Colombian stars Greeicy and Mike Bahia kicked off the first couple panel at Billboard’s Latin Music Week on Tuesday (Sept. 21). The “Tech and the Vanguard Music Couple” panel, presented by Verizon, introduced the conversation of how technology can define a relationship in the 21st century.
Moderator and Billboard assistant editor, Latin Jessica Roiz explained that Greeicy couldn’t be physically present due to COVID restrictions, as Mike Bahía jumped onstage, as joyful as his summer look, with the polished white of his pants mirroring his bright white smile.
“Fun fact,” Roiz said. “I hear Greeicy actually made the first move texting you, Mike.”
“Literally,” Bahía confirmed. “I was focused on my music 100% and wasn’t planning on any relationship whatsoever, but life is just perfect and places everything where it belongs. She would send me texts, I had a BlackBerry back then,” the Colombian singer-songwriter remembers of how their almost-decade-long relationship started.
“He always tells it wrong!” Greeicy laughed onscreen. “Hello all, super happy to be able to join in digitally, at least. Mike literally brought out my go-getter side,” the Colombian laughed. “I’ve always taken the traditional route: wait for someone to win me over, but with him it was different. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I would text him unreservedly, to no luck. The more he ignored me, the more I fell in love with him.”
The couple finally met through a friend. “’Hey, why haven’t you answered my texts?’ I remember asking him’,” Greeicy continued. “He started playing the guitar and that was it. I told him that the only thing that was missing was to give us the space to actually get to know each other. Life works in peculiar ways; there’s always something prepared for you.”
Bahia explained how technology has kept them connected over the years, saying, “We remain connected through the essential things: animals, video chats, mundane habits and simplicity.” Greeicy added: “Sharing it in social media is just natural for us.”
Here are some key moments from Tuesday’s panel:
About being a power couple and handling art, brand, and social media individually: “We’ve never done anything based on a strategy,” Bahía said. “We both started working with the aim of having a consistent harmonious space.”
Greeicy added: “Artists are supported by their audience, and as informal as it sounds, social media has provided us with that space. It’s been great and fun, it has given us the opportunity of showing our true selves, our house, our real energy in the most organic way.”
About songs they have released during lockdown and music challenges: “It definitely was a game changer for our careers,” Bahia admitted. “We had all the equipment at home, so we decided to keep going and satisfy our curiosity by recording on our own. I decided to record ‘Cuenta Conmigo’ at home through Team Viewer. We rehearsed quite a bit until we finally got it. Then Greeicy immersed herself in the process, spending hours on the machine. Discovering ourselves in it was the most ambitious experience.”
What’s coming next for each one and future projects? “It’s been a bit difficult to adapt to the current situation, but my main goal is still there: I need to finish my album,” Greeicy said “I’ve also been working on my patience,” she laughed. “Working with Alejandro Sanz recharged my energy; it was a fulfilled dream. There’s also a TV project on the works.”
Bahía shared: “I just released a track with Lenny Tavarez, which will be part of my upcoming album. There are many things that are taking shape now.”
The 2021 Latin Music Week takes place from Sept. 20 to 25 at the Faena Forum in Miami and coincides with the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards broadcasting live via Telemundo on Sept. 23. See the list of finalists here.
