“Singing in Spanish signifies staying close to who I am,” he says. “I dream in Spanish. I think in Spanish. I want to continue doing my music in Spanish.”

For his “The Shadow of Your Smile” duet with Bennett, however, Juanes made an exception: “I said, ‘Okay, if I sing in English, then Tony has to sing in Spanish, and that’s what we did.”

But Juanes is not just an international pop star—his latest CD, La Vida es un Ratico [Universal Music], set a record by selling more than 6 million downloads before its release—and a thrilling vocalist. He’s also a fiery guitarist whose sound evokes Clapton and Santana, and requires no translation.

How did you start playing guitar?
My family used to play all the time. I started on a nylon-string guitar when I was seven years old, playing folk music from Cuba and Argentina. When I was 14 years old, I bought my first electric guitar—a Cort—and I went crazy with metal music. I became a huge Metallica fan, and I learned to play their songs. In fact, some friends of mine used to send me Guitar Player, and I remember you guys used to have interviews and lessons from James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett in the magazine. But I never had an opportunity to go to school and learn theory, so I learned mostly by ear. I remember when I was around 15, I had these Metallica cassettes, and I’d try to learn how to play “Fade to Black” or “Seek and Destroy.” That’s what I did for almost seven years, and then I started to combine all the influences I have on the Latin side into the electric guitar. Today, all the riffs and solos I play always have a little base of Colombian music mixed with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. So now, I sing in Spanish, but I can play guitar in English!

I hear the Colombian influence on “La Camisa Negra.”
That’s the perfect example of what I’m telling you. The riff is Colombian style—like guasca music—but when I play it on a Fender Telecaster, it goes to a different place. I think of what I do as a bridge between folk music, vallenato music—which includes some of the most important rhythms from Colombia—and rock music, and right in the middle is where my music is. If you take out the electric guitar and the drums, and put in accordion and some raspa [a simplified form of música tropical that emerged in the late 1960s], then you have a folk song from Colombia. The skeleton is folk music, and the things you put over it are like a dress. The essence is coming from Colombia.

The guitar solo on “Rosario Tijeras” has vibrato and bends that Santana would be proud of. 
I really love Santana’s playing. He has influenced me a lot. Someday, I would love to record one of my songs with Santana. He’s in my music all the time. The essence and taste of “Rosario Tijeras” is salsa music. The song came from a book of the same name that talks about my city—Medellin—in the early ’80s, when all the narcos and cartels used to be really strong. In the book, Rosario Tijeras is described as a woman who is always searching for love she can never find. Everything for her is death and sex. It’s a really disturbing life.

Many people in the United States do not have any idea what has been going on in Colombia—events that have inspired you to write songs such as “Qué Pasa? (What’s Happening?)”, “A Dios le Pido (I Ask God),” and “Sueños (Dreams).” 
Yes. As a Colombian, I sometimes get frustrated when I go out of my country, and I see that people do not know anything about us. Or they just know the bad side of the story, and do not know that we are good people. We really believe in the future, and we have a lot of things to share with the rest of the world. I think music definitely is one of the most powerful tools for exchanging cultures and teaching people about different countries. This is why singing in Spanish is very important to me. When I toured Europe and Asia, it was amazing how people could connect to the music and the melodies—even if they didn’t understand the lyrics.

How do approach the mechanics of songwriting?
The first thing I have to do when I write music is to feel something. I like to use my music to express my feelings, my fears, and my hopes. Perhaps this is why many of my songs are about reality. Music is not just about love—there are lots of things that are part of life—and I find I’m often drawn to social issues. For example, “Sueños” is a song about one of the most difficult problems we have in Colombia, which is the kidnapping thing.

Musically speaking, I take my guitar, come up with three or four chords, and then I improvise some melodies. I record everything on my laptop with a Digidesign MBox, just trying to get one good line. Then, I develop the melodies on the verses, choruses, and bridge. I write the lyrics afterwards, because the melody gives me the words—it’s like magic.

Do you have a regular way of practicing? Do you play scales, or do you just jam?
I do all kinds of things. Sometimes, I practice exercises, and, sometimes, I play blues or jazz and try to improvise over changes. I like to do both. I am still learning, and I try to learn from everybody. I started with Metallica, and then I listened to Dave Gilmour, Santana, Clapton, and Hendrix. Now, I listen to John Mayer. He’s really young, but I think he’s one of the most amazing guitar players from these times. I’ll also go to YouTube and look for Paul Gilbert lessons. I practice all the time.

What’s your usual gear setup?
For guitars, it’s all Fenders. I have a Telecaster Thinline, a Power Tele, and a custom Stratocaster. If I want something rhythmic that cuts real clean, I use a Telecaster. For solos and anything warmer, it’s the Stratocaster. My strings are Ernie Ball, gauged .010-.046, and my picks are the heavy Fenders. When I play live, I plug into a Bogner Ecstasy head and 2x12 cabinet. For recording, I like the Fender Prosonic amplifier, and I’ll also use a Line 6 DL-4 Delay Modeler and a Boss Overdrive. I never use pedals onstage—just the clean and distortion channels on the amp.

What do you feel has been the experience most critical to your development as a musician?
Well, it took me a lot of years to understand that I was not going to be James Hetfield. Ever. [Laughs.] But, because of that dream I had about trying to be Metallica, I started my own rock band. And now, I’m still trying to find my own way to the music.