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After 10 years delighting their fans all across Latin America, Mexican pop duo sensation Río Roma has at last made their dream come true and performed (Thursday, March 5, 2015 at Club Bahia) in the city of Angels.

With only two full-fledged albums as a duo (Al fin te Encontre of 2011 and 2013’s Otra Vida) they have managed to amass an enormous following, and now coming to the U.S., it’s safe to say they’ve laid the groundwork for a successful run at the American market as well.

In August 2014, Rio Roma (comprised of brothers José Luis Roma and Raúl Roma) served as the opening act for Alejandra Guzman’s concert at the prestigious Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Overall, people here in the U.S. know them well despite being newcomers, and their hard work in foreign markets has allowed them to assimilate very quickly. The duo sat down with Living Out Loud and discussed their long journey.

“It was a long and painful wait in a way. We had a chance to come here sooner but we thought it best to wait,” says Raul. “We’re very happy with having accomplished a big dream of ours, and having found a place in the hearts of our fans. Now we have to continue nurturing that with new material. All our songs are just a big message of love. We try to be very professional about it, and even though we didn’t invent the genre, we aim to contribute high quality material and good songs.”

Luis adds, “It means a lot. We have a very strong attachment to Los Angeles, and it was here where we began our journey to chase our dream which we’ve made a reality. Luckily we’ve had the good fortune of being able to return and bring everything full circle.”

For Rio Roma, the American market is something that deserves the utmost attention, which is why their new album was re-mastered especially for their American fans as Hoy es Otro Dia.

“For our first U.S. album, we compiled the best from our Mexican material, and it really has the best of both worlds,” Luis acknowledges. “It’s very difficult to describe how in such few words, so the best I can do is invite people to take a listen and hear for themselves. They’re a bunch of stories that can make up from the narrative for the lives of many people. People from Ecuador to Mexico listen and like the same songs, and they have become important parts of these people’s lives.”

The duo also says that they produced their new album themselves, and decided to start off without any collaborations. However in the past, they have made collaborations within their genre, and notably outside their pop-rock spectrum.

“Collaborations are the thing now, it seems. We personally believe music isn’t defined by any particular genre, but rather by whether it’s good or not,” Raul points out. “Independent from any song, we have established friendships with people we collaborate with. Oftentimes, artists collaborating don’t even know each other well when they come together. For us it’s important that our fans know about our friendship, and that we’re friends who came together and shared the same passion and dream.”

It’s well-known that duos don’t always work out, due to disagreements over creative aspects, money, and egos, among other things. Rio Roma assures everyone that is not the case with them, and discusses how being siblings affects their dynamic.

“Being siblings I think is what saves us and keeps us united,” Luis confesses. “He and I are completely different, and the longer you exist among other artists, the more evident it becomes how difficult it is to maintain a friendship, similar musical tastes, etc. I don’t think I could do this if we weren’t siblings, and so I empathize with other artists. It’s very, very difficult to do something like this with someone who is not related to you.”

After stops in L.A., San Diego, Anaheim, Calif., Phoenix and Texas, the duo returns to Mexico where they have a few upcoming performances. They will then embark on a South American trip through Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador. They continually seek to internationalize their music, which is their ultimate goal, according to them.

For more information, visit www.rioroma.mx

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