Having performed with everyone from Jimmy Barnes to The Wiggles, Victor Valdes has well and truly done his part to bring the sounds of Mexico to the forefront in Australia.
This month, he’ll be releasing an album to celebrate 25 years living in Australia called ‘Viva Mexico’, and celebrating with a very special launch event right here in western Sydney.
The album was recorded over the span of a few months last year, using many of his existing musicians, plus the help of various Aussie engineers. According to Valdes, the experience couldn’t have been more different to what he was used to, though it was also incredibly exciting.
“Back in Mexico, I was recording a lot, all the time. We spent time every day in the studio. But, here in Australia it’s quite different – you need to make time and organise everything,” he said.
“The whole experience was very rewarding.”
Valdes said ‘Viva Mexico’ is the first album of Mexican regional music to be recorded in Australia, something he couldn’t be prouder to pioneer for the wider community here.
“I feel like I’m on the moon, it’s been amazing,” he said.
“This will pave the way for other young talent coming up with a Latin background. It’s very, very good for the multicultural Australian.”
It’s because of this that he can’t wait to put it on stage – especially at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres.
“It’s going to be sensational, because we’ve been hunting Parramatta Riverside for a while, we’ve really been wanting to play there,” he said.
“I think now is the right time, because everything is working so smoothly, and everyone at Riverside Theatre is so helpful and enthusiastic.”
The show, which also acts as an album launch, will be full of fan favourites that Valdes expects to see everyone up and dancing to.
“The album is a compilation of the most requested songs here in Australia, and also back in Mexico,” he said.
“They are songs that everybody sings along to, and that you expect everyone to sing and cheer to.”
Showcasing the best of Mariachi, Boleros, Banda, Son Jarocho, and Mexican cumbia right here in Australia, Valdes said a ticket to ‘Viva Mexico’ is like being teleported across the world.
“It’s truly an experience, it’s like being in Mexico for a couple of hours,” he said.
“If you don’t feel like catching a plane and going through all the hassle to go there, they better just buy a ticket to come to Riverside Theatre, because we’re going to give them a glimpse of all different styles of music from different regions of Mexicio.”
Victor Valdes’ ‘Viva Mexico’ will be on at Riverside Theatres on Saturday, February 17 at 7pm. Tickets start at $39. To book, visit http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au.
Cassidy Pearce is Parra News' entertainment journalist and beauty columnist. She is a graduate of the University of Technology Sydney.