Eduardo Cabra was the man behind the music.
For nearly a decade, he produced the sound of the popular Puerto Rican band, Calle 13.
Cabra and his brother formed the alternative hip-hop group in 2004, and their blend of genres and social commentary won them a slew of awards, including three Grammys.
A definitive soundtrack of South Florida would no doubt include songs by the duo like Atrévete-te-te or Pa'l Norte. The duo went by stage names — him, "Visitante", and his brother, "Residente".
After Calle 13 dissolved in 2015, Cabra started shedding this persona.
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"It was growing up — a different feeling about who am I, and I just wanted to be clear that 'Visitante' was a department of my life and my music. It wasn't my life," Cabra said on WLRN's Sundial.
He's been fully embracing life as the solo artist Cabra. His second album, Martínez was nominated this year for a Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album for songs like Toco Madera.
Making music is his purpose and as devotee to his craft, he's trying something different.
"It's very easy to keep doing the same thing forever. And for a lot of people, it works," he said. "[But] for me, that's the best way to explain it, it's to learn new stuff and to be better."
Standing in front a microphone has pushed him out of his comfort zone and laid bare his thoughts and feelings. And this challenge has made him a better producer, he said. In his discomfort, he's found growth.
It's not easy to critique yourself, Cabra said, but in his sophomore solo album, he feels — and hears — the confidence. He has learned to tap into his strengths as a producer.
"I was trying to be a singer in the first album and [in] the second .... the performance is better, the ideas are coming better," he said.
He said he sympathizes and respects the responsibility that comes with performing. He said it takes skill to be evocative when recording a song and to effectively express its essence.
"I always said that studios are like beauty parlors," he said. "The good things, the bad things — you open yourself."
He also encourages that level of vulnerability and humanity during collaborations. He's using his experience to help produce other artists looking for their big break.
For example, he's been working with the Afro-Cuban singer, Daymé Arocena. Together they spent five months producing her next album at his studio in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Regardless of what role he's playing in the music-making process — he doesn't shy away from thinking outside the box or drawing from a range of emotions and experiences.
"I think that's a nice way to make an album, because that's part of… de la vida — it's part of life," he said.
