More coverage of BMI's activities at SXSW2008 is available here.

With a name that is both short and to the point, the same way the band’s four members make music, Circo is impossible to forget. And that’s how “Cursi” (Campy), their new and first album for Sony BMG, in the market this September, is going to be.

The creative and circus-like mind of the band’s incomparable master of ceremonies, lead singer José Luis Abreu, “Fofé,” works in perfect synchronicity with his group colleagues: Edgardo “Egui” Santiago (keyboard, accordion, melodica and electric guitar); José David Pérez (drums and vibraphone); and Orlando “Orly” Méndez (guitar).

After two successful albums, “No Todo Lo Que Es Pop Es Bueno” (Not Everything That Is Pop Is Good, launched in 2001 and re-released in 2003), and “En El Cielo De Tu Boca” (In The Roof Of Your Mouth, 2005), Circo returns to the musical arena with Sony BMG as new music label, and a production that will cement the fact that what Circo has accomplished all these years has been much more than accidental.

“Before being with Sony, we gambled on developing our careers outside of the United States and Puerto Rico, which is our base,” says Fofé. “In that sense, we went upstream, like the salmon in the song ‘Ser Salmón’ [Being a Salmon, from “En El Cielo De Tu Boca”]. We did not go unnoticed.”

But Circo’s talent begged for more, and their potential seemed to be getting stuck as an incomplete promise. So, in a death-defying career balancing act, the quartet from the western region of Puerto Rico decided to look for another record label.

“At that moment, it was like starting all over again,” remembers Fofé.

The curtains had not fallen over their act, although for some it may have seemed that way. During that time, bass player Nicolás Cordero “Nico,” opted out for another path in life.

“He was the youngest in the group, and he wanted to go back to school,” says Fofé. “So from a quintet we became a quartet, and we stayed like that. We spent our time composing and making demos. We did that for a whole year, working little by little. Rather than lie down and die, it’s best to keep on working. When you’ve been in this business as long as we have, you will experience everything.”

As a student in a Catholic school, Fofé’s first experience in music was music in the student choir. Once in high school, he took part in different groups, and during his university years, he had a band, De Facto, which was mainly influenced by the British pop groups of the 80s.

In the 1990s, another band was taking shape, El Manjar de los Dioses (The Food of the Gods), which required an essential element to become reality: a front man or lead singer. That would be Fofé.

“El Manjar de los Dioses was a band that was expected to become Puerto Rico’s answer to Caifanes,” says the artist, who also worked as the Puerto Rican rock scene’s correspondent for the famous music magazine “La Banda Elástica.”

With the rise of El Manjar de los Dioses, the recognition of its star vocalist increased. And so did the threat of breaking up.

“We were getting ready to come out with our third album for El Manjar de los Dioses, the record we hoped would get us noticed in a big way and bring us major deals with multinationals. But the band fell apart.”

Fofé then recruited David and Egui, former members of El Manjar, and together they joined forces in a new adventure: the creation of Circo in 2001.

“We all wanted to keep this going, to be known, to take our sounds to an international level and have serious careers in music,” says Fofé. “So, we decided to go ahead with the record, but as Circo. We chose some of the songs that I had written, plus some new ones, and we isolated ourselves for three months. We carried out auditions, chose Nico the bass player and invited Orlando.”

The outcome: “No Todo Lo Que Es Pop Es Bueno.” First as an independent production, then, multinational, repackaged and relaunched as a double CD, with live and new tracks. They received two nominations to the Latin GRAMMY awards, and devoted themselves to extensive and intense tours throughout México and Latin America. The Circo was in town.

In 2005, Circo released “En El Cielo De Tu Boca.” Two more nominations to the Latin GRAMMYs, more concerts, more radio success. And now?

“Cursi.”

“The albums shows how the group has evolved on a musical level,” explains Fofé enthusiastically. “It is called ‘Cursi’ because I wanted to explore the theme of love explicitly with all its rejections and seductions. I don’t mean to say that there won’t be any metaphors, but it is more direct, in a style that I had not explored previously. There are stories here, but the record is pretty danceable and radio-friendly. All our songs are an invitation to dance and to celebrate feelings.”

Shown after the panel are BMI's Jerry Vila, Famous Music Publishing's Claribel Cuevas, BMI's Porfirio Piña, Sun Trust Bank's Maria Lazarus, BMI's Diane Almodovar, label owner and manager Raúl López, Circo lead singer Fofé, BMI's Joey Mercado and Sony/BMG's Eddie Perez.

Among the topics discussed were royalties and collections, the role of BMI in a songwriter's career, artist management, the effects of piracy and marketing.

Panelists address the audience at the Hard Rock Café in San Juan

BMI is proud to announce the launch of BMILatin.com, a new website created for Spanish-speaking songwriters, composers, music publishers and professional music users that spotlights BMI Latin writers and artists.

"BMILatin.com is an excellent resource for our Spanish-speaking affiliates, as well as for anyone interested in finding out more information about BMI's Latin songwriters and artists," said Diane Almodovar, Assistant Vice President of Latin Music at BMI.

BMILatin.com also features all the same tools as BMI's award-winning website, BMI.com, such as Online Services and the Listening Room, which includes streaming audio from the latest BMI Latin Sounds CD sampler. Access to news stories, photo galleries, a calendar of BMI Latin events, showcases and panels, and songwriter/artist profiles is also available.

Founded in 1939, BMI is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music, including such Latin Grammy winners and nominees as Intocable, Juanes, Ramon Ayala, Gloria Estefan, Gilberto Gil, Circo, A.B. and the Kumbia Kings, Shakira, Carlos Santana, Kinky and Bacilos. Through its music performance and reciprocal agreements with sister organizations around the world, it grants businesses and media access to its repertoire of approximately 4.5 million songs and compositions.

The two Latin Grammy nominations (Best Rock Album, Best New Artist) and a big feature in Los Angeles' New Times the same week of “El Grito de BMI” spread the word about Circo like wildfire.

However, minutes before the show, some close to the band showed concern about the fact that there had been no sound-check. Singer José Luis “Fofé” Abreu looked at them with his trademark devilish smirk and said: “Don't worry about it. We're used to it. Just watch us.”

From the second he stepped on the stage, Abreu and his four cohorts left no doubt as to the reasons behind the two Latin Grammy nominations: tight musicianship, great songs and a lead singer that even on a bad night can out-sing the best of them.

“Little by little, things have been working just fine for the band,” said Abreu. “And it seems we're beginning to develop a legion of fans out here.” Some of those fans already knew Fofe, keyboardist Edgardo Santiago and drummer Jose David Perez from El Manjar de los Dioses, an important Puerto Rican fusion band that recorded two albums before Abreu decided to go beyond ethnicity.

“I wanted to do more than just being the novelty Latin-fusion band,” said Abreu, who completed his new concept with the addition of bassist Nico Cordero and ace guitarist Orlando Méndez. The debut was at an event-stopping showcase at the 2001 Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York. It was the beginning of a fan base that took them well-beyond San Juan and the Big Apple.

Indeed, the LA Circoheads -- most of them women who know all the songs by heart -- are the latest of triumphs for a band who enjoys virtually no airplay and whose strength lies solely in the power of its music -- and a little visual element.

“Okay, we like to use colorful ties and slacks,” says Abreu. “But that's just a little game. We're about the music, and that's the only reason we're going to be around for a long time.”

Juanes

Shakira

Kike Santander

Thalia

Other top BMI Latin Grammy nominees include Emilio Estefan, Javier Garza, Sebastian Krys, Kenny O'Brien and last year's big winner Juanes, with three nominations each. Circo earned two nods including Best New Artist and Best Rock Album By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for No Todo Lo Que Es Pop Es Bueno. Among those earning one nomination each were Latin divas Shakira and Thalia, as well as Kike Santander for Producer of the Year, Charlie Zaa for Best Traditional Tropical Album and Kinky for Best Rock Album.

BMI's Delia Orjuela (center) congratulates nominees Charlie Zaa and Juanes at the Latin Grammy's press conference.

The 3rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards will be held on September 18 in Hollywood at Kodak Theatre and be broadcast by the CBS Television Network (9-11 p.m. EDT/PDT), carried on radio via the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation and Westwood One worldwide, and featured on the Internet on GRAMMY.com and America Online, Inc. (AOL Keyword: Latin GRAMMY). Last year's show, scheduled for September 11, was cancelled.

BMI's 2002 LATIN GRAMMY NOMINEES

4 Nominations
Humberto Gatica

3 Nominations
Emilio Estefan
Javier Garza
Juanes
Sebastian Krys
Kenny O'Brien

2 Nominations
Circo

1 Nomination
Atrapado
Ramon Ayala y Sus Bravos Del Norte
William Cepeda
David Lee Garza y Los Musicales
Gilberto Gil
Jimmy Gonzales y El Grupo Mazz
Charlie Haden
Los Huracanes Del Norte
Isidro Infante
Intocable
Kinky
Ivan Lins
Edu Lobo
Israel "Cachao" L�pez
Archie Pe�a
Kike Santander
Shakira
Omar Sosa
Thalia
Bebo Vald�s
Carlos "Patato" Vald�s
Charlie Zaa