Elements he’d flirted with in the past - singing in Spanish, traditional instruments like bongo drums and marimba, the collaborative spirit of his live shows - came to the forefront on these releases. As a result, 2018’s La Onda De Juan Pablo and its follow-up, Introducing Juan Pablo, became his most expansive and sonically diverse records to date, tracing both his Uruguayan roots and his travellers’ spirit. Inviting local musicians to contribute to the songs he was working on, Wauters emerged with a collection steeped in the musical traditions of each country he’d visited. 2015’s Who, Me? honed in on those qualities, full of clever ruminations on the pace of day-to-day life sung in both English and his native Spanish.Īfter the release of Who, Me? Wauters spent several years touring and travelling the world, including a long stint in Latin America - from Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Chile to Mexico and Puerto Rico - where he began working on his next project. Released on Captured Tracks, his solo debut had the same candid charm and DIY sound as his work with the Beets, but with a folk-inspired, introspective glaze that would become his signature.

To be a fan of his music is to be invited into the ever-expanding cast of characters that animate his work - Wauters has a knack for fostering community wherever he goes.Ī founding member of Queens garage act The Beets, Wauters began releasing music under his own name in 2014 with N.A.P. The Uruguayan-born, Jackson Heights, NY-dwelling musician is best known not for a specific musical style, but instead for the crystalline sincerity that underpins everything he does: from the heartfelt earnestness of his lyricism to the playful rituals of his live shows (singalongs, covers, races). There’s an almost mythological quality to the world of Juan Pablo Wauters.

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