LISTEN: We Now Have a Mariachi Version of Juan Gabriel’s ‘Nunca Había Amado Así,’ New Album Coming
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky).
Following the long-awaited studio version release of “Me Nace del Corazón,” Juan Gabriel’s estate announced there’s more music on the way. On July 11, the Mexican icon’s team revealed that his upcoming posthumous album Eterno will be released on Sept. 5. They also released a new mariachi version of “Nunca Había Amado Así,” which marks the album’s second single so far.
Though “Nunca Había Amado Así” is widely known as a heartfelt bolero, the estate released a mariachi version. The new arrangement features a reimagined rendition of the track with faster-paced string and brass arrangements as opposed to the original bolero’s gentle chords. It also highlights unreleased vocals by the late singer, per the press release.
The single’s production was crafted by Guillermo Hernández Galicia, who also put together the upcoming album’s first single, “Me Nace del Corazón.” “Producing and creating the musical arrangement for ‘Nunca Había Amado Así’ has been, for me, a way to return to that deep love that Alberto Aguilera Valadez, our beloved Juan Gabriel, conveyed in every note,” he shared in a press statement.
He continued: “It’s also my way of saying: thank you for so much… thank you for trusting me. Today, this song is a tribute, but it’s also an intimate confession, one that only he could feel, because he had never loved a melody, a story, a memory like this.” Hernández Galicia was El Divo de Juárez’s musical director and mariachi conductor for over 20 years.
El Divo’s legacy continues to be celebrated in a variety of ways. Last year, Natanael Cano released a cover of his classic hit “Amor Eterno.” Beyond music, the Mexican icon has been immortalized in Funko POP! models, Barbie dolls, and streetwear.
Listen to the new mariachi version of “Nunca Había Amado Así” below.