20 Questions With Chichí Peralta: The Master of Fusion on His Latin Grammys Honor, AI & New Music

Chichí Peralta vividly remembers the time when, at the age of 4, he emptied two gallons of oil to make himself a tambora, earning a big scolding from his mother. But his father, a music lover, didn’t punish him — he actually did the opposite. That same day, he took him to buy his very first tambora and had him play along to what he listened to at home: from Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to Venezuelan llanero music and African polyrhythms.

“That’s when, in a way, I started experimenting with fusions,” says the Dominican musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and producer, known for decades as a master of fusion thanks to his blend of Caribbean rhythms like merengue, bachata and son with jazz, hip-hop, Brazilian and African beats.

This week, Peralta was honored by the Latin Recording Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to performers who have made unprecedented contributions of great artistic significance to Latin music.

The recognition comes as he prepares to release a new studio album in 2027, Endorfina, his first in almost two decades since 2009’s De Aquel La’o del Río. The 16-track set will also coincide with the 30th anniversary of his iconic sophomore production with his band Son Familia, Pa’ Otro La’o, which yielded hits like “Procura,” “Amor Narcótico” and “La Ciguapa.”

Peralta, who first gained recognition as percussionist for Juan Luis Guerra y 4.40, won the Latin Grammy for best merengue album in 2001 for De Vuelta al Barrio and was also nominated in 2006, in the best contemporary tropical album category, for Más Que Suficiente. On the Billboard charts, he has multiple entries on Hot Latin Songs, Top Latin Albums, Tropical Airplay and Latin Airplay, among others, including several top 10s and one No. 1 with “La Zalamera,” featuring Joe Vasconcellos.

In an extensive interview with Billboard Español, Peralta spoke via Zoom from his home in the Dominican Republic about his special award, his new album, his early steps in music, his relationship with family and God, artificial intelligence and his best advice for the next generation.

1. Hi, Chichí! It’s great to talk to you. I’m a longtime fan from Venezuela. Where are you speaking to me from?

I’m here in beautiful Quisqueya. My home, my base is here, although we practically live on airplanes.

2. Congratulations on your Lifetime Achievement Award. What did you think when you heard the news?

The first thing that came to mind was gratitude. Gratitude to my Lord, to Jesus Christ, to God, for giving me the time, health and life for a career that has been very encouraging, very beautiful, full of smiles — and sometimes not-so-pretty moments — but He has helped me through them. I’m also thankful for a very important part of my project, which is my family. Especially my wife [Ana Lidia], who is my muse, the main ciguapa, who has been with me for four years of courtship plus 37 years of marriage. She’s my best friend and my everything. She’s also been a flagbearer and a key part of this project, because there were many times when she had to stay behind to hold down the fort and take care of our children. Nowadays, she’s also our manager. And I’ve never done better than when she became my manager. I’m happy. Grateful to music, grateful to the Academy for this beautiful distinction.

3. You won a Latin Grammy in 2001 for De Vuelta al Barrio and were nominated in 2006 for Más Que Suficiente. What makes this honorary award special?

It’s encouragement and a much-needed push at this moment as we’re releasing a new, beautiful album, from which we’ve already put out two singles, “El Meneíto” and “El Cofrecito,” and there are 14 more songs to come. It’s a lovely show of support from the Academy, because right now, when there’s such an emphasis on immediacy in creating things — whether in art or in life — there’s been a bit of mediocrity creeping in. Making music like I do, music that’s fusion, and receiving this kind of endorsement is very important for my career.

4. I saw that Juan Luis Guerra congratulated you on your award on social media. You were a percussionist in his band for almost a decade. What was the most important thing that experience taught you?

Well, first of all, I’m very happy and grateful for that opportunity God gave me. I’m also grateful for the creative freedom within my role that [Juan Luis] entrusted to me at the time, along with other musicians who were part of the rhythmic structure. There were four of us percussionists who were tightly synced to the rhythm: Isidro Bobadilla, who is still there; my dear and beloved Rafael Martínez, “Yapo,” who has sadly passed away; the “Chocolate de la Tambora” Juan de la Cruz; and myself. It was beautiful to create new rhythms to evolve merengue music in terms of its polyrhythmic elements and other aspects.

5. How did you and Juan Luis Guerra first meet?

We knew each other because Juan Luis started out creating commercial jingles for TV and radio, and I was already participating in recording sessions with him. I also knew him before that, not just him but also [his musicians] Roger [Zayas-Bazán], Marco [Hernández], Adalgisa [Pantaleón]… There’s a small but tight-knit group of us who grew up together. For example, I had the good fortune of studying at the same school Juan Luis graduated from a few years before me: Colegio Dominicano de La Salle. A lot of musicians came out of that school — Michel Camilo, Manuel Tejada, Juan Luis and me, among many other great musicians who studied there.

6. What is it about that school that produced so many musicians? Does it have a special music program, or is it just coincidence?

I don’t understand it, honestly. It had good music teachers. I had one named Giovanni Liriano and a teacher, María Cristina Camilo, who was Mexican, by the way. There was an auditorium and lots of musicians. Some very important guitarists and saxophonists came out of that school and are still playing today. I don’t know what it is about that school, but it did host a lot of musical events.

7. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of your landmark album with Son Familia Pa’ Otro La’o, which earned multiple entries on Billboard charts and really put you on the global map. Do you remember what you were thinking the night before the album was released?

You know, my mind was very, very, very tired, to be honest, because producing that album — putting it together with just the voice of the Lord in my heart and starting to make arrangements and productions and looking for new sounds — was very difficult at the time. The music that was popular then was merenhouse and it was huge. So imagine me starting with a guitar and then adding the London Symphony Orchestra — it was like a black dot on a white sheet. But I followed what the Lord and the Holy Spirit told me and went ahead with it. I put in endless hours of work. […] Honestly, physically, I felt like I had gone through childbirth. But I do remember hearing it for the first time on the radio.

8. Which song did you hear first?

“La Ciguapa.” That was the song that blew up first and captured everyone, especially children, because of the music, the rap, and the “Yo tengo mi ciguapa” line. Then the other tracks started gaining traction one by one. There were even songs that didn’t have official videos but became hits and were played all over the world. The same thing happened with De Vuelta al Barrio [in 2000], thank God.

9. In 2005, you achieved your first No. 1 on the Tropical Airplay chart with “La Zalamera,” featuring Chilean musician Joe Vasconcellos. How did that collaboration come about?

Well, he had a really strong song and album with a track called “Huellas.” Then he came here to the Dominican Republic, we got in touch, and I recorded a song of his called “Ache Monina.” We became great friends and still are to this day. I told him, “Look, I recorded this song, but let’s record one together later.” Then the time came for “La Zalamera.” I won the Latin Grammy in 2001 for De Vuelta al Barrio, and we went to perform in Argentina at Teatro Gran Rex. From there, I said, “Let’s go to Chile.” I already had the song ready, and we got together in Chile at a studio.

10. Last year you released “El Cofrecito,” a song dedicated to your mother, who passed away shortly before after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Did she get to hear this song?

No. By then, I would hum it to her, but she didn’t understand. One day she paid a bit of attention. But that disease takes people away long before they physically leave. It’s a horrible disease — the way you see someone fading away before your eyes. I initially wrote that song for my wife, but I talked to her and said, “Look, I’m going to include my mom in this song, I’m going to add this message,” and I wrote the video. In the video, [which includes information about Alzheimer’s at the end], my mom appears as a warrior holding a baby in her arms that represents me, and she has to transmit everything about herself to me through this little figure called Cutucuplá Cuplá, which is what’s inside the little mahogany and honey chest. […] She was alive when I filmed that video, which made it more painful for me, but I did keep my promise to release it before she physically left.

11. This was the second single from your upcoming album, Endorfina, after “El Meneíto.” When will the album be released, and what can you tell us about it?

It’s coming out early next year, though we’re still finalizing the exact date. I named this album Endorfina [like the happiness hormone] and wrote a song called “Endorfina,” where I named a girl in the story Endorfina. In the song, I reveal and describe everything I feel when she’s near me — all those joys — and it’s a very interesting fusion because it’s bachata mixed with music from Smokey Robinson, Motown, Diana Ross… It sounds like that era but with bachata. I just revealed something I hadn’t told anyone.

12. Let’s go further back. I read that your dad gave you your first tambora at age 4. What do you remember about that moment?

The story starts with these round oil cans we had at home, at a time when having two gallons of oil was a luxury. So little me said, “Oh, a tambora!” I would always make drum kits in my backyard using my mom’s pots and pans — I had dented all her cookware, but she didn’t mind until that day when, at age 4, I grabbed the two oil cans and poured the oil out onto the ground to empty the containers, remove the funnel-like cone part, and tape the two round parts together. I said, “Mom, a tambora.” “And the oil that was in those cans?” “I threw it out.” Oh boy… punishment, a little spanking, you know.

Then my dad came home from work. “What happened? Why is the boy crying?” And my mom said, “No, this kid, the oil — he took it and threw it away.” And he said, “Never lay a hand on the boy for music.” Then he told her, “Bathe him, change him, because I’m taking him out.” We walked from our house in Ciudad Nueva to a market called Mercado Modelo. There, my dad stood me in front of a bunch of tamboras and said, “Which one do you want?” I said, “That one.” And the seller said, “That one costs 7 pesos,” which was a lot of money back then. And my dad said, “I’m not asking you the price. If that’s the one the boy wants, take it down.” So they took it down, handed it to him, and he gave it to me and said, “Play.”

13. And what happened next? What did you start playing on that tambora?

My dad had a record player and a record collection. He had the London Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart. And then he had records of Venezuelan llanero music, as well as albums of African polyrhythms. He would say, “Bring the tambora.” That’s when, in a way, I started experimenting with fusions.

14. Is there any rhythm you think you couldn’t fuse with others?

Everything can be fused. It all depends on the quantity of ingredients your heart feels right about using. Fusion is like cooking—it all depends on how you mix the ingredients.

15. Is fusion something you actively seek out, or does it come naturally to you?

I don’t know how it happens, but thank God it does. Especially with this latest album, where the fusions are much more extreme. That’s why I feel so happy with this production — sometimes you want to make an album, but you end up with a different one, which isn’t bad, but it’s not what you were aiming for. And sometimes the one you’re looking for suddenly appears before you, and there it is. That’s what’s happening with this one.

16. Is there a band or artist you listen to that might surprise your fans?

I have very diverse musical tastes. I don’t just hear music — I listen to it, which is a bit different, because everything I listen to, I analyze. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I break down the sounds, the percussion, the melody, the harmonies… Sometimes it bothers me because I just want to enjoy it, you know. But well, my favorite group is Deep Forest. It’s a [French electronic/dance] group that’s fantastic.

17. You turned 60 this year. How do you take care of your physical and mental health?

Well, it’s complicated, because the years go by and you have to try to make sure they don’t weigh on you. We try to stay healthy — or rather, the Lord keeps us healthy — by staying away from alcohol, nicotine, cigarettes and other vices. I’ve been an evangelical Christian for 27 years, and so is my family — my wife and kids. As for mental health, that’s where you really have to focus, because this world is just so complex. You have to stop watching the news, because every 5-10 minutes there’s [bad news]. You can’t disconnect completely from what’s happening, but you shouldn’t cling to it or worry about things outside your control.

18. The debate about artificial intelligence in music is heating up. What’s your take on AI? Have you experimented with it? Would you?

Not for now. I’m not completely against using it as a tool, but not to replace creativity. It challenges everything related to creation and God. […] It feels very cold, for example, to us musicians who have spent our time and money buying instruments, upgrading them for better sound; who have spent five years working on half a song before the other half comes to us; who have written hundreds of songs for just one to be commercially successful; who pay expensive yearly fees to learn from great teachers. There’s a lot at stake.

19. What inspires you to keep making music?

Life, and above all, my Lord. I can’t imagine my existence without music, especially the moment of creating and crafting sounds and projects. Because in this project called Chichí Peralta y Son Familia, I’m in charge of the creativity — the album names, the photo style, the concept.

20. What’s the best advice you can give to young people just starting out in music?

First, abandon the idea of immediacy. Cook your dish properly — make it well, on firewood. Make your food, your fusions, your music, with great care. I’d tell them to prepare themselves, to study and to respect the profession of music. There are many institutions that offer support to help music endure. The most beautiful thing about this is the journey.