Bill Orosco follow in the footsteps of Johnny Orosco. The Peruvian singer traveled to Argentina to record his first album, just as his uncle did in 1995, the year he founded Grupo Néctar. During his trip, the young man from Collique took the opportunity to record a mix with The San Alberto Band, a group recognized for paying tribute to Peruvian cumbia. The video is already on YouTube and has received good appreciation.
In an interview with La República, Bill was grateful for the opportunity he had to make his first album and for having collaborated with a foreign group. The 22-year-old artist also dared to talk about the comparisons made to him with Johnny Orosco and a possible collaboration with Deyvis Orosco. Likewise, he expressed his desire to represent Peru at the international level.
—What would happen if tomorrow you wake up and you can’t sing anymore? What would you do?
—I haven’t thought about it, but I’m still studying Digital Marketing. I have very little left to finish the race. I also like percussion. The good thing is that within music there are a thousand things to do, it is very broad. Not only can I hold my own with singing, I can also be a great musician.
—At almost 23 years old you have achieved a feat. with La San Alberto Band from Argentina, how did that collaboration come about?
—We had the opportunity to go to Argentina and record with La San Alberto Band, which is a very good band and is very close there. We had already been listening to them and it is a group that I have always liked and Walter León (their manager) too. We talked to them, the opportunity arose and that beautiful feat came out. It’s only the beginning because there are more and many surprises to come. I have a spectacular work team.
YOU CAN SEE: Bill Orosco accepts that Deyvis is “the true heir” of his uncle Johnny Orosco
—From the beginning, were you planning to record a mix or was it going to be a single song?
—There were a few, but we said “we can’t do so little because they sound very good, it’s a spectacular group.” So we decided to expand it and that mix came out. We also went to record a complete album as a new artist that does not have to be based on scandals or back and forth.
—You have also recorded with Chechito. Are they the new generation of cumbia and chicha?
-Exactly. We have done a very nice collaboration that has turned out spectacular and I am grateful for the invitation. More feats are coming. with other artists.
—How did you get along with him?
—He is a very good person, like the entire team at The Accomplices of Cumbia. They are very, very good. You can feel all the love they have for music. Besides, I also love this art, I have always loved music and I try to give my best on every stage, on every recording, in everything.
Bill Orosco pays tribute to Néctar on his first album
—You recorded your first album in Argentina, where Grupo Néctar was founded. Was it in honor of your uncle?
—The entire album is a tribute to my uncles Johnny and Enrique Orosco, a tribute to all the guys from Grupo Néctar. And on the second album you are going to know more about me. The idea was also to go to Argentina and learn about the beginnings of Grupo Néctar. Everyone remembers them and I have been surprised because so many years have passed and people still have that affection.
—How have you managed to record Grupo Néctar’s songs and maintain the essence without seeming like a copy or imitation?
—We have maintained the essence of each song, but we also have to accept that we are in different times. Grupo Néctar has a more balladist swing; On the other hand, ours is more danceable, you feel that freshness more. And it has not been necessary to use new instruments.
YOU CAN SEE: Bill Orosco on his bond with Deyvis: “I get along very well with my family”
—When the Grupo Néctar tragedy happened, you were only 6 years old. Do you have any memories from that time?
—Yes, but very vague. My family has always been very close. Every weekend I was at my uncle’s house, he came home tired from work or sometimes he wasn’t there because he had a tour. I have very few memories because being a musician takes away many things from you, such as sharing with your family.
—At what point in your life did you realize the weight of the surname Orosco?
—I realized the magnitude when my uncles died and by the number of people who gathered in Collique. That’s how I realized what Grupo Néctar and the surname Orosco meant.
—Of all the songs you perform by Grupo Néctar, which one do you like the most?
-‘Your photo’. It is a very beautiful song that calls you to remember. The lyrics are about having a photo that disappears over time, but that shouldn’t be. It should be an eternal memory and that is what I want: to never forget the essence of Grupo Néctar, the songs of Grupo Néctar, and to never forget Johnny Orosco and Enrique Orosco.
—Do you think your last name has taken you to where you are now?
—In part yes, we have to be realistic. The surname Orosco has a lot of weight and it is thanks to my uncle who has worked a lot for that. At the time of entering this world (of music), he has served a lot in meeting with experienced musicians, but he has also served a lot with work. The last name is useful, but if you don’t have discipline and work, where do you take it? It is also a very big responsibility because you cannot be involved in scandals. Personally, I don’t like it, I don’t want the surname to become famous because of scandals, but because of music.
—How do you feel when they tell you that you are “the reincarnation of Johnny Orosco”?
—It is a pride, a satisfaction, but it is also a very great weight. I greatly appreciate and respect everyone’s comments, but I don’t do it to imitate. I do it because I like it, because it comes from me. Sometimes they tell me ‘you are imitating’. I’m not going to remove my throat because they tell me I look alike and I’m going to get another one, or I’m going to sing differently.
—Does it bother you when they tell you that you are “the true heir of Grupo Nectar”?
—It doesn’t bother me. I have always said that the heir is my cousin, Deyvis. Opinions are respected and I am always very grateful to the people who are supporting and encouraging me to be better every day, as a person and as a professional.
Bill rules out rivalry with Deyvis Orosco
—How do you ensure that comparisons with Deyvis Orosco do not affect you?
—My manager tells me: “You don’t have to step on the stick, there are going to be many obstacles along the way and many comparisons.” My mother is always there, supporting me. There are people who discourage you with a comment. It’s not my case.
—In a previous interview, you said that you would like to collaborate with Deyvis Orosco. What topic could it be?
—There wouldn’t be one in specific. We could record all the songs. It would be in honor of my uncle and the people. If it happens, let it be with great affection. As I say: with more affection.
YOU CAN SEE: Bill Orosco is excited to be called Johnny Orosco’s ‘heir’: “I feel very flattered”
—In your repertoire you have many songs from Grupo Néctar. Hasn’t Deyvis given you trouble for playing her father’s songs?
—In this case we try to have everything in order, to ask for permission from all the authors to be able to do a good job, without having any problems with anyone. It is one of the things that we have considered from the beginning: to be in order with all the authors because we must respect their works.
—Sometimes it is the other interpreters who complain and not the authors.
—Yes, but I ask permission from the authors, nothing more, and the approval of the public. He (Deyvis) may have a style when singing it, I have mine. There is an audience for everyone.
—How do you get along with Piero, Deyvis’s younger brother?
—Yes, we are like dirt. I get along spectacularly with him, we have always been together.
—Would you like Piero to get into music?
-Why not? It would be a pleasure if the Orosco surname was bigger and known by more people. It would be something spectacular.
—How do you take care of your voice so that it doesn’t play tricks on you at altitude?
—The last name has weight. You have to take care of your voice, you don’t have to be drinking, you have to be in singing classes. I don’t want to stay with what I know, I want to learn more, and a professional singer has to continue practicing, studying. I have also had a singing teacher who has taught me many things. I have improved my voice from the beginning. Before, he sang and the next day he was already hoarse. Now I have been in Cerro de Pasco, I have sung for about 4 or 5 hours by myself and everything was calm. Height no longer affects me. At first yes, because there was no that experience and that discipline.
YOU CAN SEE: Johnny Orosco’s nephew sang Nectar’s song in Pasco and users react: “Stay humble like that”
—Now who, for you, is the greatest reference of Peruvian cumbia?
—I have a lot of respect for all the artists like Corazón Serrano, Grupo 5, Caribeños de Guadalupe, Agua Marina and even my cousin (Deyvis Orosco). I value what they are doing so that cumbia does not remain only in Peru. My mentality is for Peruvian cumbia to go abroad because it is very rich, very good. Everyone is doing that work so that cumbia continues to stand out, that’s why I don’t have a specific reference.
—What is your great dream as an artist?
—What I want is for coastal cumbia and the essence of Grupo Néctar to never die. The essence of Nectar is Johnny, Deyvis, and I want to follow the same step. Others will come after me and I want them to do it with all the love, not to think only about money, because nowadays some young people only think about generating money. You have to do it because you like it, you are passionate about it and to be better.
—Is it a dream for you to arrive in Viña del Mar and represent Peru?
—It is not a dream because it is something that can be done if we continue working as we are and with the projection we have. Why not get to the Grammy? We Peruvians can do it. I repeat, it is not a dream because sometimes a dream does not come true, you have to make it come true.
—What would you say to all the people who support you and who remind you of Johnny?
—Thank you for all the love you are giving me and for all the comments that encourage me. For my part, they will always have music. I am going to try to present to you the best of me, the best of this essence and the best of this genre that is cumbia. I will always do it, as I say, with more affection.