Today we’d like to introduce you to Milciades Cantillo.
Hi Milciades, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am a singer-songwriter, actor, and music producer born in the city of Valledupar, the crib of vallenato music, I have six sisters and a brother with whom I share a love for art. At the age of 9, already a child passionate about this native genre of the country, I recorded my first musical album, with which I debuted as a composer of the songs ‘La gente buena’ and ‘Niño triste’. With these, I paid tribute to my father, who died as a victim of the violence that exists in my country Colombia.
After graduating from high school in Santa Marta, I arrived to Bogotá to pursue my musical dream. I went to study sound engineering and music production. In addition, I began to be part of various musical groups performing as a drummer and singer. This allowed me to be chosen as one of the main voices of Matidelina, one of the most prestigious vallenato nightclubs in the capital.
Matidelina was the place where I began to conquer my first followers, I also shared the stage with several of the best musicians and producers in the country, who left an impressive mark on my musical work.
Besides my brother Jerónimo Cantillo, who was in charge of the accordion, and the co-production of several of my best friends, I produced my first album in 2016, nominated ‘There will be no other like it,’ which includes hits like ‘De ti me gusta todo’, ‘Lo que me gusta’ and ‘Tu, tu, tu’.
Undoubtedly, my musical career had already taken off and in 2017, I recorded 13 songs for a Telenovela ‘LOS MORALES’ at Canal Caracol, performing the voice of Kaleth Morales. This has been one of the challenges that has marked me the most in my professional career.
A year later, I was a finalist in a TV Show ‘A Otro Nivel’, at Canal Caracol, in which I managed to captivate many viewers who were unaware of my singing and style, representing my musical genre ‘Vallenato’.
In 2019, with a lot of perseverance and hard work, I won the leading role in Telenovela ‘El Hijo Del Cacique’, in which I entered the world of acting for the first time and with a great challenge in hand: to play the ‘Great Martin Elias’. I did this work with great respect, love, and admiration for Martin’s artistic career, but above all for the humble person he was and that I will remember forever.
In 2022 I just released a studio album called ‘Ábreme’ which has 10 songs. The album was recorded in the city of Miami and the video for the first single was recorded in Utah with the visual production of Johan Perez and the WeDesign company using the best landscapes of Utah such as: Park City, Great salt flats, and Salt Lake City.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hasn’t been a smooth road at all. First of all, I got to leave my home cause’ my family were a violence victim of the war that Colombia has been living for years. With discipline, passion, and hard work I’ve been leaving little footprints, and this keeps going. But not everything it’s been hard work, I’ve been enjoying a lot my process, I couldn’t fight for my dreams if this wasn’t a passion, a truly love for music.
My biggest challenge right now is to show my vallenato music to this new country, I’m beginning to know, and show the best of my Colombian culture through the music, that is the best road to build peace in every corner of this world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In my creative process as an artist, I do all by my own, I produce, compose, do all the musical arrangements, sing; in my own estudio. I do it cause’ this is what I studied, and I’m mostly proud to be a %100 into my project, and this let me expand my creativity and land every idea that comes through my inspiration, and to get the final result just as I imagine. This is something. The creative process is my passion and what amazed me and keeps me motivated when I get that dreamed single.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I’ve learned to work through the distance with my musician friends and simplify the time in real quality time to get amazing results. Definitely learned to be even more independent. Music was my therapy in a crucial time as the Covid-19 crisis, without it I couldn’t feel productive, even in a very peaceful time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cantillomusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cantillomusic/?hl=es
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CantilloMusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cantillomusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CantilloMusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0n4aVCK3tYhqhfgB6iAeft?si=fatECX-9Qg-ki52MFi-osg
Image Credits
Elvis Rivero
Caracol Tv
