Growing up in the electrifying urban cityscape of San Juan, Zorba has spent much of his life embracing the near-mythical cultural fervor of his native Puerto Rico. Likewise, thanks to the warm breezes that whisper along the coast, he has been equally influenced by the enchantment of a tropical paradise.
These two robust variables of life in PR—cosmopolitan vigor and a locale equally awash in innate beauty—have been milestones in the cultural development of the Performance Artist. Their ultimate convergence is here, on his Spanish-language debut album “Zorba,” an inspired fusion of rock and romance.
“I’m passionate about entertaining and producing artistry in any way I can,” he says. “Expression comes from the need to deeply connect with people, whether onstage, behind the microphone or from the words behind the delivery.”
As a teen-ager, Zorba left Puerto Rico, pursuing an academic course of studies in New York He attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Hunter College and several professional workshops that led to discipline as a performer in more than a dozen plays. “What I love most about the theatre is that you are encouraged to be versatile and that has made me want to sing, act, write scripts, direct, whatever is necessary to make magic happen”
It was chance meeting in New York in the mid-part of this decade that brought Zorba together with Ayhan Sahin, his Turkish collaborator/producer for the album. The pair laid a few tracks for a musical Zorba was producing, and agreed to work toward a full length project—which didn’t come to fruition until after the allure of the island called him home in 2005. “After a few years away from home, I suddenly had the urge to rekindle my relationship with my culture, friends and family. It was a profound connection that I couldn’t abandon” he says “When I moved back i was a bit worried about my career but eventually came to terms that I was an artist no matter where I lived”
In 2008, when Sahin visited PR for a vacation, he reunited with Zorba and again, talk turned to collaborating. This time, the union resulted in various sessions, back and forth between San Juan and New York, resulting in this collection.
The album is anchored by “Quedo En Quiebra” (“Gone broke”) a chugging ballad reminiscent of Keane, in which Zorba’s relaxed vocal style is perhaps at its most seductive. Another highlight is jangly pop/rock sizzler “Donde Esta Tu Amor,” which implores, “Where is your love?”; while “City of Lights,” one of the bonus tracks sung in English, celebrates a “never-ending ride” of partying in Zorba’s homeland.
Certainly, the most novel collaboration is “Censurando Amor,” a quintet assembling five global vocalists: Lina Koutrakos and Spiros Exaras singing in Greek, Tinatin in Russian, Emre Yilmaz in Turkish and Zorba in Spanish. The beautifully textured ballad mourns the separation of a family trapped between national borders.
Zorba is looking forward to bringing his first recorded work to Puerto Rico, as well as throughout numerous other Spanish-speaking territories, including the mainland United States.
“I’ve been recording music for years, but this time around, I’m ready to bring my talents to a new level of expressiveness—a new venture both visually and melodically.”
Chuck Taylor
April 2009
