Toby Love Brings a New Style of Bachata 
Toby Love, who has become an innovative force in the new-age bachata sound, performed a live show at Club Arkadia in New Britain. He won the crowd over with his unique musical style, romantic vocals and choreographed dance moves. Toby has recently released his debut album for Sony BMG Norte bringing a fresh sound and his own style to the traditional rhythms of bachata music. By fusing hip hop beats, R&B grooves and guest collaborations, Toby has created a movement bringing a new generation of listeners to the music. Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Toby has embraced both his identities, and with the success of his Spanglish hit “Tengo Un Amor” continues to broaden musical horizons. ¿What was the most difficult part of your journey releasing your first album? Well for me, the most difficult part of the process was the anticipation of this album’s release and waiting for the public’s reaction to the music. You always hope they will accept and like your work. It was also a challenge for me coming out of the hugely popular group Aventura. I worked with them for six years and I was uncertain how the public would accept me as a solo artist. I didn’t want to disappoint the fans or the group name by coming out with just something regular. ¿How did your time with Aventura help you grow as an artist? Those are my brothers we are very close even to this day. I talk to them on the phone often; I just spoke with Henry the other day. I support them one hundred percent and they support me. Working with them allowed me to grow as an artist and learn how to perform in front of millions of people. It’s also a big challenge for me because I came from the biggest bachata group in the world and I didn’t want to do anything that would take me out of that category of being the best. With this album I had to do something different, new and more modern while still retaining the tradition of bachata. ¿How do you feel that you are revitalizing the bachata landscape? What I want to do is offer something fresh and different to the sound without changing the essence of the music. I want to make it more modern by infusing it with hip/hop and reggaeton something the youth can relate to. I want to bring this new wave of bachaton or what I call crunkchata to the forefront. I am considered a bachata artist so my album is half traditional bachata and half urbanized. This movement has received great response among all Latinos and has been doing well in Los Angeles and Texas. ¿What can you contribute to this new sound? Through collaborations with reaggeton artists I feel we’ve added an edgier street sound to the music. On tracks like “Playa Fo Sho” and “Stripper Pole” I have been able to blend more of these urban styles. The song I did with Voltio, “Cadallic” is the perfect example of crunkchata. By working with artists like Rakim & Ken-Y and Alexis & Fido I have been able to continue the trend of exposing bachata music to new fans. I don’t want to change the music I’m just bringing something new to the table to expand the music. My producers really took this album to the next level. We want the popularity to keep growing and through my label Scarlito Entertainment I hope to continue this evolution. ¿Why is it important for you to record your songs in Spanish and English? It is important for me to record in both languages because I am Latin and I want to be identified but at the same time my Spanish is not one hundred percent. I still want to represent my culture and the music I have grown up with. I am Puerto Rican and I have a deep respect for my culture. I think that this year Spanglish has been the new wave and I am a part of this movement. I have received a lot of love and support from the Dominican population and all Latinos I appreciate their acceptance. Some of your songs deal with the theme of betrayal and infidelity. ¿Has this happened to you a lot in your life? Yes, this happens to me just like it happens to my friends and everyone. I write from my personal and real life experiences as well as from what my friends tell me they go through. Your songs should always be about things people can relate to and topics everyone thinks about. A lot of these songs like “Mi Decision” and “Gotta Let You Go” grew from that place. ¿What future projects are you working on? Following the success of “Tengo Un Amor” we have just released the second single, “Please Don’t Cry” which features Alexis & Fido on the remix. I am also going to be part of the Feb. 10th Victor Manuelle & Friends concert at Madison Square Garden. It was a big dream of mine to perform there, which I have done in the past. This time though I get to share the stage with a Puerto Rican legend, Victor Manuelle who I recently recorded a duet with that will be coming out on his new production. It is a bachata song in the tradition of Juan Luis Guerra. I hope to continue that tradition while adding my own flavor. by David LaPointe, Identidad Latina Para leer este articulo en Espanol, favor de referirse a Identidad Latina- el periodico de Hartford, CT
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