Kidd Voodoo shares his experience of being a judge on the panel for Viña Del Mar, how he went from making rock music to reggaeton, why he chose “Kidd Voodoo” as his stage name, his feelings about Chilean music starting to spread, defining Chilean slang and more!
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00:00I needed to upload the song at that moment because I had already announced it.
00:03So I said, let's publish it.
00:05And I looked at my guitar pedals and one said,
00:07Voodoo.
00:08I had a little distrust from my family,
00:10but never because of a bad energy that I was wrong.
00:19David, welcome to Billboard.
00:21Thank you very much.
00:22Well, for those who don't know, David is Kid Voodoo.
00:25So you know him here in Chile,
00:27because of his artistic name Kid Voodoo.
00:29He is one of the greatest rappers in Chile at the moment,
00:33but his real name is David León.
00:36So why Kid Voodoo?
00:38Kid Voodoo was born because I needed to start making music
00:42and I wanted to give myself a name.
00:44At that time, the prefixes were very fashionable in Chile,
00:47as it was also in the United States,
00:49which was Lil, Kid too.
00:52So I preferred to call myself Kid
00:54because of a couple of artists that I liked a lot
00:56and I needed to upload the song at that time
00:58because I had already announced it.
01:00So you didn't have much time to think about this.
01:03No, I thought about it a lot, but I said,
01:05well, if I never release the song,
01:07I'm never going to start this.
01:09So I said, let's publish it.
01:11And I looked at my guitar pedals and one said,
01:13Voodoo.
01:14I said, Kid Voodoo, it doesn't sound bad.
01:16Kid Voodoo.
01:17That is, for a guitar pedal that has nothing to do with rap,
01:21the truth.
01:22Exactly.
01:23So it was a song of what?
01:24Rock or rap?
01:25It was rap.
01:26It was trap, yes.
01:27Uh-huh.
01:28And that's where the name came from.
01:30And now I'm here.
01:32I never expected it to evolve so much
01:34and to stay with that name,
01:35but I didn't like it either.
01:37Would you change it?
01:38Because the other day I read something about you
01:40where you said that sometimes you get tired of Kid Voodoo.
01:43Yes, yes.
01:44But you know what?
01:45I feel like it's a distant future.
01:48I don't know, maybe I would only leave Voodoo.
01:50Or I would put, I don't know, Satiro, which is my alias.
01:53They all call me that too.
01:54Yes.
01:55And why Satiro?
01:56Satiro is born from a song by Kevo,
01:58a Puerto Rican artist,
02:00who said that in a song called Rastri.
02:02Also, I know you want that falsetto song.
02:06He also says that in some parts.
02:08And I needed to tune something that wasn't tuned here
02:11so that people would recognize me too,
02:13like by another name.
02:15And I liked the word.
02:16I took it.
02:17I tattooed it here.
02:18No.
02:19And are you Satiro?
02:20Yes, I could say yes.
02:22Yes?
02:23Ok, let's see what happens.
02:25But then you started doing rock,
02:28like alternative rock, in your garage.
02:30Of course.
02:31And why do you do that?
02:32That's a dramatic change.
02:35Yes, very abrupt.
02:38Honestly, the change happened because the visibility
02:40that rock genre had at that time here in Chile
02:43was very little.
02:45I don't know.
02:46But you loved it.
02:47What were you going to do?
02:48Of course.
02:49I loved it.
02:50But time was passing
02:52and I needed to grow my business,
02:55which was music.
02:57So I took this path of reggaeton for a while
02:59and now I'm mixing it a little bit
03:01with what is rock.
03:03Were you surprised that you were so successful doing that?
03:07Yes.
03:08And not the other thing?
03:09Yes.
03:10Because with the other thing you had tried, I imagine.
03:12Of course.
03:13I had been trying for four years.
03:14Like David León.
03:15Of course.
03:16Yes.
03:18It was weird.
03:19But...
03:20I mean, maybe if you had changed the name before.
03:23Yes.
03:24Yes, the name is very important.
03:26Really.
03:27Because it's your brand.
03:28Of course.
03:29It's how other people will know you,
03:31how they know you in this country.
03:33Anyway,
03:34I'm very grateful that it happened this way.
03:36I feel that it was super nice,
03:37as well as learning another branch of music
03:39before getting into reggaeton,
03:41which are very different branches
03:43in all aspects.
03:44So it's nice to keep having it,
03:47having that guitar on top,
03:48that guitar in the shows,
03:49it still exists.
03:50It's special.
03:51So I haven't seen you in a show.
03:54David,
03:55that's why I can't give my opinion.
03:57But in your shows,
03:58do you play your guitar?
03:59Yes.
04:00Always?
04:01Always.
04:02Okay.
04:03So it's a mix of music.
04:05The songs we hear on Spotify
04:07and what you do on the show
04:08are different.
04:09Exactly.
04:10Yes, of course.
04:11My show is made up of a band,
04:12who are musicians.
04:13They sing.
04:14Of course.
04:15The kids are professionals.
04:16And of course,
04:17I've never gotten rid of the guitar,
04:19because I like it.
04:21I'm not saying I don't like reggaeton,
04:23but...
04:24No, of course you like it.
04:25It's what you're doing.
04:26But what the guitar is,
04:27and the beginnings of one,
04:28always cause nostalgia.
04:30So I have it there,
04:31I have it present.
04:32I always try to get it out.
04:34There are songs here
04:35that have gone very well for me,
04:36also with the guitar,
04:37after the reggaeton itself.
04:39So it's nice that that branch still exists.
04:42Now, if you came,
04:44you haven't come to Miami to promote yet.
04:49So that's imminent.
04:51So when you get to Miami,
04:53and you sit in your first interview,
04:55and they ask you,
04:56what music do you do, Kid Voodoo?
04:58What are you going to say?
04:59I would say that I'm a musician very...
05:01Let's see, the word...
05:02Hybrid, maybe?
05:04Of course.
05:06I do reggaeton,
05:07and I can also participate
05:09in a rock song perfectly.
05:12I think that's what
05:13gives us a point of distinction
05:15here in this country
05:16that has accepted music very well.
05:19I love Chile.
05:20The way it has taken me is very beautiful,
05:22although at one point I didn't understand
05:24why my business never worked for me.
05:26Today it works perfectly.
05:28You're going to end up
05:29making a solo rock album.
05:31Someone did that,
05:32I'm trying to remember.
05:35I don't know if it was Eladio,
05:36I don't think he made a rock album,
05:38but there are several
05:39who come from that world.
05:40There are several who dare
05:41after being famous.
05:43I'm probably the same,
05:44so I don't judge anyone.
05:45Now, how would you describe
05:47the urban music that is being made
05:49in Chile today
05:51versus what is being done
05:52in Puerto Rico or Colombia?
05:54I feel that the three panoramas
05:56are very interesting.
05:58Colombia is incredible,
05:59what happens with Blessed, Faith.
06:02I have to tell you,
06:03I'm a very deep fan of Faith.
06:05I love their music.
06:06What is being done in Puerto Rico
06:07is very beautiful.
06:08The new artists,
06:09in quotes,
06:10because they are no longer new,
06:11they are very close
06:12in what is Dave Villa,
06:13Mark Kurtz, De La Rose.
06:14What is happening is incredible.
06:16Here in Chile,
06:17it's like Crieme Jota,
06:20who is more known abroad.
06:22Floy Menor also did very well.
06:24I'm here,
06:25Pablo Chile also,
06:26who is also very respected.
06:28They are different panoramas,
06:29but it is still urban music.
06:31I feel that everyone has their own sauce,
06:34their own culture.
06:35What is it that distinguishes Chile,
06:38do you think?
06:39It's a sound,
06:40just like, for example,
06:41that of Colombia
06:42started being more melodic,
06:43more romantic.
06:44Sure.
06:45Yes, here in Chile
06:46it happens that it is more chanteo,
06:48it is more rap, you know?
06:50Now, if it is getting
06:51a little more melodic,
06:53something that was going to happen
06:54imminently because the music is melodic,
06:56I feel that what distinguishes Chileans
06:58a lot is the jerga that we have.
07:00The modismos, the cachay,
07:01the po, the tanto, that, yes.
07:04Well, now let's talk
07:05a little bit about the jerga,
07:07but before doing that,
07:09Chris M.J. and Floyd Menor,
07:11as you said,
07:12they did extremely well
07:14last year with Gata Only
07:16and they have continued
07:17with several singles
07:19and many people feel
07:20that they put the eye
07:22on the Chilean movement.
07:24Do you feel that way?
07:26Of course, yes.
07:28I find that what the Cabros did
07:30was super authentic.
07:32Chris has been making music
07:34for a long time,
07:35Floyd too.
07:37I have had the opportunity
07:38to share with both of them.
07:39They are great people,
07:40great examples
07:42for all the artists
07:43who want to aspire to something like this,
07:45who want to leave Chile,
07:46who want our music
07:48to become a little more global,
07:49which is what I think
07:50every artist aspires to.
07:51It is a very clear example.
07:55It was always known
07:56that it was going to happen,
07:57that someone was going to play it
07:58and it was always known
07:59that it was going to be Chris and Floyd too.
08:00Yes, because they were like the pioneers.
08:02Of course, to put it that way.
08:03Outside of Chile,
08:04they are the pioneers.
08:05Chile is far away, David.
08:07I know that sounds like nonsense,
08:09but it is not nonsense.
08:10If you live in Puerto Rico,
08:12first of all,
08:13you don't even need a passport
08:14to go to the United States.
08:15Of course.
08:16It is easier for you
08:17to go and come.
08:18Of course.
08:19And from Colombia too.
08:21I'm not saying that the United States
08:23is the Mecca of urban music,
08:25but it is an epicenter.
08:26Yes.
08:27So from here,
08:28you have to plan
08:29those trips more.
08:31Yes.
08:32Whenever we have to travel
08:33to other places,
08:34it takes hours.
08:35Hours.
08:36In Spain,
08:37in Europe,
08:38it takes 14 hours.
08:41It is a lot,
08:42but we have to do it.
08:43It is a sacrifice.
08:44And what do you want to do?
08:45What do you want
08:46next year to be?
08:47I would like to have the possibility
08:49to start doing shows in Europe.
08:51Hopefully,
08:52in other Latin American countries.
08:54I think that is what I want
08:56for my career.
08:57Whether I succeed or not,
08:58life will know.
08:59If something better happens,
09:00this urban music thing
09:01is very surprising.
09:02Suddenly,
09:03you think that a song
09:04is going to do well
09:05and it ends up being a hit.
09:06And wow,
09:07you know?
09:08It is like
09:09it keeps that little drop
09:10of surprise
09:11that can always
09:12come at any time.
09:13Here,
09:14it happens a lot in Chile
09:15that songs
09:16that came out
09:17years ago
09:18are released.
09:19What is your song,
09:20Bandera?
09:21The song that you think
09:22is like your
09:23presentation card.
09:24Mine, right?
09:25Yours.
09:26There is a song of mine
09:27called
09:28Comfortas Pero Dañas.
09:29I like it a lot.
09:30And it is not reggaeton.
09:31It is rock.
09:32Reggaetonero
09:33with a rock soul.
09:34Exactly.
09:35Hey,
09:36I have been watching you
09:37this week in Viña.
09:38Good.
09:39You are the reggaetonero
09:40or the urban
09:41of the panel of judges.
09:42Yes.
09:43So,
09:44what perspective
09:45do you bring
09:46to that panel?
09:47Because you have
09:48actors,
09:49musicians,
09:50musicians,
09:51musicians,
09:52musicians,
09:53musicians,
09:54musicians,
09:55musicians,
09:56musicians,
09:57actors,
09:58a queen of beauty,
09:59Avacilos
10:00who do trope
10:01and pop.
10:02Yes.
10:03And you are alone
10:04in your place,
10:05right?
10:06Of course.
10:07Paolo is also
10:08making classical music.
10:09Yes.
10:10So,
10:11there is a...
10:12It is not a clash
10:13in a bad way,
10:14but yes,
10:15from different
10:16perspectives of music,
10:17there is Claudio Nerea
10:18also guitarist
10:19of Los Prisioneros
10:20at the time.
10:21Yes, of course.
10:22So,
10:23of course.
10:24They have a lot
10:25to teach me,
10:26you know,
10:27how...
10:28I don't know,
10:29above all,
10:30Claudio has a lot
10:31of experience
10:32playing live.
10:33Avacilos,
10:34incredible.
10:35I grew up
10:36listening to Avacilos,
10:37you know,
10:38what is...
10:39the actors
10:40who are there,
10:41Emilia too,
10:42the mess
10:43they have in the camera.
10:44I have learned
10:45a lot from them.
10:46I feel that
10:47when I knew
10:48the people
10:49who were going
10:50to be in the jury,
10:51I never thought
10:52that it would
10:53work so well.
10:54I knew
10:55that it was going
10:56to work.
10:57Of course.
10:58You know,
10:59and we all
11:00wanted to do it,
11:01but the energy
11:02from that side
11:03is so positive
11:04and so true
11:05that it is difficult
11:06to give a true energy
11:07sometimes, you know,
11:08that I have had
11:09the confidence
11:10to ask them
11:11things about their
11:12project and
11:13that they teach me.
11:14They also
11:15ask me things
11:16about mine,
11:17which is like
11:18the newest thing,
11:19which is the urban,
11:20you know,
11:21that we sing,
11:22there is another
11:23system,
11:24and there is a
11:25greater energy
11:26that is coming
11:27from the urban
11:28and that
11:29in the music
11:30system,
11:31we are
11:32creative,
11:33we do
11:34things,
11:35we do
11:36a lot.
11:37And
11:38in the
11:38music system,
11:39we are
11:41creative and
11:42we come
11:43together
11:44with our
11:45community
11:46and we
11:47see
11:48what we
11:49need to
11:50do
11:51and
11:52we
11:53Of course, urban music has autotune, that's what makes it urban in a big way, so to speak.
12:00Yes, the camera came to me, it made me laugh, I also talked to Edo, who gave me his hand later too.
12:08So we shook hands in the corridor and honestly I always knew that if that came out of the routine,
12:16they were going to focus on me, that's why it made me laugh a lot.
12:18Apart from that, the joke I was telling was very Chilean and it was a joke that I've known since I was a child, so it made me laugh a lot.
12:25And what do your parents say about you being at the Viña Festival?
12:28First, what do they say about the urban career, and now what do they say?
12:33Urban career, but it's in Jurado de Viña.
12:35Of course, when the urban career started, I'm not going to lie to you,
12:41obviously there were setbacks, because here in Chile it's not very common for musicians to do very well,
12:48it's like something that's happening now.
12:50Well, nowhere.
12:51Actually, yes.
12:52That's new, but yes, I understand.
12:55Now there's a lot of music coming out and the industry is growing.
12:58At that time, when I started, I wanted to have been an urban artist for five years, four if not.
13:04Yes, there was a little distrust from my family, but never because of a bad energy,
13:09but because it was difficult to believe that I, who had been doing rock, would go to reggaeton and I would do well.
13:16And also, did you go to college or did you say, I'm not going to do this?
13:19I didn't go, I dedicated myself to that.
13:21Total disapproval, I imagine.
13:23Of course, my mom and dad always told me, my father and my mother,
13:26that I should do well, that I should make good songs, that I should have good energy, and I was going to do it.
13:33And slowly, when this project began to grow, I began to realize that they were always there.
13:39They always went to drop me off at the studios when I didn't have one.
13:42They were always there, you know?
13:44So, above all, they always had faith.
13:47It's just that the stigma that there is about throwing away something that is not a regular studio,
13:53it's always like, they always give you an inconvenience.
13:57And now that I'm here, at the Viña Festival, yes, we've talked about it many times,
14:02they come with me, they are much happier than I am, and I'm very happy.
14:10I love it.
14:11So, what's new musically that you're going to release in the next few weeks, months?
14:17Now, musically, I'm coming with an album, an album that I've been working on this last year,
14:22within what I've been able to, because I've been rehearsing for the festival.
14:25It's been around for a while, it's made up of some very old songs,
14:29to make it sound a little more complete.
14:32Very old songs of yours?
14:34Yes, therefore, there's a lot of rock.
14:38A lot.
14:39I have to hear you singing your rock.
14:41Hey, and who do you like?
14:44Which reggaeton player, which urban players are on your playlist?
14:47On my playlist, there's KMJ, there's Pablo, there's Floyd, I listen to him a lot.
14:53Outside, there's also Faith, as I said before, who I love.
14:56I really like what she does with Billionaire Quartz.
14:59I like a lot, I listen a lot to Bless too.
15:03Bad Bunny, I can't deny you that the last album that Bad Bunny released is incredible.
15:07I think that what I've listened to the most this month has been that album.
15:12Okay, and do you like American trap and rap?
15:16Yes, of course, I listen to Lil Baby, Lil Dark, what else?
15:20Roddy Ricch, I liked him a lot at one point.
15:22Of course, nowadays I'm not very used to what he releases, but I love it.
15:26Logay, Yantag, all of that.
15:29Okay, so we're going to wait for your tour.
15:31We're going to wait for you to visit us in Miami.
15:34And you told me about La Jerga, so I want you to educate us, David.
15:39Yes.
15:40With love, because we don't live in Chile, we don't speak Chilean,
15:46except I know how to say cachay, I know it's cachay,
15:50but let's see what are the other words that you say.
15:55Okay.
15:56Ready?
15:57You have to tell me what each word means.
15:59Okay.
16:00Without shame.
16:01Without shame.
16:02Let's see, chucha tu madre.
16:04Let's see, that's an insult.
16:07It's an insult.
16:08Let's see how I can translate it for you.
16:10Outside you say coño su madre, it's like the same thing.
16:13It moves from top to bottom until you get to Chile and it's like chucha su madre.
16:17In Peru you say chucha.
16:18Chucha su madre.
16:19Exactly.
16:20Okay.
16:21Huacha.
16:22Huacha is like the same thing as mina, which is a woman.
16:25Ah, okay.
16:26Yes.
16:27But it's not necessarily pretty.
16:29It's a mina.
16:30Just a woman.
16:31A huacha.
16:32Yes.
16:33Okay.
16:34Here they put culiar, but culiar is the same in all parts of the world, right?
16:36Yes, it's the same.
16:37Oh no.
16:38It's the same.
16:40Cochinae.
16:42Cochinae is also...
16:43Ah, it's the same as culiar.
16:45It's the same as chingar, yes.
16:46Okay.
16:47Okay.
16:49Guille.
16:50Guille is like the cut that is said here.
16:53It's like how you dress.
16:55Ah, the paint.
16:57It's the paint, yes.
16:58The look.
16:59The look.
17:00It's like your look.
17:01Guille.
17:02It's your look.
17:03That's it.
17:04That's what I mean.
17:05And what guille do you have today?
17:06This guille...
17:07Tell us about your guille today.
17:08This shirt is from Nude Project.
17:09We bought it here in Spain.
17:10It's art.
17:11It's a Belgian brand.
17:12Here is Louis Vuitton that we also looked for when I went to Miami.
17:16And that's a big deal.
17:17Okay.
17:18And the watch?
17:19This...
17:20Honestly, I don't remember.
17:21If I'm being honest.
17:22But I remember that we were also in Miami.
17:24In Miami.
17:25Okay.
17:26And...
17:27Give it color.
17:28Give it color is like...
17:29How can I say?
17:30It's like...
17:31It's like...
17:32It's like...
17:33It's like...
17:34It's like...
17:35It's like...
17:36It's like...
17:37It's like...
17:39Give it color.
17:50Good or bad?
17:51Or both?
17:52Both.
17:53It depends on the tone.
17:54Chileans like the tone.
17:55Is your watch rigid?
17:57The same thing.
18:00Cachay.
18:01Okay.
18:02I know what cachay is but explain to the world what is cachay for who has come to Chile.
18:05Cachay is me entiendes, a eso se refiere como, mira, me gustan mucho los porotos, me cachay,
18:14me entiendes?
18:15Algo así, super fácil.
18:16Pantano.
18:17Pantano es la población.
18:20La población.
18:21La población, donde es como el mundo más urbano, cachay?
18:24Donde están los...
18:25Como que guay el concepto.
18:26Cachay.
18:27Sí, donde están como las cosas de la calle.
18:33Y me pusieron aquí otra que también usamos en Colombia, pero te la pregunto a ti, sapo.
18:39Sapo.
18:40Aquí en Chile el término sapo se ocupa para alguien que cuenta tus secretos.
18:46Ok, igual que en Colombia.
18:48Sí, eso.
18:49A mí me gusta brígido.
18:50Brígido.
18:51Yo voy a empezar a usar brígido.
18:52Brígido.
18:53Brígido es lo mismo que cuático.
18:55¿Qué qué?
18:56Cuático.
18:57¿Cuático?
18:58Sí.
18:59O sea, grande.
19:00Es como, sí, como muy impresionante.
19:03Cuático.
19:04Brígido.
19:05Cuático.
19:06Es lo mismo.
19:07¿Y cuál es tu palabra favorita?
19:08La que más...
19:09No, no.
19:10Olvídate.
19:11No favorita.
19:12La que más usas.
19:13Cachay.
19:14Cachay.
19:15Digo cachay todo el rato.
19:16¿Me entiendes?
19:17Digo también mucho.
19:18¿Me entiendes?
19:19Cachay.
19:20Bueno, David, muchas gracias.
19:21Muchas gracias.
19:22Tenemos mucha ilusión de verte el viernes.
19:26Allí estaremos en primera fila con Billboard.
19:29Te esperamos.
19:30Vale.
19:31Muchas gracias también por la oportunidad.