On September 13th, Elsten Torres joined Evan Miller for a live interview and studio session ahead of his headline performance at Levitt Pavilion on Friday, September 15th. With his acoustic guitar, Elsten played several original songs live on the show, including songs in English and Spanish. He also spoke with Evan about making a name for himself in Miami's Latin alternative rock scene in the 1990s, and about working with one of his musical idols, Elvis Costello. Throughout his career, Elsten has earned two Grammy nominations, two BMI songwriting awards, and six Billboard top-ten hits.
In the interview, Elsten spoke with Evan about growing up in New York after leaving Cuba when he was 18 months old, with his mother and older brother. As a child, he was exposed to both Cuban and American musical traditions. He recalls his uncle bringing a guitar to perform at family gatherings, which inspired him to begin playing music. Yet he also remembers growing up listening to artists like The Beatles and Paul Simon. When he began writing songs, Elseten says he drew on both Latin and English music. “I grew up listening to both Latin music and English music. When I sit down to write, it really depends on what I need to express at that moment.”
Elseten moved from New York to Miami in the mid 90s, where he began performing with the band Fulano de Tal. One of the first American Latin rock groups to be signed to a major label, Elsten said record producers producers Rodolfo Castillo and Gustavo Menendez were attracted the group’s contemporary Latin sound,
“First of all, all the band members except me were American. They were all gringos. Except me, who grew up in New York, so I was a questionable Latin. We were doing Latin rock from an American perspective, which made us unique. A lot of the other bands who were more Latin American had a more Latin American sound, which was more like an ‘80s sound. We had a more contemporary sound. So we got noticed by the labels right away, and we got signed by RCA/BMG.”
Elsten also spoke with Evan about working with Elvis Costello on his 2021 album, Spanish Model, which reimagined his 1978 album, This Year’s Model, with Latin pop and rock artists. Elsten translated five songs from the original album into Spanish for Spanish Model. “It was challenging, because, as you know, he’s a very detailed writer,” he said. His favorite song he translated for the album was "(Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea," originally "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea." He told Evan, “You can’t really translate ‘Chelsea.’ Chelsea is a place. There’s no Spanish version of Chelsea.”
Elsten performed three songs live on the show, including his latest single, “Bendita Cuba,” or “Blessed Cuba,” which he wrote for his mother before her death earlier this year. The song tells the story of the family leaving Cuba for New York in the 1960s, and reflects on the immigrant experience in America.
Elsten Torres performed at the Levitt Pavilion in Dayton on September 15th. His latest record, Nocturno, came out last year. He will release two more records in the next few months, including a Latin record and a reggae record. For more information about Elsten’s upcoming releases and tour dates, visit his website, https://elsten.info/home, or find him on social media.
