Juanes’ Record Collection Basically Raised Him — and Track Star* Proves It
Latin music king Juanes is putting his ears where his résumé is. The Colombian singer-songwriter stopped by Track Star* with host Jack Coyne for one of the show’s rapid-fire music knowledge tests, and what unfolds is less “can he name the song?” and more a miniature map of everything that helped build Juanes into Juanes.
The episode moves through the music he absorbed growing up in Medellín, from Latin folk and classic Latin American songwriting to the hard rock and metal that completely rewired his brain as a teenager. And because Juanes is one of those artists whose influences never stayed neatly in one genre box, the playlist jumps around accordingly.
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Juanes Knows His Music
Track Star* pulls apart the records that shaped Juanes, from Latin classics and Colombian rock to Led Zeppelin and Metallica.
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Track Star* throws Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” at him. No problem. Then comes Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy,” and Juanes’ rock side wakes up immediately. That metal connection is not some late-career trivia fact either — he has talked for years about the impact heavy music had on him before his solo career took off.
Then the episode swings back through Latin music history with Juan Gabriel’s “No Tengo Dinero,” Carlos Gardel’s “Adiós Muchachos,” Fito Páez’s “El Amor Después Del Amor,” Soda Stereo’s “De Música Ligera” and Juan Luis Guerra’s “Como Abeja al Panal.” Each one opens a different door into Juanes’ musical upbringing.
One of the best detours comes with Colombian metal band Kraken and “Vestido de Cristal.” Juanes recalls the local rock culture that surrounded him growing up, tying that heavier sound directly back to Medellín rather than treating rock and Latin music like two separate parts of his identity. That blend has always been hiding in plain sight in his own work.
That is what makes the Track Star* format work especially well with somebody like Juanes. The game is simple — identify the song, talk about what it means — but the answers quickly become autobiography. A Led Zeppelin riff, a Juan Gabriel melody or a Soda Stereo chorus can suddenly explain a whole era of somebody’s life in under a minute.
And Juanes clearly enjoys the assignment. There is no “music expert” posturing here. He reacts like a fan first, bouncing between songs he knows instantly, memories of discovering certain sounds and the artists who helped shape the way he thinks about melody, guitar and songwriting.
The episode also arrives as Juanes continues talking about his latest creative chapter, including Juan Esteban, a project named after his real first and middle names. That framing feels fitting after watching him trace the sounds that came before the superstar name — the kid in Medellín listening to folk music, cumbia, rock and metal before any of it turned into a career.
Watch Juanes Test His Music Knowledge on Track Star*
The September 7, 2026 episode runs about five and a half minutes and moves through Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Juan Gabriel, Carlos Gardel, Kraken, Fito Páez, Soda Stereo and Juan Luis Guerra.
Sources: Track Star*; The Track Star Podcast; Apple Podcasts.
