Carlos Ariel Peralta Mendoza better known as MAFFIO is a producer, composer and artist from the Dominican Republic who has hit the charts with countless hits. His musical talent started to flourish when he was a child. He began to play the piano and over the years he went on to compose and produce. Maffio is an artist who has always chosen to maintain his style. On an exclusive interview for this cover story. He leaves Fame Magazine with a phrase that determines why his music carries his essence: 

"If you don't have culture, music comes out lifeless and without spirit."

This renowned artist producer has been working on major projects such as the first Latin version of American Pie, it was a dream come true and he is very grateful for this great opportunity. This idea started in the hands of Spencer Proffer he was the one who suggested the idea of bringing together all these talented artists like Don McLean and Jencarlos Canela. Another key part of the success of this production was thanks to InnerCat Music Group who produced the video.

This year has come with great challenges for Maffio, one of those has been collaborating with an artist like Don McLean. They worked together although in different cities. This Requires a lot of talent, discipline and creativity to execute audio video collaborations. Maffio refers to this moment as the greatest blessing. Creating music is an art , but his favorite moment in this process is when everything starts to flow and be in the same tune, what he calls the magic hour.

 Maffio thinks that music is an universal language, that is why he has managed to have so many successful songs.  He’s built an artistic career based on his core principles and criteria. Maffio has worked on projects such as "Cristina" with J Quiles, "Me Gusta" with Paulina Rubio, "60 seconds" with EIX and De la Ghetto, as well as his album entitled "Eso es Mental" which has 25 songs and was released this year in May.

This artist producer has been nominated on multiple occasions by the academy but has also been a winner of the Latin Grammy 2012 : Best Tropical Fusion Album, for Ilusión by Fonseca and Latin Grammy 2014 : Best Traditional Pop Album, "Sinfónico" By Fonseca. He is also the winner of 20 ASCAP awards!

 Maffio is a very versatile creator. He has had the privilege of creating music in English and Spanish due to the influence of his country of origin but also the influence of New York City and the experiences he has had throughout his life. For him it is very important to keep culture alive, which is why through his new label Alkatraks Music Group that will be his main mission as well as maintaining the legacy and respect for Latin music.

MAFFIO CONNECTED WITH OUR TEAM TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. CHECK THEM OUT!

1. How was the process of creating American Pie (Latin Version)?

“It all started with Spencer Proffer who did an amazing job with the documentary "The Day The Music Died" on the subject of "American Pie" and Don McClean. He was the one who brought us the idea and hours later, Jencarlos and I had the song ready. We quickly got together with InnerCat Music Group to produce the video and the rest is history. For me, creating this work of art was a dream come true. I am extremely grateful for this great opportunity to create the first Latin version of “American Pie”, a song that revolutionized American culture where so many historical events took place. The entire team was very excited to be part of this historic project, we gave it one hundred percent.”

    2. What has been your biggest musical challenge for the year 2022?

“Being able to collaborate with the great Don McLean directly for the Latin version of American Pie was a great challenge, but thanks to my team, we were able to achieve it. We worked with Don McLean from Palm Springs in the City of California, and we were here in Miami and it was a complete success. When he gave us the approval, we were very excited but then we found out that he would also be re-recording his parts for our version and it would be in our video, that was the biggest blessing.”

    3. How do you implement your culture in your productions?

“I think that without culture there is no music, for me if you don't have culture music comes out lifeless and without spirit. All my music is influenced by my past, my roots, my experiences in the Dominican Republic and New York. Living in Miami, I have realized the importance of keeping our Latino culture alive. It is up to us, the artists and producers, to keep our culture alive and make us listen. Through my new label, Alkatraks Music Group, the mission is to keep Latin heritage, respect and culture alive with every artist we sign and every song we create.”

    4. What is your favorite moment in a session?

“I love the whole process of making music but my favorite moment in a session is when we hit the magic hour. When passion takes control of the project and everything starts to flow, it's simply MAGIC.”

    5. How do you manage to have the creativity to produce music in Spanish and then to produce music in English?

“I have had the joy of creating music for both languages ​​almost all my life and it comes naturally to me. For me, music is the universal language. If you have that mentality when producing, you will make music for the whole world.

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