Today we’d like to introduce you to BARUCH.
BARUCH, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Managua, Nicaragua, the land of lakes and volcanoes. For as long as I can remember, music has always been my biggest passion and the tool that completely changed the trajectory of my life. At age thirteen my parents had just divorced and my family faced some very hard times. I decided to dive fully into music as a means of escape to help me process some major changes in my life. I started playing music in the underground punk rock and metal scene in Nicaragua. I have vivid memories of my band members and I rushing out of backyard concerts or underground rock venues with our instruments as gang members who hated rock music would surround our concerts trying to hurt us. The rock music scene in Nicaragua was incredibly fun yet very dangerous at times. I was always the youngest guy in any band I was in and potentially the one with the most ambition.
When I turned 16 I had just ended a USA tour with a band I had with my older brother called The Royal Revolt. Our last stop was in Pennsylvania where we decided to stay to work on some new music. I began to work at a restaurant called Tomato Pie Cafe in a tiny town called Lititz. One day while I was at work I answered a phone call that changed my life. The kitchen phone rang and since no one was answering I rushed to take someone’s order, or so I thought. As I was on the phone I recognized the voice was of one of my favorite Latin rock artists. We began to chat since we had a friend in common and then after a minute I boldly asked, “Do you need a guitarist right now? Because if so, I’m the guy you’re looking for”. After a brief pause she said, “Actually, I do. I like your boldness. Here’s my manager’s info, send him an audition tape.” Long story short, I passed the test and within two weeks I was on a major South America tour with this artist for three months. From that moment on I began to tour as a guitarist for various famous Latin American Pop artists I had grown up listening to and was soon playing at the biggest arenas of Latin America.
It was wild! I was living my biggest dreams, I was successful, I was happy and thought nothing could bring me down. But between the rapid success at such a young age and the tragic loss of my best friend in a car accident we were in, everything changed and my choices began to lead me down a dark path.
I would come home from tour and would often find myself at wild parties, surrounded by bad influences. I felt lost. There were so many people around me, yet inside I felt so lonely. I reached a breaking point and I knew I had to make major changes in my life, this path I was on was not good.
I moved to Los Angeles at the beginning of 2016 with the ambition to pursue playing guitar for even bigger artists. However, those plans quickly changed when I had an encounter with God and my purpose became clear. I started attending Hillsong LA and within a couple of months, I began to play guitar with the team.
The concept of Jesus was not new for me, my parents were Christian missionaries and I had grown up all my life hearing about God. But for the first time, I had actually experienced God for myself in a genuine way and my life has never been the same. I knew that there was something more for me than playing guitar for famous artists. So I chose to follow the tug on my heart and decided to use my talent for a bigger purpose. In the beginning of 2018, I stopped playing for other artists and I began to lead worship tours, singing and playing guitar all across Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. I was not 100% ready but I was 100% willing to just go. As I began to tour, God began to open insane opportunities for me to lead worship. Now I travel full-time to over 35 countries every year doing worship nights and teaching a creative masterclass to help people in other countries learn about leadership, creativity, and the power of worship.
When I was playing music for top-charting artists in the biggest arenas, the energy was tangible but as soon as we finished our set the excitement ended along with it, it was nothing more than a cool moment. I can honestly say now that there is nothing more powerful or spiritually deep found anywhere else, no matter the size of the crowd, place, or the cool lighting and graphics, than a place where people sing as one voice to proclaim the name of Jesus. This is what I live for.
I believe that my life now has deep meaning and a true purpose to bring people together. People from different races, backgrounds, languages, and even political ideas all become one as they sing in unity to one name. I recently released my first single titled “Heart For You” which is available on all digital streaming platforms and I will be releasing two more singles every six weeks with a full-length album due in May 2020. It’s an exciting time and I could never have imagined even a few years ago that I would be living my life in such a way to make Jesus famous. If there is anything I’ve learned its that God will never fail you and your best days are always ahead and never behind you. The best is yet to come.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Moving to Los Angeles from Nicaragua was a huge challenge. I had to sell most of my belongings in Nicaragua to make it happen. Leaving friends and family behind to chase a dream is never easy.
Thankfully, most of my family has now moved to LA also.
One of the real challenges I have faced as a touring musician is being able to maintain healthy relationships and friendships with the people close to me while being away so often. It requires extra work but can totally be manageable if you see people as a priority. As I have grown, I have found my circle of real friends has gotten smaller but has grown in quality.
Staying physically healthy while on tour is very hard. Sometimes the food available to eat on the road is not healthy because there are not many options open at 3 am after a concert, and airport food is always bad. Eating schedules are always changing and I’m constantly in different time zones. I’ve had to make it a point to plan my meals ahead if I can and to make sure I’m working out or going on walks regularly to stay healthy.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m an independent artist under my first name “BARUCH”. I have just released my first debut worship single and will be releasing more songs soon. My vision is to break away the stereotype that congregational worship has to sound a specific way. My songs are original enough to be unique, yet familiar enough to be sung at church on Sunday or at the top of your lungs while cruising on the freeway.
Stay tuned, this is just the start.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I always say “Talent gets you through the door, but character keeps you in the room”. I believe that having solid and stable character will reflect with consistent actions and good behavior that are vital to your success, and vital to maintaining your success. Having a clear vision of where I am going has helped me stay on track when things aren’t going as planned or when distractions get in the way. Solid character keeps me grounded and pushes me always to aim for a higher level.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.baruchsanchez.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/baruchsanchez
- Twitter: @BARUCH___
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0HaQ1MPupYb0QIlmdmiUN4?si=HHeit_PkSxy_OPWgaEVLsg
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