ELMAR

ElMar is a popular musician with a strong local following. Born and raised in Bavaria to German and Filipino parents, singer / songwriter ElMar is a sweet example of musical multiculturalism. He plays ethnic instruments, sings in four languages, and covers multiple styles, from blues to bossa. ElMar's musical beginnings come from his father, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who moved to Germany from the Philippines. From an early age, he showed a natural promise as a singer and learned to play the guitar at age 13. His initial love was the classical soul, notably Lou Rawls and the Motown sound, and this inspiration is evident in any genre he performs today. , which has the ability to calm listeners with tender tones or raise the ceiling with emotional and burning passion. Nine years ago, ElMar came to Tenerife and formed a duet with a percussionist who helped her work on the dynamics, prepare well-crafted song lists, and add a definite structure to the songs. At the same time, he found a spiritual path and revolutionized his way of life, practicing yoga, changing his diet, and studying Ayurveda to find inner balance and optimize energy. This change in well-being led to a change in fortune when she met jazz pianist Oscar Enrique Dellacha Benseny. For the first time, she met someone to play soul music with, and with her jazz experience and eclectic styles, they soon found a unique sound and formed a song list that they were both excited about. Without effort, they could switch from pop to jazz and Latin, keeping the soul at the core, with a good dose of those old favorite songs that their father had presented to them. "Oscar helped me tremendously with harmonies and ear training," says ElMar of his old friend. From there, they regularly performed and found a place of residence at Café Veinte 04 in ElMar's hometown of El Médano, which incorporated a "jam night" and the opportunity for other musicians to join them on stage.
ElMar played again with a percussionist and found a kindred spirit in Tiago, a Brazilian rhythm. Their playlists were half original material and half cover versions, and included songs in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and a traditional Filipino composition. On stage, ElMar is presented with a classical Spanish guitar and a Brazilian pandeiro (percussion instrument) and its wide range takes it from R&B by Erykah Badu, Jamiroquai's funk, to the Latin rhythms of Brazilian bossa. ElMar was in the process of recording 12 autocompositions at Saxo Studios before meeting future members of the band Messengers and deciding to restructure the songs with group dynamics.