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We talked with announcer Tatiena Mezarina

The world of broadcasting is of utmost importance to the promotion of Latin music and today we are talking to one of its greatest exponents. We are talking about Peruvian broadcaster and host of the show ”Con Sabor Y Amor Latino” Tatiana Mezarina, who very kindly agreed to talk to us about her career and current projects.

Tatiana began by thanking us for inviting her and telling us how she became interested in the world of radio. All this enthusiasm for this interesting world of communication began since she was very little in her native Peru, at which time she worked as a school correspondent for one of the most famous newspapers in Latin America, ‘‘El Comercio”. On the radio, she began on the radio station Radio Libertad, specifically in a program show ”Viva Juventud”.

Since a very early age, Mezarina was very involved on all types of media, both print and audiovisual. Then, she had the opportunity to work in television with a show dedicated to music called ”El Mañanero”, which was in charge of broadcasting all kinds of artists and rhythms in her country.

When he started working for ”Canal Global”, he received a scholarship to study Communication Sciences in Germany and worked in German media such as Deutsche Welle and Berlin Channel. Both there and in the United States, she has had many shows linked to social causes and dedicated to informing her listeners about important issues.

How ”Con Sabor Y Amor Latino” started

In the case of her most recent project ”Con Sabor Y Amor Latino”, Tatiana wanted to work on all these issues and give a friendly voice to help Latinos living in the United States so that they know that we are the largest ethnic minority in this country, so we should not be harassed by anyone. At the beginning, this show sought to keep the Latino community informed, but as time went by, it also wanted to offer good music. This is how Tatiana began inviting Latin artists from all over the world and of all musical genres, but she always had a special tendency to salsa because it is her favorite type of music.

In September 2019, the announcer decided to create ”Con Sabor Y Amor Latino”, a name inspired by how delicious Latin food is and how loving much of us Latinos are. This was her first project of this type since arriving in New York and arose from the need for Latinos to have a window through which they could communicate in their native language and feel comfortable to express themselves.

Music has been very important as dancing and joy are part of our identity. Music is part of our DNA and salsa has always identified with the Latino.

Is academic training important for communication?

Mezarina states that she has no problem with communicators without any training long as they do this job responsibly. However, she also argues that a person with training tends to offer a higher quality work, but this is not always the norm.

The communicator confesses that she herself took a radio and television course there in New York, which was aimed at people who had never done radio before, but wanted to learn about this profession. This is how she became interested in this branch of communication and is the one she currently works in.

”There can be all kinds of communicators, but it’s up to to everyone to decide who to follow and what to listen to,” says the announcer.

Non-recommendable behaviors in communicators

When asked what behaviors which no communicator should have, Tatiana says that ”unverified information should never be disseminated. When we stand at a microphone, we have the responsibility to be careful with what we say because we reach thousands of people in a matter of seconds. If things are not done right, we confuse people and do not honor the truth.”

Future projects

As for her future projects, the communicator has said that she would never want Con Sabor Y Amor Latino to be cancelled, as she considers that much remains to be done from that platform. Unfortunately, she has been unable to dedicate 100% of her time to the radio show, but she hopes to be able to do so in the future. Similarly, he also hopes his content will be broadcast on one of the major television networks in the United States.

Meanwhile, the goal of Mezarina and her team is to keep the community informed on everything a Latino in the United States need to know to avoid inconveniences and to give publicity to artists from all genres who are unable to make their talent public through traditional radio stations and channels.

Read also: The multifaceted artist Yamila Guerra and all her projects

Who is carlos Rodríguez?

We have been fortunate to talk with founder and bongo player of the Son Latino de Orlando Orchestra, Carlos Rodríguez, who started out with him thanking us for the opportunity to talk a little about the group he leads and how has the process of reaching more and more audiences been.

Rodriguez started in the world of music in the 70’s in his native Puerto Rico, where he was part of a few orchestras. His first group was Imperial Orchestra and later he played percussion with Conjunto Secas in the town of Sábana Seca, but it was not long before he created the Sabrosona Orchestra. He started making vocals with Tony Vega and very small performances until he decided to retire for a while and go to Florida.

While in the United States, he realized that his love for music was still intact and decided to form another orchestra in the city of Orlando about eight years ago, which he decided to name ”Son Latino de Orlando ”. It was Carlos himself who decided to name his group that way while he was at home one day, which was when he thought of ”Son Latino” and decided to add ”de Orlando” in honor of the place where they are living and working.

In addition to being the owner and founder, he also plays the bongo, does vocals and plays minor percussion. Another role he plays in the orchestra is to carefully select the members who will become part of his orchestra, but he confesses that he has been lucky enough to have several of the same collaborators for many years, such as Davin Rojas, Rafael Rico, Luis Soriano, Danny Rojas, Chris Torres and Kevin Figueroa (music director of the orchestra and pianist). All of them have been very important in the group’s growth in recent years from their very specific roles. If there are any changes, they are made known to the fans so that they keep it in mind.

Biggest challenges

Carlos tells us that one of the biggest challenges faced by he and his guys is that those who usually hire their services do not pay what is fair for their work. Club owners are not really interested in paying for a good orchestra that offers a quality show, so they just choose the cheapest.

One of the biggest problems they have had to face is that if contractors consider that those in charge of the orchestra are asking for a very high payment, they will always choose the group that less money demands, no matter its quality is not the best.

Rodríguez makes it clear that at no point does he criticize any colleague for this, since all musicians do what is necessary to survive and excel in the industry through the work they do. However, he thinks that club owners and managers should modify the elements relied upon by them to choose their artists, since the bigger loser is always the audience.

How to balance business affairs with the love for art and music (título 3)

”You have musicians behind you and you have to meet with them. To be able to keep your orchestra, you have to go outside to look for your events and guarantee your work” was the first thing the musician said when we asked him how he balances business with the love for music. It is he himself who is in charge of knocking on the doors of the establishments, making his proposals, waiting for calls, indicating prices, signing contracts and arranging dances. 

He also stated that it is very important to always lay out the terms of each contract so there are no unpleasant surprises such as last minute cancellations or misunderstandings.

How to balance original music with covers

”We always try to have a balance between romantic salsa, melodic salsa and hard salsa,” says Carlos. The orchestra has three singers who take turns on lead vocals depending on the type of salsa to be played, but there are mamy times when they are all combined in one song and adapt to the rhythms.

In all its performances, the orchestra sings both covers with different arrangements and original numbers. Depending on the place and the type of event, they always try to combine the music and build up a whole repertoire based on that specific audience preferences.

Opinion on new talent

On this topic, Rodriguez said that there are very talented new artists, but they must be allowed to grow and be original. ”Just because you have a middleweight name doesn’t mean you have to be arrogant and put aside humility. You have to be willing to listen and learn from the older guys in the business” said the artist.

For the bongo player, the speed of progress in this career makes many talented kids lose the north and get carried away by arrogance and the desire to know everything. He always tries to give advice to the kids who want to devote themselves to music with whom he has the opportunity to talk so that they can do their best.

Read also: Producer, composer, and singer D’ William tells his story