‘the De Los Podcast': Álvaro Díaz On Being Kicked Out Of A Rock Band And Recording New Album 'omakase'

The Latin Grammy-nominated Puerto Rican MC Álvaro Díaz wasn’t ever a rapper; he was a rocker too. Or, an aspiring one.

“[My liking successful music] really started erstwhile I was 12 and successful school, nan first set I fell successful emotion pinch was Blink-182,” Díaz told “The De Los Podcast” hosts Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito. “The first posters and CDs I had successful my house… each Blink-182.”

In nan latest section of “The De Los Podcast,” Díaz dove into his early profession and wrong nan making of his latest album, nan culinary-inspired “Omakase,” which went No. 1 successful 16 Latin countries.

The San Juan autochthonal happened upon his first philharmonic opportunity arsenic a teen, erstwhile he overheard that a student set successful his precocious schoolhouse was looking for a bass player.

“I said, ‘I deliberation I person a bass astatine home,’ but I was lying… I didn’t cognize nothing,” Díaz said. “I showed up aft Christmas pinch nan bass and said, ‘Look what I found!’”

Although his stone profession was trim short — he didn’t person nan chops to play metallic songs connected bass — it flipped a move for a young Díaz.

“It was nan first clip I thought, I want to study really to make music,” Díaz said. “A mates of years later, I realized penning was nan point I was bully at.”

Since then, Díaz’s philharmonic profession has been afloat of happy accidents, which person yielded an urbano-alternative fusion each his own. Iconic reggaeton shaper Tainy, who worked connected Díaz’s first-ever song, “Chicas de la Isla,” returned to assistance pinch “Omakase.”

Díaz came up pinch nan title aft visiting his relative Chef Tino’s edifice successful Isabela, Puerto Rico, wherever he observed his relative create a likewise bespoke acquisition successful his kitchen.

“You cognize what’s much individual than nan sheet and nan result? The process, for me,” Díaz said. “I thought, it would beryllium astonishing if I could disagreement this task by nan process of nan kitchen.”

After losing some his grandma and his adjacent friend Oscar Botello, nan precocious shaper amended known arsenic Milkman, Díaz infuses nan medium pinch sentimental tributes. Before his passing, Botello sent Díaz nan hit that would yet go nan album’s first single, “Pienso En Ti.”

“He was a large relative to me,” Díaz said. “It’s not a time that will walk by that I don’t deliberation astir him and what he would do successful imaginative things.”

Díaz besides collaborated pinch newer collaborators Latin Mafia, taking nan Mexican replacement trio to Mexico City edifice Voraz to stock his album. “I showed them ‘Malasnoticias’ and they said, ‘OK — move nan mic on,’” Díaz said.

“[Emilio] and Milton grabbed nan mic, Mike was connected nan machine doing caller drums, programming,” he recounted. “It was nosy to create pinch them, not conscionable because they’re my friends, but we did it successful a restaurant. It’s a communicative I cognize we’ll beryllium talking astir successful 10, 15 years.”

Díaz is presently connected circuit successful Latin America, but will proceed to nan United States successful nan fall, pinch a Nov. 5 show astatine nan Wiltern successful Los Angeles.