For Pepe Aguilar, it’s not just the music
His father was a pop-culture idol and his mother garnered fame for her beauty and traditional style of singing.
But for Pepe Aguilar, son of popular Mexican music and film stars Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, the San Antonio-born singer and songwriter has never treated his success as a birthright.
Aguilar, a pop-mariachi-ranchera singer, has earned nine Grammy Awards, global sales of over 15 millions records and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His 26th album, “No Lo Habia Dicho” (“I Have Not Said”), released in June, covers a mix of ballads and rock, and his single “Maria” debuted at No. 1 on the Mexican pop chart.
Aguilar, who has been performing since his parents took him on tour as a toddler, says he has no plans to slow down. Currently, he is on a 70-city tour that will take him to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on Saturday night for a performance that is expected to radiate pride in his cultural heritage.
“I’ve been around music all my life and I haven’t done anything else,” said Aguilar, 47, from a stop in Mexico City. “My parents were very professional, and I learned and respected their pride. I learned to value what you want.”
He also learned to leave his comfort zone.
I’m not a philosopher ... but I truly believe we are all one, and during a show, we are there for one reason — to feel. I feel their feeling.
— Pepe Aguilar
Aguilar, who started by singing in rock bands before switching to his blend of traditional Latin sounds with modern pop influences, has never shied away from switching things up.
His latest album is purposely eclectic, a sound symbolic of the cultural diversity he recognizes in the world, he said.
Just don’t expect to hear the same lineup of songs during his sweep across North America.
The show, Aguilar explained, varies from city to city. He and his bandmates will arrive in a new place, quickly and fairly spontaneously put together the musical lineup, and then meditate and go through a rehearsal.
Aguilar, who has worked on various projects with Latin artists including rapper Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas and Ely Guerra, also has celebrated his love of music with two of his favorite collaborators — his children.
His son and daughter, Leonardo and Angela, released “Nueva Tradicion,” an album produced by their father in 2013. They will perform with him on tour.
The father of four, who range in age from 24 to 12, said he gives the two who are drawn to music pointers on how to entertain, but he rarely gives advice, since he would like them to develop their own artistic nature.
The road trip across the country with his children is a highlight, Aguilar said, and when they are not performing on stage, the family will explore museums, parks and restaurants.
To share their travels with fans, the group details the people they meet and venues they play on Aguilar’s official website, which links to his YouTube page. The videos are regularly updated.
Though Aguilar is fond of seeing new locations, he said his favorite place to be is on stage.
There, behind the microphone, he can look out at the audience and see “myself.”
“I’m not a philosopher,” he explained, “but I truly believe we are all one, and during a show, we are there for one reason — to feel. I feel their feeling.”
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What: Pepe Aguilar
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Cost: Tickets start at $69
Information: (714) 556-2787 or visit scfta.org.
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Kathleen Luppi, kathleen.luppi@latimes.com
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
