Daniel Pérez and his son Jairo, residents of Piloña, are united by more than just blood ties: their passion for Asturian folk music. This hobby, so unusual in these times when traditional music is giving way to more commercial styles, makes his family the vocal guardians of the region’s musical culture.
What is most surprising about this pair of singers is their youth: Daniel is 33 years old and Jairo is only 12, and, despite the generational difference, it is the son who has encouraged his father to enter the world of tonada. However, Daniel’s taste for this genre is not new. Since he was a child, he felt a natural attraction to traditional music, which, without realizing it, he passed on to his son: “I never heard anyone sing it at home, but I liked it and sang something. Years went by and when he was born, I sang to him to put him to sleep at night,” he remembers.
In this environment full of traditional melodies, Jairo began to grow and at the age of two he was already humming the songs that his father sang to him. His mother, Miri, sensing his innate interest, decided to enroll him in folk music classes. It was the little boy who, at the age of 6, took the first step to take his hobby to another level, demonstrating his enormous talent: “I really liked it and I realized that I had the voice for it.” And he was not the only one, his teacher, Narciso Fernández Arduengo, a pioneer in the defense of this native musical genre, also saw extraordinary potential in the boy: “He told me that I was going to be worth a lot and that I was going to go far, and that motivated me. I would like to be a reference one day,” explains the young singer.
Each of them has his own style and preferences. Daniel, with his bass voice, sings in B flat, and his repertoire cannot be without the popular song “Soy pastor”. Meanwhile, Jairo stands out as a tenor singing in C sharp, with “Dos villes tiene Langreo” being his signature song.
“If there is something you like and you are good at, you have to fight for it,” says Daniel Pérez. And so they do, father and son, caring for and cultivating this hobby by attending classes, rehearsing together and entering competitions, where they have achieved numerous successes. Jairo has accumulated ten awards in four years, including first prize in the Oviedo competition and second in Cangas de Narcea. He has also triumphed in youth shows in Pola de Siero, Infiesto, Sama de Langreo and Mieres. For him, the greatest recognition is “seeing how people enjoy it when I am on stage,” he says. For his part, Daniel, who began competing two years ago, has achieved second place in Sama and Infiesto, fifth in Cangas del Narcea and reached the semi-finals in Gijón.
Achievements aside, both look to the future of the tonada with uncertainty: “I think that this tradition is being lost because when you go to a contest the average age is 60 years old and above, there may be some young people, but very few,” says the father. They also agree that there is a lack of contests and institutional support, which threatens not only the professionalization of the tonada, but also the fans and visibility: “People from outside value it much more than those from here. It seems that those who sing tonada are country bumpkins and criticize themselves without knowing,” he laments.
Despite the difficulties of combining tonada classes with other activities such as work, school, sport or caring for their seven cows, Daniel and Jairo encourage others to enter this world. The key, they recommend, is to listen to the songs a lot and seek guidance from those who already have experience. The important thing? Not to give up.
In his upcoming performance calendar, Jairo Pérez has a very exciting date in Villaviciosa, where on September 8 he will participate in a recital of tonada for the Day of Asturias. The event will take place at 6:00 p.m.: “I would like people to go and enjoy it as much as I do.”
