Peter Manjarrés: Vallenato is a musical genre from Colombia’s Caribbean, with lyrics that tell stories of everyday life, love, heartbreak, and life with all its emotions.
Peter Manjarrés embodies this with his ability to interpret deeply emotional lyrics. In this song, “Se está acabando el año,” rich in musicality, he transports us to the welcome December, where many emotions surface.
“I’ll tell you, just as I wrote the song ‘Que Dios te Bendiga,’ which became a birthday anthem, I also wanted to create a Christmas song. Everything has its moment, that’s true—I actually took 20 years to write it—but I feel calm and satisfied now because it’s the song I dreamed of. The most important thing was that it didn’t sound like any of the others out there, and there are many great ones. I just let myself be guided by emotion and inspiration, crafting lyrics that are joyful yet deeply nostalgic, because Christmas has that contrast where some are happy, and others grow sad because they’re not with their loved ones, not in their homeland, especially in countries where people long for the land they may not be able to visit. When I wrote it, I also wanted to send a message of reconciliation to those who’ve had arguments during the year, whether friends or family. For whatever reason, I ask them to listen and seek forgiveness or apologies, to reflect, because that’s the beauty of Christmas.”
In his long career, “The Gentleman of Vallenato” proudly presents his new album, *La Jerarquía*, alongside accordionist Luis José Villa.
“This album features songs like ‘La Jerarquía,’ by master Gustavo Gutiérrez, which reflects the kind of love I’m experiencing—it’s one of my favorites. There’s also a beautiful song, a porro I adapted into vallenato called ‘Imágenes.’ We produced this album with great professionalism and emotion, and I think the fact that it was considered by the Latin Grammy Academy, with the awards taking place on November 13, means it has excellent arrangements and sound. This shows we’re making good music that people will enjoy.”
Additionally, the two-time Latin Grammy winner states:
“With the nomination, I’ll be honest and sincere—I feel happy and grateful to God, even if I don’t win. Just being considered among four other colleagues, making us five nominees, is a blessing for the work we put into *La Jerarquía*, a purely vallenato album we created without commercial pressure but with passion. I believe you have to celebrate others’ successes so that yours will come. You can’t expect to win everything or that only good things will happen to you. The only way to enjoy life is to celebrate both others’ triumphs and your own. Remember, we take nothing with us—sometimes we worry, we suffer—so what’s left? Enjoy life while you’re alive.”
The album’s title represents many aspects of his musical and personal life, as it’s dedicated to his son, Pedro Manjarrés Junior, and his wife, Tata Becerra.
“The baby is a dream come true, a blessing from God because I’d always wanted a boy since I have three daughters. That’s why we were hoping for a son (laughs). I love my daughters with all my heart, but he was the inspiration behind this album. He’s brought so many blessings, and as they say in Colombia, a new child brings bread under his arm. We’re over the moon, completely smitten with this baby. It’s like he’s recharged Peter Manjarrés’ engine. I have an empathy with him that you wouldn’t believe—every time he sees me, he bursts into laughter and opens his arms. That’s priceless,” concluded the artist from Valledupar.
By Rossana Azuero – RossanaAzu@aol.com
