The 2025 Latin Alternative Music Conference wrapped on Thursday (July 10) with an intimate conversation between Camilo and Billboard’s Leila Cobo.
During the Q&A, the Colombian singer-songwriter shared his trials and errors during his rising music career, performed acoustic versions of a few hits including “Vida de Rico” and “Maldito ChatGPT,” and even opened up about his obsession with Wite-Out. One notable moment was at the end, when emerging act Gera Demara, who was sitting in the audience, courageously asked Camilo if he could perform for him, to which the artist said yes and was blown away by Gera’s vocal and songwriting abilities.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Camilo will close out the LAMC week with a free concert on Saturday (July 12) at the Summer Stage in Central Park. Below, check out some of the artist’s wisest advice from his conversation with Cobo.
On Being Organized: “I have an organizational system that I copied from cinematographer Van Neistat. I carry a piece of paper in my pocket every day, where I write down things about my personal life, my career, my journal, and I make a shopping list. It allows me to avoid interruptions. Everything can wait until tomorrow except what you’re doing now. I write it down, and that way, I can do it with my full attention during the day. I can do it with my cell phone, but it’s the same tool I use to distract myself, instead of organizing myself. I never use this system on my phone.”
On His “Good Enough” Philosophy: “When it comes to writing my songs, I’m systematically opposed to being a perfectionist. For me, perfectionism is a burden, a mask of cowardice. We’re going to perceive excellence and it’s measured in the final product. It’s measured in the totality. I have the philosophy of ‘good enough.’ If I feel the song is good enough, that’s it — we’ll move on to the next one. When your creative brain is burned out, that’s when you start creating, and you ask yourself, ‘Is it good enough?’ Yes, next! Whatever is closest to the first creative seed is almost always the best.”
On Maintaining a Sustainable Career: “My father-in-law, Ricardo Montaner, has been in this industry for 45 years. He says this race is about endurance, not speed. The need for everything to be immediate is exhausting. Every step transforms you, too. This is a race about distance and endurance, not speed. I started in 2007 in Colombia and spent a lot of time trying.”
On Balancing Work & Family: “I travel everywhere with my wife [Evaluna Montaner] and two daughters. I have an incredible partnership with my wife. We believe it’s vitally important to be able to enjoy this career. Being successful is complicated, but having a family while having a career in music is more ambitious. We divide up the tasks, and seeing my wife while she’s a director, singer, artist and mother is complex, ambitious and precious. I’ve had to reorganize my priorities to be a constant, supportive parent every day.”
