Pepe Aguilar is about to get unplugged…
The 45-year-old Mexican American ranchera and mariachi singer-songwriter has been chosen to be part of TR3s’ (formerly known as MTV TR3s) next MTV Unplugged special.
Aguilar, known for his velvety voice and refined arrangements, has long alternated between pop and ranchero. But he’s best known for the latter, especially since he’s almost always wearing a charro outfit.
Aguilar also has rocker roots though, and has long talked about delving in that genre. His MTV Unplugged special could be the perfect opportunity.
“I normally fuse Mexican music with other rhythms and concepts,” Aguilar told Billboard in an exclusive interview. “Here it’s going to be the other way round. I’m going to have a traditional musical foundation—drums, bass, guitars, piano, organ—and we will incorporate mariachi to that.”
But it won’t only be mariachi. Although Aguilar and TR3s are still fine-tuning the production details, Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged special will be a fusion of sounds, produced by Emmanuel “Meme” del Real, one of the founding members of Mexican alt band Café Tacuba (and co-producer of Juanes’ latest album). This will mark the first time Aguilar is produced by someone other than himself, much less a rocker.
“Meme comes from a completely different background than mine, so joining these two experiences will be very interesting,” says Aguilar, who plans on covering several of his big hits.
Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged album is slated for release later this year.
TR3s’ last MTV Unplugged was Juanes’ 2012 MTV Unplugged, which earned album of the year honors at the 2012 Latin Grammys Awards.
