Central Florida Review had a chance to sit down and interview multi-Grammy Award winning singer, Andrés Cepeda, as he kicked off his North American tour.
Few artists have managed to build the kind of lasting emotional connection with audiences that Andrés Cepeda has cultivated over more than three decades in music. The Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter from Bogotá, Colombia has become one of Latin music’s most respected and enduring voices, blending romance, nostalgia, vulnerability, and storytelling into a career that has spanned generations. From his early days with Colombian rock band Poligamia to a celebrated solo career that has produced sixteen studio albums and countless unforgettable performances, Cepeda has remained an artist defined not only by musical excellence, but by authenticity.
Now, as he brings the final U.S. leg of his deeply personal “Bogotá” tour to audiences across America, Florida fans will have three opportunities to experience the magic live: May 19 in Tampa, May 21 in Orlando, and May 22 in Miami.
As Cepeda reflected on the tour, there was a sense of gratitude woven through every story he shared. Even after nearly two years on the road and more than three decades in the spotlight, he spoke about performing with the same excitement he once felt as a teenager first discovering music in Bogotá. For him, the stage had never lost its magic. Every tour, he explained, evolved constantly through new arrangements, visuals, musicians, and storytelling so that both the audience and the performers continued discovering something fresh within the songs.
Music itself entered his life through deeply personal circumstances. As a child, Cepeda studied piano from an early age, but during his pre-teen years he struggled with a severe stutter that made communication difficult. Singing while playing piano was suggested as part of therapy, and unexpectedly, music became the bridge that helped him find his voice. Songwriting soon followed, allowing him to express emotions and experiences in ways ordinary conversation could not.
Those early discoveries eventually led to the formation of Poligamia, the school rock band that unexpectedly launched his career after winning a nationwide competition in Colombia. What followed was a whirlwind rise that introduced Cepeda to national audiences while he was still very young. Looking back, he spoke warmly about those years, remembering them as the beginning of a lifelong relationship with music that never stopped evolving.
As his career matured, so did his songwriting. What began as youthful emotional expression slowly transformed into something more layered and introspective. After studying sound engineering and production in the United States, Cepeda became deeply involved in every aspect of his records — writing, producing, engineering, and mixing — shaping music that carried both technical precision and emotional sincerity.
Throughout the conversation, Cepeda repeatedly returned to one central idea: authenticity. In discussing today’s music industry, he acknowledged how much easier it had become for artists to release music into the world, but also how much harder it had become to truly stand out. His advice to younger musicians centered not on chasing trends, but on discovering their own identity and artistic voice. Longevity, he believed, came from honesty — from creating music that genuinely reflected who you are.
That honesty perhaps revealed itself most powerfully when he spoke about Bogotá itself. Despite years of international touring, the city had remained the emotional center of his life. Cepeda shared that he eventually purchased the house where he was born and raised, only to realize upon returning that while places can remain, time cannot. The absence of his parents inside those familiar walls became an emotional turning point that inspired the “Bogotá” album.
He began revisiting the cafés, streets, schools, parks, and neighborhoods that shaped his memories, turning those reflections into songs filled with longing, identity, and love for home. The result became one of the most personal projects of his career — an album designed not simply to describe Bogotá, but to allow listeners to experience the city emotionally through his memories and perspective.
By the end of the conversation, what stood out most was not simply Cepeda’s awards or accomplishments, but the sincerity behind them. Decades into his career, he still spoke about music with humility, gratitude, and wonder — as though the same young musician who once discovered his voice through song was still very much present within the artist audiences see today.
For Florida audiences, these upcoming performances offer far more than a concert. They offer an evening with one of Latin music’s most heartfelt storytellers — an artist whose songs carry decades of memory, emotion, romance, and life experience. Whether in Tampa on May 19, Orlando on May 21, or Miami on May 22, fans will have the chance to witness an artist who continues to perform not out of routine, but out of genuine love for the music and the people listening.
Central Florida Review will proudly be in attendance for the Orlando performance on May 21, and if this conversation revealed anything, it is that Andrés Cepeda is bringing much more than songs to the stage — he is bringing stories, memories, and a lifetime of emotion that audiences will undoubtedly carry with them long after the final note fades.
Few artists have managed to build the kind of lasting emotional connection with audiences that Andrés Cepeda has cultivated over more than three decades in music. The Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter from Bogotá, Colombia has become one of Latin music’s most respected and enduring voices, blending romance, nostalgia, vulnerability, and storytelling into a career that has spanned generations. From his early days with Colombian rock band Poligamia to a celebrated solo career that has produced sixteen studio albums and countless unforgettable performances, Cepeda has remained an artist defined not only by musical excellence, but by authenticity.
Now, as he brings the final U.S. leg of his deeply personal “Bogotá” tour to audiences across America, Florida fans will have three opportunities to experience the magic live: May 19 in Tampa, May 21 in Orlando, and May 22 in Miami.
As Cepeda reflected on the tour, there was a sense of gratitude woven through every story he shared. Even after nearly two years on the road and more than three decades in the spotlight, he spoke about performing with the same excitement he once felt as a teenager first discovering music in Bogotá. For him, the stage had never lost its magic. Every tour, he explained, evolved constantly through new arrangements, visuals, musicians, and storytelling so that both the audience and the performers continued discovering something fresh within the songs.
Music itself entered his life through deeply personal circumstances. As a child, Cepeda studied piano from an early age, but during his pre-teen years he struggled with a severe stutter that made communication difficult. Singing while playing piano was suggested as part of therapy, and unexpectedly, music became the bridge that helped him find his voice. Songwriting soon followed, allowing him to express emotions and experiences in ways ordinary conversation could not.
Those early discoveries eventually led to the formation of Poligamia, the school rock band that unexpectedly launched his career after winning a nationwide competition in Colombia. What followed was a whirlwind rise that introduced Cepeda to national audiences while he was still very young. Looking back, he spoke warmly about those years, remembering them as the beginning of a lifelong relationship with music that never stopped evolving.
As his career matured, so did his songwriting. What began as youthful emotional expression slowly transformed into something more layered and introspective. After studying sound engineering and production in the United States, Cepeda became deeply involved in every aspect of his records — writing, producing, engineering, and mixing — shaping music that carried both technical precision and emotional sincerity.
Throughout the conversation, Cepeda repeatedly returned to one central idea: authenticity. In discussing today’s music industry, he acknowledged how much easier it had become for artists to release music into the world, but also how much harder it had become to truly stand out. His advice to younger musicians centered not on chasing trends, but on discovering their own identity and artistic voice. Longevity, he believed, came from honesty — from creating music that genuinely reflected who you are.
That honesty perhaps revealed itself most powerfully when he spoke about Bogotá itself. Despite years of international touring, the city had remained the emotional center of his life. Cepeda shared that he eventually purchased the house where he was born and raised, only to realize upon returning that while places can remain, time cannot. The absence of his parents inside those familiar walls became an emotional turning point that inspired the “Bogotá” album.
He began revisiting the cafés, streets, schools, parks, and neighborhoods that shaped his memories, turning those reflections into songs filled with longing, identity, and love for home. The result became one of the most personal projects of his career — an album designed not simply to describe Bogotá, but to allow listeners to experience the city emotionally through his memories and perspective.
By the end of the conversation, what stood out most was not simply Cepeda’s awards or accomplishments, but the sincerity behind them. Decades into his career, he still spoke about music with humility, gratitude, and wonder — as though the same young musician who once discovered his voice through song was still very much present within the artist audiences see today.
For Florida audiences, these upcoming performances offer far more than a concert. They offer an evening with one of Latin music’s most heartfelt storytellers — an artist whose songs carry decades of memory, emotion, romance, and life experience. Whether in Tampa on May 19, Orlando on May 21, or Miami on May 22, fans will have the chance to witness an artist who continues to perform not out of routine, but out of genuine love for the music and the people listening.
Central Florida Review will proudly be in attendance for the Orlando performance on May 21, and if this conversation revealed anything, it is that Andrés Cepeda is bringing much more than songs to the stage — he is bringing stories, memories, and a lifetime of emotion that audiences will undoubtedly carry with them long after the final note fades.
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