Diego Garcia

An extensive 8 minute interview with NPR’s “The World” aired on several hundred NPR stations May 31st

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks to musician Diego Garcia. He is the former front man for the indie punk band “Elefant.” But on his just-released first solo album “Laura,” he switches gears and explores his Latin roots. - NPR's The World

Diego Garcia is no longer the Elefant man, never again to be chided for his irksome MC5 rawk with his Detroit outfit (His name is also not to be confused with the footprint-shaped coral atoll found near the Equator). The Argentinean crooner and instrumentalist has forged a newer dreamier brand of pop for himself that sounds like that Morrissey fantasy that every Latin man in Los Angeles holds dear. On his debut solo CD Laura, the smooth romancer goes for lovelorn lyrics and blissed-out arrangements ripe with live string sounds but touched with Latin musical flourishes and soft rhythms. From “Separate Lives” to “You Were Never There” (the latter, a catchy and hauntingly atmospheric track co-penned by Dhani Harrison (son of the Beatle, George), Garcia’s new album proves it was the right time to go it alone. - Philadelphia City Paper

Raised in Detroit by Argentinian parents and sharing a name with an Indian Ocean atoll used as a U.S. military base, Diego Garcia is a Brown University grad and the former front man of hyped indie band Elefant. That position led New York magazine to name him the Big Apple's Sexiest Lead Singer. Elefant doesn't exist anymore. Garcia's gone solo with the swoony and sensitive Laura, a full-length set that mixes Spanish guitar and strings on impressively crafted songs that wear Garcia's heart on their sleeve and suggest he's much more than the Julian Casablancas wannabe he once appeared to be. Garcia's doing consecutive Tuesdays at the World Cafe Live, with Toy Soldier's Ron Gallo opening. - Philly.com

For the month of June, Pasadena is pretty much the place to be for music. Between Make Music Pasadena and KCRW’s Summer Nights, there is free music galore!

We kicked off Summer Nights 2011 with the biggest crowd One Colorado has even seen. The evening was hosted by Anne Litt and Diego Garcia put on a fantastic show.

But I’ll tell the story through the wonderful photos of photographer Jeremiah Garcia.

(make sure to visit One Colorado on June 25 for Motopony!) - KCRW

Laura is a romance record in every sense of the word. Written to get his girl back, Laura is all about reflections on a failing relationship and where Diego Garcia was in his life at that time. Making a complete departure from the kind of music that he made with his last band Elefant, Garcia hearkened back to the South American romance records from the 60’s and early 70’s, that he had heard as a child, for inspiration. Heavily influenced by these albums, the songs on Laura feel timeless and tug at the heart strings. In April I spoke with Diego about the album as part of Scattered's Sounding Out series. We had a wonderful conversation that you can read here. - Scattered Black and Whites

KCRW launched its first installment of its Summer Nights series in Pasadena with a
concert by artist Diego Garcia this past Saturday. KCRW DJ Anne Litt introduced Garcia
and his well-dressed backup band of musician friends to an adoring crowd that packed
the European-style courtyard of the One Colorado shopping area.

The show, Garcia's last in his week-long tour of California, covered every track off his
freshly-released solo debut album, Laura, as well as a cover of The Kinks "This Strange
Effect" for good measure. Amidst the setting sun and gentle breeze, Garcia poured his
heart out as he shared the pain of lost love, the comfort and release provided by time and
maturity and the triumph of love regained.

"I started writing these songs to deal with the heartache when you lose someone you care
about," explained Garcia before the show. "The sessions were cathartic and helpful to get
through that time." That time being the years he and Laura, his then-girlfriend-now-wife
who the album is named after, lived separately. "I was without her for about four years
so these songs justified my existence during that time. It's a romance record but it's also
about me growing up a bit."

The music is a departure from his work in Elefant ( and a welcome one
here at LA Weekly) as Garcia goes unplugged with acoustic and classical guitars and a cello alongside the bass/drum rhythm section. He tosses every bit of the New York post-punk scene aside and trades it for the old-school romantics of his parents' era.

"There's a thread of romance in all the music I used to do in Elefant," he explained, "but,
in this project, it's more blown up. Aside from the message and being an extension of my
life at the time, the arrangement is very true to my roots. My parents are from Argentina.
I was born in Detroit, grew up here, and I wanted to make something that was true to my
roots."

"I was singing to get my girl back," he continues, "so it only made sense to pick up where
they left off and when I say 'they' I mean late 60's, early 70'singers like Julio Iglesias,
Sandro and Fabio from Argentina. We went all over the globe. We went early Julio
Iglesias before he got tanned and before the 80s. If you listen to his stuff from the early
70s, it's really dope. It has an early Neil Diamond type of production."

The influence of these romantic crooners flows heavily in songs like "Stay," "Separate
Lives" and "Inside My Heart," which had the crowd begging for more. Translate any
of these songs to Spanish and Garcia could easily make a huge splash in every Spanish-
speaking country in the world.

The show went over great with the crowd especially with the women who outnumbered
the men nearly 3:1. Garcia could hardly end a song without someone in the audience
proclaiming her love for him (I'm looking at you, redhead-in-the-white-top-in-the-
second-row!).

Garcia ended the night with the album single "You Were Never There" to a standing
ovation and cries of "uno mas! (one more!)" while curious onlookers late to the party
wondered aloud if they missed the latest Latin heartthrob. You could say they did. - LA Weekly

Laura is an intensely melancholy record, and Diego García's most brilliant songs are also his most anguished. The Argentine-American singer once led the post-punk group Elefant, but on his debut solo album, he goes in a very different direction — drawing heavily on Morrissey and even some of Leonard Cohen's ominous tones. García has a talent for capturing pivotal emotional chapters everyone can relate to: the sad but liberating moment when you understand why things fell apart, the instant you realize things are falling apart and the last-ditch, desperate effort to keep them together. The album plays like a dramatic film with a happy ending. I can't wait for the sequel. (Jasmine Garsd) - NPR

10. Diego Garcia
Laura
In a Nutshell: On his solo debut, Elefant frontman Garcia puts his own stamp on his band's formula. Laura is dipped liberally in Elefant's gauzy shimmer of '60s rock (by way of post-punk). But where Elefant focused on avant-garage, Garcia reconstructs Greenwich Village circa 1963. In his version, the folk revival consists of Donovan, David Bowie, some girl groups, and nueva canción singers like Silvio Rodriguez and Victor Jara creating a supergroup and throwing a hootenanny with Iron and Wine.
Don't Miss: The gut-wrenchingly gorgeous title track, with its muted textures and mournful melodies.
For Those Who Like: Well, all those people listed above, more or less. - Rhapsody: The Mix

Summertime means many things in LA – sunshine, trips to the beach, picnic baskets — but best of all LOTS of free music! And not just free music, but live performances in really unique and interesting places that make exploring the city a lot more fun.

KCRW is continuing our successful Summer Nights series this year with a slew of all ages, outdoor shows that are free and open to the public in Pasadena, Downtown LA, Westwood and beyond.

The series kicks off on Saturday, June 11 at One Colorado in Old Pasadena with an evening set from Diego Garcia, the former frontman for acclaimed garage rockers Elefant. Inspired by the love of his life, Diego launched his solo career with a lush record that pays tribute to the great Latin romantics. Seattle’s Motopony – whose music runs the gamut from quiet and plaintive to loud and raucous – travels down the West Coast for a special appearance at One Colorado on June 25. Both shows both start at 7:30pm in the heart of historic Pasadena

KCRW will also present a pair of concerts at California Plaza in Downtown LA as part of the Grand Performances series — with Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 on July 15 and DJ Joaquin “Joe” Claussell – who will recreate classic Latin recordings with his 6-piece band — on July 22.


We also return to the Hammer Museum to partner on their all ages concert series Also I Like to Rock during Thursdays in July. Stay tuned for talent announcements coming shortly!


All KCRW “Summer Nights” events are free, all ages, and open to the public with no RSVP required. - KCRW

The world of rock loves a bad boy and for years, Argentine American singer Diego Garcia didn’t disappoint. As lead singer of indie rock sensation Elefant—he was once voted ‘sexiest lead singer’ by New York magazine— he played tongue-and-cheek with reporters about dating models and used his relationship drama as fodder for song lyrics.

But with the launch of his solo career, Garcia is taking a softer approach. “I made the record to survive,” he says. “I had to heal my heart. In other words, I had to get my girl back.”

Featuring lush cello arrangements and delicate Spanish guitar, Garcia’s first solo album on Nacional Records is titled Laura. It’s inspired by and named after his wife, a Brazilian fashion designer he met while at Brown University (she was a student at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design). After breaking up and making up (in Rome, no less!) they decided to get married and start a family, and now have an adorable baby girl named Georgiana.

Laura’s first single, “You Were Never There,” is a return to 70’s style folk romance and is being hailed by critics as the second coming of Paul Simon. But the fully bilingual Garcia also draws heavily on his Argentine roots, especially when he’s pouring his heart out in the tradition of the best Spanish-speaking balladeers. “Artists like Sandro, Roberto Carlos and Julio Iglesias were early pioneers in what I like to refer to as a movement of romanticism in music,” says Garcia, “it only made sense for me to pick up where they left off.”

All this is a far cry from the days when Garcia offered his private number to a reporter in case she wanted a booty call (true story). “It’s only natural I’m going to attract a new crowd [now that I’ve gone solo],” he admits, possibly referring to the hundreds of thousands of Starbucks customers who recently snatched up their Pick of the Week gift cards to download “You Were Never There” for free. The song was co-written with his friend from Brown, Dhani Harrison (son of the legendary Beatle, George Harrison) and was also recently spotlighted as an iTunes Latino “Single of the Week.”

We couldn’t help but love him as a troublemaking playboy in his Elefant days, but we are seriously swooning for the renewed, sentimental Diego Garcia. Check out “Nothing To Hide,” our favorite track, below: - Latina

Photos - see link - Vanity Fair

Possessing a melodic pop sensibility with a nostalgic nod to romantic ballads of the ’60s and ’70s, former Elefant frontman Diego Garcia emerges with a stellar solo debut that’s familiar in theme. The haunting “Laura” tugs at the sentiment of lost love; not knowing much about the central figure is irrelevant and captivating at the same time. Smooth harmonies and sweet Spanish guitars provide layers and a steady, cohesive pace that connect the nine tracks poetically. The collection of music here works well mostly because the artist gives the listener an insight to his story, often tragic and understandable. At times the compositions take on chilling undertones, like the title track, which questions her departure: “Do you still think of me, or must you still think of me when he whispers I love you in your ear?” Other songs - like “Inside My Heart,” “You Were Never There” and “Stay” –make the artist’s genuine intentions very clear. -JA - Billboard Magazine

Diego Garcia of Elefant fronts a Jil Sander navy velvet blazer, Junya Watanabe Man Comme des Garcons Fair Isle Sweater, and blue-striped cotton shirt. Diego's own Levi's - The New York Times Style Magazine

I have always thought Ethan Hawke is New York’s hottest celebrity, with Adrian Grenier coming in a close second, but it seems I’ve been outvoted by the party crowd. How else to explain the gaggle of beautiful people suffering through Wednesday’s heat wave just to see Diego Garcia, the former front man of Elefant, play a secret show on the roof of the Bowery Hotel? It seems the ex of Lindsay Lohan and catwalker Daria Werbowy has partnered with booze brand Belvedere to throw a covert concert series. Like Noah’s ark, the audience came in pairs: Two Vogue-approved boldfacers, socialite Genevieve Jones and artist Hope Atherton. Two former Chanel models, Noot Seear and Julia Stegner. And two tall Laurens with two last names each, Lauren Remington Platt and Lauren Santo Domingo, who received an e-mail about the party from Sienna Miller. Kelly Klein dropped by, too, though she got lost in the sea of blondes. During Diego’s set, I thought I saw Ethan Hawke on a couch. “Is that who I think it is?” I asked designer Lizzie Fortunato. “Wait,” she said, ignoring my question. “Do you know Diego, like, personally?” Breakable hearts of the Lower East Side, you have been warned. - Page Six Magazine

After a few years, when you don’t hear about a notable artist you’ve come to know and love, you often wonder where they’ve gone. Typically, they’re up to something. Case in point with Diego Garica -- lead singer of New York City-based band Elefant and man about town. Rest assured, Diego's been hard at work at a new pursuit: crafting music solo. Diego first came onto the music scene around the same time I started to write about music. Back in 2003, he was one of the first artists I ever interviewed. We’ve remained friends through the years, and he’d give me updates along the way about new work. One night in particular, back in January of this year, I bumped into him at the Bowery Ballroom after seeing The Sword perform. Within seconds, right in the middle of Bowery’s beer-drenched floor, I found a set of headphones on my ears. “Jessica, you have to hear this new song I just recorded tonight,” said Diego.

One month later, a similar encounter occurred and he played me more songs. Impressed by the change and new direction of sound versus what I’ve always known with Elefant, I asked, “What’s this?” He responded, “My solo recordings.” Instantaneously, I knew this new body of work was something special: Diego’s best music to date.

Jorje Elbret—formally of Lansing Dreiden and now lead singer of the band Violins—is producing Diego’s solo work in a studio that Diego doesn’t call a studio, but what he describes as a “laboratory” of sorts on 16th Street. The new music and its recordings are string-based—acoustic guitar and cello to be exact. One of Diego’s friends, Danny Bensi (known from the band Priestbird) has been his partner in crime, playing cello alongside Diego over the past five months. Diego is recording all of his new material without a label. “I don’t want to compromise. I want to follow my gut, and a label—and all of that support and distribution and marketing—I know, will come eventually.”

Over tea, coffee, and calamari at Pastis, Diego sat down with me to formally talk, for the first time, about his solo work, setting the record straight and sharing what’s to come. (Specifically, a private performance for Karl Lagerfeld. Not so bad, eh?) Again, right after hello, Diego put a set of headphones on my ears and played me a track that only he and Jorje had heard: “In My Heart,” a tango-flamenco based melody filled with warmth. When the headphones finally came off, we talked about his new direction.

When I first heard your new music, I instantly felt I was hearing you again, like you went back to being “Diego” ...

This solo record is from a malady of love, specifically and inspired by Laura, my ex-girlfriend. I think it’s a running script, and I think I know how it ends, and that’s that. That is what this album is ... it’s about closure.

Have you played any of the new music for Laura, since she’s the muse?

No. Nothing. I’m accepting the fact that my story with her doesn’t have a Hollywood ending. I think that’s just the way it is. I’m accepting the fact that she was someone very special to me who defined what love is, yet it’s over. There’s closure with her finally, with this album I’m writing.

It’s more revealing as well versus Elefant’s music. There’s maturity and wisdom in the lyrics. It’s not light. Especially in the song “In My Heart”—that tango vibe, which as everyone knows is a very mature dance.

Yes, I think so. When I made the first Elefant record, I was singing for my sisters and my mother. They were my audience in my head, and I think there’s a reason the results came out the way they did. On this solo album, I’m singing more for my grandmother. I’m singing for an older soul, and I’m channeling something older. I am going into the studio with Elefant though in August—going back to that reckless innocence of just picking up a girl at a train stop and driving to the ocean. It’s a light vibe. I feel a bit balanced in a sense making this heavy and longing album with my solo work, knowing that in a month or two, I’ll be singing about “candy” and “girls” with a smile on my face. I wouldn’t say this solo album is full of smiles and happy ... it’s soulful as fuck.

What artists have inspired you from that tango era?

There’s one that no one will know, and your life will be changed like mine was if you listen to him. His name is Pierro. He was an Italian immigrant to Argentina, who was just amazing. Just insane. I had to order the record through Mexico City.

Where have you performed your new music?

We’ve played a few pop-up shows here in New York—this bar called Smith & Mills in Tribeca, and I just went out to Los Angeles for three weeks and performed out there as well. I’m also performing at Galerie Gmurzynsk in Switzerland during Art Basel. There’s a dinner in honor of Karl Lagerfeld due to his previous work with the gallery. It’s great because with the new music is the same vibe of the gallery—old school Europe. Danny and I will be wearing tuxes and performing the - BlackBook

Diego Garcia, the former frontman of Elefant, releases his solo debut this week via Nacional Records. Laura is already doing well at radio, with perennial trendsetting KCRW playing tracks often and the artist has also snagged an upcoming Starbucks “Pick of the Week”, which should substantially raise his profile as folks pick up those little download cards while waiting in line for their lattes. The album was inspired by a break-up, always good for inspiring songwriting. “I made the record to survive,” Garcia says. “I had to heal my heart. In other words, I had to get my girl back. It was time to write a record that only my story could tell. Artists like Sandro, Roberto Carlos and Julio Iglesias were early pioneers in what I like to refer to as a movement of romanticism in music. It only made sense for me to pick up where they left off.” - PopMatters

“There was this old beat up classical guitar that was in the pantry, next to the front door of the house where I grew up. Getting my shoes or my jacket, or whatever it was in that closet that I needed, I would always see this old, beaten up, dusty guitar and I felt attracted to it…I had a connection to it.“


Diego Garcia is a musician and artist who lives and thrives on connections. Connections to childhood memories, emotions, relationships, family heritage, and music seem to always be present with him. This past week I had a chance to talk with Diego about his beautiful new album Laura, which has just been released. What struck me about him was just how influential all of these connections have been for him, not only as an artist, but as a person.

“My mom was a guitarist until she had kids. When I was growing up, I would see these pictures of her as a teenager….This cool, hippy, beautiful Argentine girl playing the guitar back in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s.“ Diego said that she filled the house with music.

I asked Diego how old he was when he felt inspired enough to start playing the guitar himself.

“Around thirteen, my best friend started taking guitar lessons to learn every Led Zeppelin song. I went to my mom and said that I wanted to do that too!” Because his friend was so good at soloing, Diego needed to start off playing in the complete opposite way. “I started writing real songs on the spot…I kind of by-passed all the scales.” I Laughed and told him that my 10 year old son is trying to pull a ‘Diego’ right now with not wanting to learn his scales and chords…..he just wants to get in there and play. Diego Laughed.

“Well, it’s funny. I was so frustrated. Those first lessons…..your fingers hurt! I lasted maybe two or three lessons. I remember then asking my mom ‘when do you know to change chords?’ She looked at me….and I have never seen her get mad…and she just said ‘listen.’ And so I went on and taught myself music by listening to other people, learning their songs, and digesting them. Eventually I started writing my own stuff.“

Diego, the son of Argentinian parents, was born in Detroit and grew up in Tampa, Florida. When it came time for college he headed north to Brown University where he majored in Economics. After graduation he found his way to New York City to pursue music. In New York, he helped found the band Elefant, an indie rock band that was together until 2010.

On Laura, Diego makes a complete departure from the kind of music that he wrote and played with Elefant. Hearkening back to the years when his mom played guitar in Argentina, Diego’s songs are heavily influenced by the South American Romance albums of the time. I was curious to know if this significant musical directional shift was intentional on his part or whether this was something that had been unfolding in a more organic way over time. He said that it was both. “There are two different phases to me. The inspirational part, the writing of the album, and then there is the actual arranging and recording.”


“When I started writing these songs, they were just reflections of where I was in my life at the time. It is a romance record to the fullest degree, written to get my girl back. So I had these moments of light when I was alone and heartbroken and in a dark place….and that is where the songs were born.” In this respect, Diego said that there was a very organic, let’s see where this goes approach.

But there was also a real goal to make music that sounded like him and told his story in the most unique, original way possible. “I wanted to address the love story; the girl I lost, the color of her hair. I wanted it to sound timeless. And I wanted it to address my roots. My parents are from Argentina. I was born in Detroit. I grew up in Florida. I wanted all of that to come out of these recordings.”

Separate Lives

Separate from his writing, Diego had been talking with his friend, artist and producer Jorge Elbicht, for a number of years about doing a project together. When they met in 2005 there was an immediate connection between them. “It was clear that I wanted to make my album with him. What wasn’t clear was what the hell this album was going to sound like.“

Unlike band projects that Diego had done for many years, tackling a solo project was an entirely different process. “A band is defined by its own limitations in a way. The bass has its own personality, the guitar has its own personality…..It’s all personality based and it can be great and powerful. When it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But when it works, you get the Ramones, and it is the most amazing thing ever.”

“When you go solo and it is a studio project, it becomes more of a conceptual approach. It is even trickier in that you get 40 years of music and you are wondering, what is this record? What is the sound going to be? What is the arrangement going to be like? All of these questions were still up in the air when we starte - SCATTERED BLACK and WHITES

Somebody please get Diego García a pain reliever.

On second thought, don't: Laura is an intensely melancholy record, and García's most brilliant songs are his most anguished ones. The Argentine-American singer once led the post-punk group Elefant, but on his debut solo album he goes in a very different direction — drawing heavily on Morrissey and even some of Leonard Cohen's ominous tones.

On the cover, Garcia sits on a barrier that divides a lake, looking over his shoulder at a cloud of fog behind him. That image nails the overall feel of the record, whose central figure is a man positioned towards the future, yet still trying to digest a painful past.

Like a film that starts at the end of the story, Laura opens with "Inside My Heart," a song with a western twang that feels as vast and desolate as any breakup. The rest of the record offers snapshots of how he ended up in such a painful place. García has a talent for capturing pivotal emotional chapters everyone can relate to: the sad but liberating moment when you understand why things fell apart ("You Were Never There"); the instant you realize things are falling apart, and the last-ditch, desperate effort to keep them together. On "Under This Spell," García's coaxing pleas to a lover are underscored by panicking guitar strums. It's a beautiful and unnerving song.

My favorite track is "Nothing To Hide," which expresses the exhilarating mix of freedom and sadness that comes from walking away from a disaster. Garcia plays with one phrase like a mantra: "In my heart I've got nothing to hide ... in my heart I've got nothing ... I've got nothing."

The greatest revelation comes in the title track, which recalls Nancy Sinatra's eerie rendition of "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)." The song, like the album, is at once immense and completely intimate.

Laura ends on a high note: "All Eyes On You" is the album's most lighthearted moment, a soft, sparkling song that verges on disco. Diego Garcia's first solo effort goes plays like a dramatic film with a happy ending. I can't wait for the sequel. - NPR's The Record

I’ve been waiting for the Diego Garcia record since I first heard a couple of tracks last September. “You Were Never There” and “Stay” were staples of my playlists all fall and winter. Now, finally, we have the whole album and it’s this wonderful amalgamation of Diego’s Argentine heritage, 70’s AM pop radio, and the dusty sounds of dreams.

Diego used to front the garage rock band Elefant, so when I heard the romantic, dreamy sounds of his new album, Laura, I was surprised. I had to find out who Laura was as I assumed she was the centerpiece of the work. It didn’t take long to discover that she is his beloved wife (there is a gorgeous spread of their life and home at vogue.com.

Every song on this album is a song I want sung to me by a handsome man strumming a guitar. The album is about love and loss of love and getting that love back. Diego pays homage, by his own account, to great Latin romantics like Julio Iglesias and Sandro. To my ear though, the record has a distinctly American quality too. He grew up and went to school here and was as influenced by 70’s singer songwriters as much as anyone his age.

After listening to the album, the one thing I can say with certainty is that “Laura” is one lucky girl.

-- Anne Litt, KCRW Music Host

Laura will be available to stream on demand from March 28 through April 26th, 2011 and will be released on iTunes Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

Artist website: http://diegogarciamusic.com

Track listing
1. Inside My Heart
2. You Were Never There
3. Nothing to Hide
4. Roses and Wine
5. Separate Lives
6. Laura
7. Under This Spell
8. Stay
9. All Eyes on You
- KCRW

This is the coolest couple I know above Fourteenth Street, and their story reads like a romance built for Hollywood. The plot: He, a handsome and charming rock star, and she, a bombshell Brazilian fashion designer met while in college (he, at that liberal Ivy Brown and she, at Rhode Island School of Design). After graduating, their fates take them to New York where he writes numerous songs about her (all of which, I confess, I know by heart), and both live happily ever after. Until, that is, they break up. But, as the screenplay (and eager audience) demands, they meet again in Rome and fall back in love. Then, in quick succession, they get married and start a family. The plot thickens, of course, when this new family (who lived in a gorgeous, inconvenient walk-up in the West Village) decide to move to an apartment on the Upper East Side. Did I mention that her parents live two floors above? We’ll save that for the sequel.
Supporting cast: Georgiana, as the adorable baby girl, and Alaïa, as the precocious French bulldog. - VOGUE

NUEVA YORK (AP) — Diego García compuso su primer álbum en solitario "para sobrevivir" al romper con su novia Laura.

El disco, sin embargo, resultó ser algo más que una terapia psicológica. También impulsó al cantante, de origen argentino, a viajar por todo el país ofreciendo conciertos, a destacar en el iTunes Latino y a empezar a hacerse un nombre en los circuitos musicales de Estados Unidos.

"Escribir para mí fue una forma de curarme. Estaba perdido personalmente y la música fue una forma de respirar. Esos días fueron muy terapéuticos", dijo García durante una entrevista con The Associated Press.

El joven de 33 años, nacido en Detroit, lanzó el álbum "Laura" a mediados de abril. El disco es totalmente diferente al sonido punk que le caracterizó cuando formaba parte de su antigua banda Elefant. "Laura" incluye guitarras españolas y violoncelo; mientras que recuerda un poco a las melodías de cantantes como Enrique Iglesias, pero con un toque anglosajón.

El sentimiento amoroso del álbum es algo que tiene sentido para García, quien lo empezó a escribir en el 2005 con el corazón roto.

"En el disco estoy susurrando al oído de mi ex. La música tenía que ser suave", explicó el joven, que se crió en Florida y vive en Nueva York desde hace más de una década.

El músico, que se describe como "un latino de primera generación" en Estados Unidos, comparó su transición del punk a un tono más melancólico con un momento de cambio en su vida. También confesó ser "un romántico" que cree que hay un destino marcado para todos, algo que intentó expresar en su música de forma natural.

"Mi motivación era recuperar a mi novia", dijo. "Necesitaba hacer algo nuevo, algo que sonara a Diego García. Tenía que hacer algo que sonara a Nueva York con toques de Argentina. El disco no fue sólo un proyecto. Era mi vida".

Al final, toda esa ternura valió la pena, pues acabó casándose con Laura y teniendo una hija con ella.

A principios de abril, la canción "You Were Never There" se convirtió en el "Sencillo de la Semana" de iTunes Latino y fue promovida por la cadena de cafeterías Starbucks, que ofreció descargarla de forma gratuita a sus clientes a finales del mes pasado. García compuso el sencillo junto a su amigo Dhani Harrison, hijo del ex beatle George Harrison.

Los padres de García nacieron en Córdoba, Argentina. El músico contó que creció en un hogar donde se escuchaban baladas de Sandro, Antonio Carlos Jobim y el mexicano José José mientras él bailaba al son de la banda de rock Nirvana.

Sus gustos evolucionaron con los años, tras lanzar con Elefant "Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid" en el 2003 y "The Black Magic Show" en 2006, empezó a componer un tipo de música que curiosamente recuerda a melodías de la década de 1970, como las que oían padres.

Aunque canta en inglés, García dijo que el álbum es "un paso para cantar en español".

Este mes tendrá presentaciones en Nueva York, Boston, Filadelfia y Washington D.C., entre otras ciudades, para proseguir su gira en la costa oeste de Estados Unidos en junio. Sus sueños incluyen ganar un premio Grammy, aunque confiesa que no sabe si le incluirían en la categoría de Grammy Latino o Grammy anglosajón.

"Me da curiosidad cuando pienso en eso", explicó. "Sea lo que sea, tengo la esperanza de lograr cosas muy grandes". - Associated Press en Español