Why Juanes Has Never Done a Crossover Song in English (Exclusive) ArticlePure

Juanes is not interested in singing in English. 

The Colombian musician, 52, told PEOPLE at the Toronto International Film Festival — where his upcoming movie Pimpinero: Blood and Oil had its world premiere — that he does not “think it’s necessary” for him to make music in English.

Juanes, born Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, said, “My English is not perfect. When you start singing in another language, it’s really hard, you know? Because you have to think a lot more with the pronunciation of the words and you lose the soul.”

The Grammy winner noted that he appreciates music in the English language, but does not aspire to create it.

“I’ve been doing music for years and years, but now, I don’t think it’s necessary to sing in English. I feel connected with my language — I still think in Spanish and dream in Spanish,” he told PEOPLE. 

Juanes’ new movie, in which he stars alongside Laura Osma, Alejandro Speitzer and Alberto Guerra, had its world premiere at the festival on Monday, Sept. 9. Set to stream on Prime Video later this year, the movie is directed by Narcos director Andrés Baiz and follows three brothers “as they descend into the intrigue, corruption, and moral chaos of the organized crime world.”

The 26-time Latin Grammy Award winner, who is making his theatrical debut in the flick, also told PEOPLE that the experience was “amazing.”

“I really enjoyed [it]… It was far from my normal life,” he said. “But at the same time, for me, acting is a little way to make art. And I used to act when I was a little kid, with my family. My brother used to have a 16mm camera and he used to make home TV-style things.”

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Juanes is also currently on his Vida Cotidiana World Tour in support of his 2023 album and has upcoming stops in San Bernardino, Paraguay; Santiago, Chile; Saint Louis, Mo.; and Los Angeles. 

Earlier this summer, he opened up about his tour experience with an Instagram post that included video and photo highlights from the show.

“Can’t stop thinking about how much fun we’ve had on this leg of the Europe tour. Thank you for the love and the opportunity to have sung for everyone,” he captioned the post.