Every day this December, Playbill will be getting into the spirit of the season with 31 Days of Holiday Cheer—sharing some of our favorite music videos from Broadway stars. Check in daily for classic tunes and new songs about Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's. And we even have some surprise new, original Playbill videos to share.
For all the love, joy, and celebration that comes with the holidays, there can sometimes be a little speck of sadness. Especially when missing loved ones. That sentiment is at the center of Mexican composer Jaime Lozano's new, original holiday song "Go Tell the Reyes." For this songwriter, though, that longing is tempered with hope.
Ahead of his final concert for his 2023 residency at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts December 14, Lozano shared a video of the new tune, performed with his band The Familia, and his wife Florencia Cuenca on vocals. See the performance in the video above and read on for more from Lozano about the holiday concert, Navidad en Familia. Lozano also describes how he and Cuenca, along with their young son Alonzo, celebrate Christmas as immigrants in the United States, far away from the Mexico home the couple grew up in.
What was the inspiration behind the song "Go Tell the Reyes"?
Jaime Lozano: To be honest, I have always had trouble finding contemporary Mexican Christmas songs. I know in other places, there is a huge tradition of new music and songs for the holidays. But in Mexico, we have been listening to the same songs over and over for many years.
I am so blessed to have my Familia, always supporting me. One of my writing partners, my brother Georgie Castilla, we wrote a song for Florencia that speaks about one of our Latino holiday traditions: Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Kings). In many cities and towns in Mexico, kids actually write letters to the Three Kings and not to Santa. This is a song that embraces being an immigrant in a new country, in a new city, missing your family, and holding those traditions close. My favorite lyrics in the song are:
“You know I had to find my way,
For dreamers’ dreams grow bigger here.
But know I think of you each hour of the day,
I miss you more
Than what I say and what you hear…”
Those lyrics speak a lot about our journey and everything we left behind. We miss our families there, our friends, our people…But we are dreaming big and pursuing those dreams every day.
Tell us a little more about the concert. What can audiences expect?
This is the last concert of a residency that I had the honor to do at Lincoln Center, with performances at this beautiful public space, the David Rubenstein Atrium. Lincoln Center has become our home, and I am so grateful for that. I’m so grateful for the amazing and kind team that has opened the door to me, my family, and our stories. But more than opening the doors, they have opened their hearts and have become family and very important allies in this mission of telling our stories.
Our concerts are always like a family reunion—music, songs, stories, dancing, singing, laughs. I strongly believe that honesty is the most important element when we are telling stories and the concert is full of that. This is who we are, this is who I am, and these are our stories and our songs. Because I love complicating my life (hehehehe), I decided to write some new holiday songs that we will be performing for the very first time with an amazing lineup of all Latin performers and a 12-piece band. And the most beautiful thing is that everyone can enjoy the concert for free. Plus, if you are not in the city, you are gonna be able to stream it live for free on Lincoln Center’s Youtube.
What do you miss most about Christmas in Mexico?
Definitely our familia. But at the same time, we’ve built our own family, first at home with Florencia and Alonzo. We have learned to enjoy every moment no matter what. But we miss our families there in Mexico City and Monterrey, and our friends—the people who have always been by our side. And of course, we miss the food. I miss tamales, tacos, carne asada. Writing these holiday songs has been a way to reconnect with all that.
What traditions have you brought with you that are now part of your holiday celebrations in your new home?
As immigrants, I believe in creating our own traditions. Being the three of us, and spending important holidays together, it’s made us realize the importance of enjoying the present. Like that other show set around Christmas says: “No day but today.” We enjoy singing and having dance parties at home with just the three of us.
For example, these holidays are gonna be very unique. Actually, the same day we are having this concert, December 14, Florencia is having her opening night at A.R.T., with Real Women Have Curves. This is the first concert where she will not be with me, but I am so happy and proud of her because she is an amazing storyteller and a kind artist. She is doing an amazing job at her show and helping to tell more of our stories. Alonzo and I are going to join her a few days after the concert to see her show and spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Cambridge. We are just grateful to be able to have work, to tell our stories, and to be together, all doing what we love. And because life is full of uncertainty, we have to make the most of this time and the holidays, maybe creating some new traditions. The tradition I treasure the most and will always practice is being with my family.
Lincoln Center presents Jaime Lozano's Navidad en Familia December 14 at 7:30 PM in the David Rubenstein Atrium. Admission for the concert is free. For more details about the concert, or how to stream it, visit LincolnCenter.org.
