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Since breaking onto the international music scene with his 2002 self-titled debut album, Roberto Tapia’s career has continued to be on the rise. Luck only has had a small part to play in the singer-songwriter’s success, as it’s his dedication, strong work ethic and undeniable talent that consistently sell albums and fill concert halls.

The San Diego-born and Sinaloa-raised artist – who served as a coach on the first two seasons of Telemundo’s “La Voz Kids” – has seven albums under his belt, with his latest, Diferente, having released last fall. The album is Tapia’s most personal work yet, and Angelenos can experience some of the new songs live tonight when he performs at Downtown’s Microsoft Theater located at L.A. Live.

In anticipation of the show, Tapia spoke with Living Out Loud – Los Angeles in an exclusive interview. He shares insights into Diferente, the album’s current single, “No Valoraste,” receiving some recent awards and what continues to motivate him as an artist.

Living Out Loud – Los Angeles: Your new album, Diferente, was just released containing 10 new tracks. How was the process of recording and writing your songs?

Roberto Tapia: The new album just released, so thank God for that. The album contains 10 songs of my authorship. The songs are based off of my personal life; things that I have lived through. Thankfully, the song that just broke out for radio promotion, titled “No Valoraste,” was placed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts in the United States. I’m very happy with that, and it serves as a great motivator.

LOL-LA: What can you tell us about the lyrics for “No Valoraste”?

R.T.: Well, this is a song about heartbreak. That period of time when a relationship has ended, in which they didn’t value your time or the love you showed, and there wasn’t any interest from the other person. It can be interpreted as a song that’s about infidelity, even though that wasn’t the case. I didn’t feel as if the other person was giving me their 100 percent as I was giving them at the moment. And I’ve always said, the calm comes after the storm. I’ve written songs about heartbreak, and those are the ones that have worked for me the most.

LOL-LA: The music video for the song was recorded on the beaches of Navolato, Sinaloa. Was that a concept of yours to record it there?

R.T.: Yeah, I had wanted to do something different. I had always made videos with storylines. In this case, it was an actual music video because it didn’t have any scenes. In fact, we only occupied two locations. I was very happy because it was something I wanted, and also because my sister participated in it. She was the model in the video. It was a commitment we both had because it had been about seven years since she had wanted to participate in one of my videos, and since it was an actual music video with no scenes, it was perfect for her to be in.

LOL-LA:What does the honor of being part of the “Walk of Stars” in Las Vegas mean to you?

R.T.: The star that they are going to be honoring me with is a sign of all of the effort, the sacrifice and the absence of my life with my daughters and family. It’s something very big. My musical studies and my family’s belief in me are represented in that star. I just thank God that I’ve gotten to live this life, because this truly is a gift, it’s a prize that I’ve won, based on all of my efforts, dedication and sacrifices overall.

LOL-LA: What does the U.S. market represent for you, especially the fans here in California and in Los Angeles who love and support you so much?

R.T.: What can I tell you? It’s the most important [market] for me because it is where I really started off my career, and where I still am. In fact, this is the first time I’m doing something formal in Mexico for the new single. This is the first time that I have a song throughout all of Mexico. For me, the United States has been a big platform. I can honestly say that my family is living a better life thanks to this country and the people in it.

LOL-LA: Last week, you were recognized by the Radio Awards for having the best Album with Banda. How was that experience for you, and how were you feeling emotionally?

R.T.: When they told me about the nominations, I had the hope of winning one of the two. I wasn’t prepared for either one of them, but I did want to win. So when I saw the nomination list, it wasn’t that I didn’t have faith in what I’ve done, but you do start to realize that the rest of your colleagues have track records that are really good and popular within the genre. So when they called out my name, I was a little bit shocked, but happy. It was very emotional because it was an award that I dedicated to my daughters. Overall it was exciting because whenever I have the chance to on TV, I mention that I hope that everything that I am doing is worth it.

LOL-LA: Where do you find the motivation to do all that you do?

R.T.: To be honest, I never stop. More than anything, it’s that drive to be someone in life. Other motivating factors are my parents and siblings because they have grown up and suffered with me. They are all the energy that I need to move forward because they are my platform. Without them, I don’t know where I would be. They are my motivation to keep fighting everyday.

LOL-LA: What does social media mean to you now, in comparison to when you first started off in your career, since back then, there wasn’t that much activity going on in that field?

R.T.: I have two different ways of thinking in regards to social media. One, it is very good. You can promote and interact with your fans, and you can acquire many followers that way. That is all very motivating, and I like that there is such a platform that allows you to promote your music and concerts. However, that doesn’t give you any guarantees that people are going to go to your concert to see you. I’ve noticed a lot that there are artists who have thousands of followers, and they don’t fill up their shows. Everything on social media is free. Giving likes are free. Commenting is free. But the real business lies in the ticket sales, in songs and albums.

Roberto Tapia performs Feb. 6 at Microsoft Theater. Tickets are available at axs.com/events/294347/roberto-tapia-tickets. For more information, visit universalmusica.com/robertotapia.

Karen Cruz and Yuri Shimoda contributed to this story.

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