Pedro Zaidman came to Spain from his native Argentina in 2002 accompanied by his wife and children. The composer of children’s songs began to give music classes in nurseries in Madrid. It was there that the dream began to take shape, which later grew to become one of the most important projects on the Spanish children’s scene: the children’s group Cantajuego, with which they arrived in Granada on the 2nd and Seville on the 4th. The magic arose when the image was added to the songs and the rest of the miracle took place when Sony Music was added to the project.
-The first image that comes to mind when thinking about the Cantajuego group is that of a team with cowboy overalls and a red shirt. How did that aesthetic come about
-The breastplate is the symbol of work and they are usually blue. The thing about the red shirt is because it goes well with that color. It was one of the first things we thought about and then we decided that it should have continuity so that it would be identifiable. But everything starts from a global aesthetic of the show that includes the musical and the visual.
-They were born more than 15 years ago and succeeded while other companies closed due to the crisis. They even have branches in Mexico or Italy. As a producer, what is the secret
-We didn’t have a plan, but the evolution of the digital world helped a lot to make our videos and songs known in Spanish-speaking communities. Of course in Latin America but also in Sweden, United Kingdom or Australia.
-In the beginning you edited the videos yourself at home but that home bill has been maintained as it grew. Is it part of the formula
-We are still the producer of Cantajuego. We do not delegate the editing to others because we take great care of the details. For example, we know all the children and families who participate. We are a big team and sometimes explaining to others what we want takes more time than doing it ourselves.
-How were those beginnings and how did Sony join
-We started distributing DVDs through nurseries and music stores. One of them took the product to Sony, they liked it and called us for a meeting. We reached an agreement and working with them opened the doors of large stores and other countries. A company like this gets an important space that is very difficult when one is small.
-Each generation has a childhood reference. Will it be the new Clowns on TV, Rosa Leon or Parcheesi
We can’t know that today, but we would love to join that list. Hopefully.
-You are from Argentina and your sentimental memory will be from there. Was there something like this in your country
-No, it was a project that I had for a long time. I wrote and arranged songs for other children’s artists but never got to see the final product. When I came to Spain I was a music teacher in nurseries and I had the idea of ​​adding the image to that music and that it could be taken home so that the parents had the opportunity to participate in the evolution of their little ones.
-Did your children inspire you
-I’m already a grandfather but when I was a father I didn’t have much idea of ​​what my children did. I only saw something at some end-of-year parties but the teachers enjoy each new thing they learn every day. It worked because the parents were able to continue dancing at home what their children danced at school.
-In addition to entertaining, they have an educational or even therapeutic part for children with problems of psychomotor, emotional and intellectual development. Do you have specialists
-We do not have a therapeutic or pedagogical objective, that is why the specialists who use our material are there. Some have tried to associate our work with theirs and it works for them, although we are only actors and musicians. We just tried to express the values ​​in our songs with a lot of love. I think that in some way that is transmitted to the children and stimulates them.
-What are these values
-Not in order of importance, but rather as a reminder: collaboration, respect for differences, the value of friendship, family, truth, work, effort, understanding and, fundamentally, empathy.
-Are you responsible for the lyrics
-We compose as a team: ideas arise as a group but the author of most of the songs is my son.
-You are aware that there is a Facebook group called Victims of Cantajuegos.
-I think that’s a satirical form of gratitude because in reality they listen to our songs all the time. Those same people then write to us thanking us for our work. The parents need help for the demands of the children and we help them.
-In a moment I change the faces of the group. Was it a way to depersonalize or to avoid becoming tiresome
-Actually, today there is a person who has been thirteen years old; four that carry ten and several that carry three. Although in the early days there were people who understood that it was not their project and went their own way, we did not have a plan to change the faces. On the contrary, the group has spent many years without a change.
-If you had to choose, what would you be reincarnated as: a cup, a kettle, a spoon, a ladle…
-I really like what I do (laughs). I hope it lasts!
