Peruvian singer/songwriter Gian Marco plays multiple instruments, but if he had to pick a favorite, he says it would probably be the charango — a small, ten-string instrument most often played in Andean folk music, throughout the regions of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and parts of Chile and Argentina.
"I've realized that the charango was the instrument that could allow me to write different types of songs," Marco explains in this episode of It Goes to 11, showing off his own.
In particular, he says, the sound of the instrument points his imagination in the direction of the folk sounds of the Andean mountains. "When I was 14, I started to listen to Andean folklore. When I realized that I could write songs in a different way, with different melodies that have much more to do with the Peruvian mountains, I could easily identify with it," he adds.
Plus, the charango is a natural fit for the singer's own musical identity — perhaps because of their shared home turf.
"I felt it was an instrument that went really well with my voice," Marco continues. "It's part of my story. It's a part of me, of my roots, of my land. Every time I play the charango, I feel connected to my land, to my country."
It's helped him connect with listeners, too. Since 2005, Marco has won the Best Singer-Songwriter Album category at the Latin GRAMMY Awards three times, among many other nominations.
Press play on the video above to watch Marco explain his love for the charango and some of the history of the instrument, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of It Goes to 11.
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