Forget Juan Valdés! The best way to start a long work week is with a triple shot of Juanes, as I learned yesterday. The Colombian star kicked off the global release of his latest album, La Vida…Es Un Ratico with a whirlwind day of promo stops throughout La Gran Manzana. I made it to most of those stops msyelf—and I’ve got the undereye circles to prove it—but it was well worth it when a friend snapped my photo with the man himself. Check out the recap below for a day in the life of a chartopping pop-rock idol…it’s not as easy as you think!

8:00am — Juanes gets up bright and early to perform on NBC’s Today Show and makes history by becoming the first ever Latin rock artist to do so. I wasn’t awake that early, gracias a dios, but I did catch it on my TiVo. It was a terrific performance and an all-around proud moment, except, of course, for the part when host Al Roker joked about how difficult it was to pronounce Juanes’ name—”Is it ‘One Is’?”, he cracked. Um….no.

1:00pm — Juanes hobnobs with the media at a press conference to officially mark the album launch, and also to let everyone know that he’s already pre-sold 6 million digital songs before the album even drops! Crazy. He also tackled a few questions in English like a pro and eloquently spoke about his pride for Medellín, Colombia, and the misconceptions that far too many people have of his hometown:

I was born in Medellín in 1972, and it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It’s like a huge valley surrounded by huge mountains. [People] have the wrong idea about Colombia. We used to have problems, and we still have problems, but it’s not the same Colombia from the 80s. We have a really rich culture. We have the most beautiful women. Also, the food is so fantastic. It’s really diverse, and depending on the city that you visit, you’ll see different varieties. The music—el vallenato, la cumbia, el porro—has millions of different rhythms. [We also have] movies and literature—writers like Gabriel García Marquez and William Espinosa, among others.

Sometimes when I go to Europe or outside of Colombia, people ask, “Hey man, how can you live in Medellín if people are killing on the streets?”

I say, “Excuse me, man?”

“How did you grow up there—it’s so dangerous!”

“What are you talking about, man? I live in Medellín. I drive my own car. I go to the store. I go out with my friends. I visit my mother. Have you visited Medellín? You have to go, because media just talks about the bad things about Colombia.”

This is really important. The drug problem isn’t about just Colombia, it’s about the whole world. We deserve a new opportunity.

8:00pm — As Juanes tore through hits old and new at his exclusive, Sprint-sponsored concert at the Fillmore New York Irving Plaza, a few friends and I let loose, dancing and singing along throughout the entire show. Also, the Colombian flags were flying! Pics and video below:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuWNwFZwg4c[/youtube]

“Mala Gente”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvy7IMCYEMU[/youtube]

“Me Enamora”

1:00am — If you can believe it, none of the moments above were the highlight of my night! That would have to be this photo, which was taken at the after-party for Juanes’ show at NYC hotspot Nikki Beach:

It doesn’t get much better than that, does it, ladies?

Oh, but wait—don’t think I forgot about the album itself! It did drop today, and I’m still in the process of collecting my thoughts on it. But suffice to say it’s more of exactly what we’ve come to know and love from Juanes: hook-driven rock that faithfully draws from essential elements of Colombian music and has celebratory, universally appealing lyrics about love and life. It’s also a bold step forward for Juanes, though: in songs like “Minas Piedras,” he’s engaging more directly with the political concerns that preoccupy him as a citizen of the world, not just as an artist.  More to come!

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