Schajris is a revolutionary artist

Noel Schajris: "You have to make music from absolute freedom and love for art"
A few days after embarking on his tour of Spain, and with the recent release of his latest project Siempre Lo Supe, Noel Shajris vindicates his love for music and how it should be conceived as an art.

This Latin American singer-songwriter, pianist and producer has a musical career of more than 20 years in which he has sold more than 25 million records and 1 million tickets. He is also part of the legendary duet Sin Bandera alongside Leonel García, with whom he has another long career and has also won two Latin Grammy Awards.
Schajris is a revolutionary artist, who opposes the music industry dominated by immediacy and algorithms. One of his most significant contributions is the creation of his own NS Music platform. His Always Lo Supe tour will pass through seven Spanish cities throughout the month of May. One of the stops will be Seville on May 15 at the Teatro de Triana, a concert for which tickets are available at this link.

-For those who don't know him, who is Noel Shajris and how would he define himself artistically?

- The artist reflects the person. And all my life I have been very curious, about being in internal and external movement. I have always really liked trying new things. I can't sing the same song twice. That's why I love jazz, the spontaneity of the moment. That eternal present where the only thing permanent is change, like the universe itself. I am in that constant search for motivation and inspiration.

Music is a wonderful vehicle, because it is pure vibration. I find in her a wonderful ally to be able to search in that eternal present. Each show I do is very different, a different universe. I was fascinated when I was at a flamenco show in Seville, in the Triana neighborhood, because they are artists who are interacting with each other, improvising... I felt it a lot like jazz. Returning to that neighborhood now to give a concert fascinates me.

-He has a musical career of more than 20 years, in which he has also released six albums. What assessment do you make of his career so far?

I think it is a very positive balance, because we are still here. As long as there are still people buying tickets to see and hear me, or joining my platform. The first album I released was in 1999. It's been 25 years of enjoying a lot and learning more and more. Learning is about stripping away more and more of yourself and being of service to the music. The process of stopping being one and becoming more and more music. The real star of all this is the music.

-Among those projects, the most recent one he launched was in 2023 under the title Siempre Lo Supe. What can you tell us about this album?

- It is a project that speaks of that magic that one pursues, a gift to the one who seeks. It's an album that fascinates me. It has seven songs in the physical version, which have later had new versions on the digital album. I am going to sing each one of them at the shows. I want to show them live, with a spectacular band of musicians. This album is very magical and I have offered it in a very special way on my own platform.

- Siempre Lo Supe, was released entirely on your own streaming platform. What led you to create your own service to share your music?

- I created an app called NS Music and the noelschajris.fan platform. Both are linked but in different formats. I realized, quite late, that I could no longer continue at the mercy of people who are not musicians or artists, of the industries, the platforms, the record labels... who own the music that has come from my heart and that are the ones who take the majority of the profits. I realized that I couldn't just be part of the music business, but that I had to become the business that suited me as an artist and content creator.

The artists lend us the money from the record companies, but we do all the work. It's as if they gave us all the ingredients to make a cake, we do it but we end up with only a small portion. They are the real owners of the cake. The deception in the industry is to give money up front to all of us who have ever started and want to get ahead. But in the end, it is money that you owe and pay for a lifetime. It is the worst loan you can ask for in life. I realized we can't continue like this.

In Latin America I am the only one who has done it. The rest, each one in their own process, will generate those changes that are very necessary to regain control of the music. It is also necessary to educate the fans who follow you so that they support you in what you generate. In my case, the response has been beautiful. It is very necessary to talk about this, because the business model that has existed until now is not at the service of the artist.

- Do you think that streaming platforms are conditioning the music and artistic freedom of singers?

- As I said before, the owners of the platforms are not musicians or artists. Everything that music control generates is people who are thinking about the business. But algorithms and everything that encompasses them have greatly devalued music and have caused everything to sound the same. Everyone wants to make money and make money, which is increasingly difficult, even if you do things that you don't even want to feel. I think you have to make music from absolute freedom and love for art.

It is also important to generate a direct relationship of accessibility with fans. For this we can use technology, but to our advantage. For example, I am using it to make my own application and platform and to connect with all my fans. I am in permanent contact with them through a Telegram group, that is something unique that allows me to be in contact with a real audience.

- With the way you distribute and promote your music, you have managed to maintain its essence at all times...

- Suddenly, there are 250,000 songs every Friday that the algorithm doesn't care about. The platforms don't care if you listened to the entire song or who wrote it. Only the play or stream matters. Music is completely devalued. There is a heart behind many people, who are giving everything to be able to connect. With the number of songs that are released every week, it is very difficult for anyone to know that you exist. The only real thing in the end are the hundred people who see you in the bar where you play every Friday. The reality is that you don't need millions of something, but people to follow you and give you help on your platform.

- In addition to succeeding as a soloist, he has an important career in the duet Sin Bandera with Leonel García. What is it like sharing music with another artist?

- It is a beauty. We are completing our tour together in South America for the album Frecuencia, which very few people know about because the record company is not interested in working with him. We are the only pop group that does more than 80 shows per tour. But they take a cut of the shows, when they don't do anything for them, they don't do promotion. For me, this is one of the best albums we have made without Bandera.

The video clip for the song Nadie won nearly 30 awards internationally and is one of the best we have done on an artistic level. It is an album full of beauty and art, which was nominated for the Latin Grammy at the time. But nobody knows the songs on this album because they are not interested in promoting it. We are finishing the tour, which existed thanks to William Ramírez. I have been working with him for more than 10 years. And now we go to Spain. I feel happy with what we have achieved without Bandera, and with this album and tour. We have many plans to continue doing things from 2026. I dream of a free Sin Bandera, where we own our music and we can have another type of reality

- In May he lands in Spain with his #SiempreLoSupe tour. What can we expect from these concerts?

- It's a dream to be able to do eight dates. For us it is an incredible bet. In every city there are wonderful local guest artists. An incredible Colombian artist called AleMor will also be opening each concert. She did a version of my song Siempre Lo Supe which she touched me a lot. We have also made the song and the video together. Jesús Molina, who is part of my band, will also be there. He is a great pianist from Colombia. We have an incredible project that we are carrying out with my record label Dynamo Producciones. I will be accompanied by a band of very good musicians. It will be a delight because with them I can have the luxury of making ideas in the moment and they will follow me. It's a beauty, I can't wait to enjoy it with the entire Spanish public.

- One of the stops on your tour will be Seville on May 15, a city you have already been to during the 2023 Latin Grammy celebration. What are your expectations for the city for this occasion and what do you know about the local culture?

- Seville vibrates me, it excites me and I love it. In November I found it to be a magical city. I have the image of being with my children riding in a horse carriage and feeding the pigeons. I have beautiful memories. I also loved the flamenco tablado I went to in the Triana neighborhood, on Duarte Street. It is a beauty of a city.

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Schajris is a revolutionary artist