Cienfue

"It connects you to the universe." - Cienfue on his Ayahuasca journey that influenced his new material. 

If you are reading this, I invite you to press play on the video below and enjoy the "chill energy" transmitted form Cienfue's music, essence and vibration. Let that "tropical psychedelia" guide you through this wonderful insight on an artist and gem in Panamanian music. 

Cienfue is no stranger to music. He has several albums and does not plan on stopping anytime soon. Cienfue has clearly gone through interesting life experiences. From living in a Panama under military rule to studying at the Berklee College of Music in the United States,  and all that has made for great life experiences that definitely reflect in Cienfue's beautiful music.

He recently released the video for his "Life in the Tropics" single and plans to slowly release the album single by single. The video is full of magnificent colors and symbolism. A few days ago, I asked Cienfue whether it had a deeper meaning to him other than just "tropical psychedelia" and ayahuasca-like influences. I also asked him whether living in Panama has somehow impacted the way he approaches any project, especially this new one.

He answered by saying that, "Panama has influenced me a lot. It is a melting pot. A meeting point. A sancocho where everything mixes: from indigenous to Chinese to Caribbean and so much more." He added that growing up in the 80's under military regime and experiencing early stages of now modern reggeaton has really influenced him. Cienfue also mentioned that "with the video I was trying to transmit the shamanistic rituals in the Amazon. The sacrament of the Ayahuasca. You know, the sacrament used to be a very special. It rids one of "evil spirits. It connects you to the universe." No doubt, he is able to transmit all of that in his music video. 

To follow that up, I asked Cienfue why  he decided to make this album in English, considering that it's his first time doing so. "I grew up bilingual and people didn't really know that. You know what? It would bother me when musicians would try sing English and it did not sound good at all.  However, on this new album I was inspired by surfing. One time I was in Hawaii and I was asked to sing, but I had nothing in English. This was was a catalyst in me wanting to reach more people." Cienfue reiterated the fact that he was inspired by the tribe-like surf culture. Out of that he mentioned that his new album is mostly inspired in surf, nature, and the tropics.

To end the interview, I asked Cienfue who his favorite musicians of the moment were and he mentioned fantastic artists like: Señor Loop, Making Movies and Javier Medina. He actually has a playlist: Panamá Namá! (Link below).

A big thank you to Cienfue, stay tuned for new singles! 
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​open.spotify.com/user/a1camilo/playlist/032AIfUAwra0aICNQVN1jE