.

I talked to them on their breaks and gave them my business card.

Con el tiempo, Rodrigo entabló una relación con uno de los DJs de la casa: DJ Konflikt.

Él dejó que Rodrigo fuera su ayudante y aprendiera a dirigir la fiesta toda la noche.

DJ Konflikt was such a great DJ.

He played the most popular music at that time, mainly electronic dance music and hip-hop.

The energy stayed high in the nightclub for hours.

And at the end of the night, if people still had a lot of energy, he continued playing fast music.

If they were slowing down, then he played slower music.

Rodrigo observaba a la multitud y aprendió a leer la energía de la gente.

Un día, tras un mes de seguimiento, DJ Konflikt le dijo a Rodrigo: “Trae tu equipo la próxima vez.

Vas a cerrar la fiesta”.

The next weekend, I was very nervous.

DJ Konflikt played until 3:00 am, then he put me in charge.

Everyone was still dancing, so I needed to play music to keep the energy high.

But DJ Konflikt already played four hours of music! It’s like being a chef, when someone has already used most of the ingredients in the kitchen, but you still have to feed people.

I needed to be creative.

La cabeza de Rodrigo iba a mil por hora mientras se le ocurrían canciones para tocar.

Puso mucha música electrónica de baile, hip-hop y otra menos convencional, como éxitos brasileños, franceses o sudasiáticos.

People paid a lot of money to come to the club and it was my job to give them a good party.

I felt like I was running a race.

The main crowd wanted to hear hip-hop, and I needed to make them happy, but I also wanted to play music for other guests.

There were people who wanted to hear Brazilian music or South Asian music.

I had to make them happy too.

I needed to think about everybody at the same time.

It was so hard, but I DJed until 5:00 am!

Durante los meses siguientes, Rodrigo consiguió trabajo algunas semanas tocando en Mansion, normalmente abriendo o cerrando para otros DJs.

Dejó de estar nervioso y empezó a disfrutar de la música y de la fiesta.

It felt great playing music in that room, and I loved watching the crowd.

I mainly played ’80s and ’90s dance music.

But over time, I played all kinds of things.

Sometimes it was Latin music, sometimes it was pop.

As long as I played music people liked, they were going to dance all night.

That was my dream, to play up there and control the party with my music.

Rodrigo tocó en Mansion durante tres años.

Pero con el tiempo, a medida que se sentía cómodo, se dio cuenta de que no era del todo libre como quería.

Being creative is a big part of being a DJ.

I like to surprise people with the music I play.

Sometimes, I’ll play classic music, like Backstreet Boys or Celia Cruz.

I want people to feel good as they remember the past.

But sometimes, at Mansion, I didn’t have a choice about what music I played.

For example, if ten German guys spent a lot of money and they wanted to hear German hip-hop, I had to play German hip-hop.

It was frustrating not to have the creative freedom that I wanted all the time.

Por aquel entonces, Rodrigo se dio cuenta de que Miami Beach no era el único lugar al que la gente salía de fiesta.

Estaba poniéndose de moda un barrio llamado Wynwood, al otro lado de la bahía, y Rodrigo pensaba que tal vez allí podía expresar su arte.

Un lugar en particular le llamó la atención: un bar informal con patio, luces colgantes y mesas de picnic para sentarse al aire libre.

Se llamaba Wood Tavern.

Wynwood is a creative neighborhood where a lot of artists hang out.

So people started going to Wynwood to see the art, and afterward, the coolest place to go was Wood Tavern.

It was free, you didn’t have to dress up, and the drinks were cheap.

You could hang out there without spending all your money.

When I heard the owner was looking for a DJ, I emailed him immediately.

Rodrigo, emocionado por la nueva libertad creativa, obtuvo el empleo y rápidamente se convirtió en el alma musical del Wood Tavern.

Su talento y creatividad atraían tanto a gente de Miami como a turistas y hasta famosos, elevando su carrera a niveles inesperados.

Pronto, su música se escuchaba en radios locales y en 2021, se unió a la gira de Pitbull, deslumbrando a un público de 10 000 personas.

When I first became a DJ, playing at Mansion was my dream.

But over time, as Miami changed, my dream also changed.

My goal was just to make everyone feel happy and welcome with my music.

And I loved watching everyone hanging out and enjoying good music together.

Miami is such an interesting place because it’s always changing.

And in Miami, there are a million ways to have the best night of your life.

Mientras Rodrigo sigue los cambios en la escena musical de Miami, Vikina López está creando su propio lugar como cantante local.

Vikina creció en Miami, y durante su vida escuchó cualquier tipo de música que tenía a su alrededor.

Cada rincón de Miami parecía tener su propia música de fondo y desde pequeña quiso formar parte de ella.

We have lots of immigrants in Miami, especially people who moved here from South America and the Caribbean.

Wherever there are Cubans, there is salsa music.

In Haitian neighborhoods, you might hear Afrobeats, which is a mix of African and American styles of music.

In a grocery store, you usually hear pop music, and in a café, you might hear someone playing an acoustic guitar.

We have such an interesting mix of cultures and music in Miami, and I love that.

Los padres de Vikina, de origen cubano y ecuatoriano, ponían mucha música latina en su casa y a Vikina le encantaba cantar con ellos.

Se inventaba coreografías para acompañar los CDs de Gloria Estefan y Selena; y no perdía la ocasión para montar un espectáculo.

I learned to sing all kinds of songs.

Sometimes I made my brother sing with me or play the drums.

We had a concert for my parents too.

They were my biggest fans.

Cuando Vikina tenía seis años, cantó un solo en la iglesia y descubrió que tenía un poder especial.

I saw people in the audience crying while I was singing.

I realized that when I sang, I had the power to get people’s attention, and I loved that feeling.

So, ever since I was a little girl, all I wanted to do was perform on a stage.

Los padres de Vikina reconocieron su talento y la ayudaron a prepararse para una vida arriba del escenario como cantante.

La anotaron en clases de canto, interpretación y modelaje.

Cuando Vikina cumplió diecisiete, en una de sus clases de canto, conoció a un joven llamado Andy.

Andy sang in a band from Miami called “Los Primeros.” They were really popular then.

They performed Latin music like mambo, merengue, and reggaeton.

When Andy invited me to join the band, I was excited.

My dream was finally happening!

Durante los siguientes años, Vikina actuó con Los Primeros en varios festivales de Miami y en lugares emblemáticos como la Calle Ocho de la Pequeña Habana y el Centro de convenciones de Miami Beach.

Por fin estaba utilizando el poder especial que había descubierto a los seis años, pero sentía que la estaban empujando hacia un género que no era del todo adecuado para ella.

I liked singing Latin music, but I also liked a lot of other music too.

In my heart, I felt like a pop singer.

I also really loved electronic dance music, or EDM for short.

It makes you want to move your body, and it’s popular in Miami.

So, I knew I didn’t want to only make Latin music.

I wanted to try other styles of music that included other sounds I loved from Miami.

En los años que siguieron, Vikina se embarcó en diferentes proyectos.

Trabajó con distintos managers, productores y experimentó con diferentes estilos.

Estuvo a punto de salir de gira y firmar contratos discográficos, o record deals, pero las oportunidades se le iban escapando.

Not having a record deal was so hard.

As an independent artist, I had to pay for everything.

Every time I wanted to record a new song, I had to pay for that.

I needed to get a record deal to help me make more music and find more opportunities to perform.

A lot of people helped me at that time, and I’m really grateful to all of them.

But most of them didn’t understand my music.

They told me my style was either Latin, or urban, or R&B, but I didn’t feel like my music was just one thing.

I realized that to achieve my dream, I needed to find my style, and make a big change.

Así que cuando Vikina estuvo a punto de cumplir veinticinco años, renunció a su trabajo.

Pero no solo eso, abandonó a su manager y ¡dejó a su novio! ¡Y hasta cambió de nombre! Llevaba años usando su nombre de pila, Victoria Cristina.

Pero sintió que esa identidad ya no encajaba con ella.

Decidió que a partir de entonces sería: Vikina.

Victoria always followed the rules.

She always did what everyone else wanted her to do.

But Vikina could be brave and creative.

She could mix sounds and be whatever she wanted to be.

She didn’t have to be like everyone else.

All she had to do was make music that she loved.

So, I decided to become Vikina.

I told myself if I didn’t have a record deal by the age of 30, I was going to stop trying to become a pop star and find a new career.

En 2015, Vikina reservó un estudio y puso manos a la obra.

La primera canción que creó como Vikina se llamaba “Loca de amor”.

Era una fusión de bachata y trap que es un estilo urbano de música nacido en el sur de Estados Unidos con sonidos graves y batería.

Eran dos sonidos muy populares en Miami.

“Loca de amor” was exactly what I wanted.

I was ready to try something new and different.

It wasn’t just one style of music, it was a mix of different styles, and a mixture of my Latin and American cultures.

Because that’s what Miami is, and that’s who I am.

I posted it on YouTube and it became very popular! And it’s still one of my most popular songs.

Mientras “Loca de amor” sonaba en todo el mundo, Vikina seguía experimentando con su sonido.

Vio que ser más creativa y crear por fuera de lo convencional estaba funcionando.

Podía mezclar sus culturas y eso a la gente le gustaba.

Pero seguía sin tener muchas oportunidades de cantar en un escenario.

Por eso, trabajaba donde podía y cantaba covers en bodas y bares.

I brought good energy when I sang at parties, and this is Miami, so people are always ready to dance.

But I still wasn’t where I wanted to be.

Then, in 2019, one of my friends sent me a link.

It was an announcement from Univision, the Spanish-language TV network.

They were looking for people to be on a show called Reina de la Canción.

And they wanted people to come to their studios here in Miami.

So I thought, “What do I have to lose?”

La Reina de la canción era un concurso televisivo de canto entre cuarenta cantantes latinas.

El objetivo era entrenarlas, potenciarlas y encontrar a las próximas superestrellas.

Vikina se presentó a la prueba y consiguió un lugar en el programa.

I was surprised! I didn’t really expect them to pick me, but I was excited.

We spent months getting ready.

Each week, the producers gave us a song to sing, then we got ready for the show.

Cada semana, Vikina se adueñaba del escenario ante el público de Miami.

Mientras cantaba y bailaba bajo las luces y oía al público vitorear su nombre, sintió ese poder que siempre había sentido en el escenario.

Cada vez más gente se fijaba en ella y empezaron a seguirla en las redes sociales.

Vikina llegó al último capítulo del programa, pero no ganó.

I was sad, but I also felt like it was a big moment in my career.

A lot of other singers on the show talked about where they were from, like Bolivia or the Dominican Republic.

So I thought, “If I’m going to represent anything, it’s going to be Miami.” That’s when I felt like people were finally seeing the real me.

Not just a Latina singer, but a Latina singer who represented Miami.

Una vez que terminó el programa, los productores ayudaron a Vikina a conseguir un contrato con una discográfica llamada “Mr.

305 Inc” que pertenece a Pitbull, el rapero de Miami.

Pitbull is very famous in Miami.

He sings in Spanish and English, and his music is a mix of different styles.

As a Miami girl trying to find my sound, I felt like we were really similar.

So I didn’t just get a record deal, I got one with my favorite artist! It made me feel proud to have a unique style of music.

People often tell me I could have a better music career if I move to New York or Los Angeles.

But I don’t want to leave.

Miami is fun, and it’s full of different cultures.

It’s everything I love.

Whenever I go onstage and represent a city that is so important to me, I feel like my dream has finally come true.

Vikina López sigue viviendo en Miami.

Sigue cantando y haciendo música nueva bajo el sello discográfico Mr.

305 Inc.

Nuestro primer protagonista, Rodrigo Arana, más conocido como DJ Ka5, es DJ y locutor de radio en Miami.

Tanto Rodrigo como Vikina hacen y comparten música junto al legendario artista de Miami, Pitbull.

Este episodio fue producido por Samia Bouzid, una productora de audio que vive en Filadelfia.