Reyli Barba confesses that between the ages of 38 and 40 she felt that life no longer had meaning. The Chiapas singer rode for years on the edge of the abyss, feeding a routine of alcohol, overwork and sleepless nights. He spent 72 hours awake to test the limits of his body.
The lowest point
“It was a deep and screwed up hole from which they didn’t even pull me up, but rather they made me dig to the bottom and come out on the other side, for being a bastard, for being a drunk.”
11 years ago, after a period of rehabilitation, he managed to overcome alcoholism. The path involved facing the ravages of his excesses and exchanging speed for a daily review of himself.
“What was driving me crazy was so much work.”
The musician reflects today with serenity. For him, the key is to stop, breathe and be grateful. That change allowed him to create the songs for his new album, A Caballo, released on April 16. On the album he collaborates with Bacilos, Alfredo Olivas, Alexis Cristóbal and Majo Aguilar.
“Now I don’t run as much. The speed did not allow me to see the greatness of life and now I walk steadily, on horseback.”
The album title is a metaphor for freedom and comfort. Barba, at 54 years old, celebrates that he is still alive, with the desire to live and with an active career. Next Wednesday, May 27, he will perform at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, a venue he hopes to fill.
“It is a privileged position, it is walking free, being stronger, getting up, the breath of life.”
Today, the singer affirms that he is neither cold, nor hot, nor hungry, nor sleepy. “I’m happy, with enough in every way,” he says.




