Juanes Writes First English Song “Goodbye for Now”

Juanes is switching tongues…

The 44-year-old Colombian superstar has written his first English song, “Goodbye for Now,” with the help of PooBear.

Juanes

The track is part of his anticipated visual album, Mis planes son amarte, to be released in the next few months.

“Four or five years ago I started recording in English, but honestly I find it very difficult,” Juanes told The Associated Press in a recent presentation of his new production in New York.

“I did a few experiments and they didn’t come out very well, until finally this time, after several years living here in this country and knowing the language better, I felt more comfortable doing it,” he said.

Last May, Juanes posted on Instagram a black-and-white photo of him with PooBear seemingly working in Los Angeles. “Making magic,” he wrote.

PooBear, the writer behind R&B hits like Usher‘s “Caught Up” and Chris Brown‘s “She Ain’t You, “is an incredible songwriter,” Juanes said. “We sat there and talked about feelings and things and he would choose the right words.”

“To me this is something very hard to do in English,” he said, “but I really had the desire to try.”

The result is “Goodbye For Now,” a piece that fits in the album’s story line about a time traveler astronaut who lands in present time in search of an indigenous goddess who is the love of his life.

“Let’s say goodbye for now/ And go our separate ways/ It hurts down to my soul watching us go/ It will hurt more if we stay,” Juanes sings in his distinctive mix of Colombian rhythms. “Doesn’t mean I don’t love you/ Doesn’t mean you lose my security/ Doesn’t mean you can’t love me/ Doesn’t mean we will never speak.”

Juanes has sung in English in concert – often something by Bob Marley – and at special events like the Eagles tribute (“Hotel California“) and John Lennon‘s 75th Birthday Concert (“Woman“). He also sang in English with Tony Bennett in a duet of “The Shadow of Your Smile” and included the words “It’s Time to Change” in his hit’s “Odio por amor” title and refrain. But “Goodbye For Now” is his first original song recorded entirely in English.

It’s the only English song in Mis planes son amarte, which also features his singles “Fuego” and “Hermosa ingrata.”

Moreno Among the Recipients of This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors

Rita Moreno continues to rack up the honors…

The 83-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s SAG Awards, has been announced as one of recipients of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors.

Rita Moreno

Each year, the Kennedy Center recognizes a select group for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts with the primary criterion in the selection process being excellence. Honorees are chosen by the center’s board of trustees.

Moreno, a Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner, will be honored along side Star Wars patriarch George Lucas, actress Cicely Tyson, songwriter Carole King, conductor Seiji Ozawa and the Eagles.

Moreno, who recently guest-starred on the CW’s Jane the Virgin, has previously received the Library of Congress Living Legends Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a National Medal of Arts and the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The event, a fundraiser for the Washington, D.C. arts center, will take place on December 6. CBS will broadcast the star-studded event on December 29.