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César Roel reflects on identity crisis amid fame
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

César Roel reflects on identity crisis amid fame

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Interview Sources not specified Context piece
  • Mexican artist César Roel, also known as César Costa, reflects on the crisis he faced when his public persona overshadowed his personal identity.
  • Roel, who turns 85 on August 13, discusses how achieving success, popularity, and wealth did not bring him happiness.
  • His memoir, "Lo mío fue un sueño," explores his life, career, and journey toward self-acceptance and peace.

César Roel, the man behind the iconic Mexican rock figure César Costa, describes a profound crisis that emerged when his public persona threatened to eclipse his individual identity. As he approaches his 85th birthday on August 13, Roel candidly shares how the pursuit of success, fame, and fortune left him unfulfilled.

When César Costa was more important than César Roel, when the product was more important than the human being, I had a very strong crisis.

— César RoelDescribing the personal crisis triggered by his public persona.

"When César Costa was more important than César Roel, when the product was more important than the human being, I had a very strong crisis," Roel admits in an interview with EL UNIVERSAL. He explains that reaching the pinnacle of his dreams, achieving success, popularity, money, and attention, did not equate to happiness.

Roel likens success and popularity to powerful drugs that can disconnect an artist from reality, making them believe the persona is more valuable than the person. "Imagine that you culminate your dream and manage to have everything you have longed for: success, popularity, money, the girls... and suddenly you are not happy. You say, 'What happened? I fulfilled everything they told me would make me happy, and I'm not happy,'" he recounts.

Imagine that you culminate your dream and manage to have everything you have longed for: success, popularity, money, the girls... and suddenly you are not happy. You say, 'What happened? I fulfilled everything they told me would make me happy, and I'm not happy.

— César RoelReflecting on the disconnect between external success and internal happiness.

This personal turmoil is a central theme in his recently published memoir, "Lo mío fue un sueño" (Mine Was a Dream). The 256-page book chronicles his childhood, his early musical endeavors with the violin and guitar, and the birth of the César Costa persona. It also details his path toward finding tranquility and inner peace as he nears 85.

When one makes a mistake, one tries to understand what one did wrong; when one succeeds, one usually thinks it's because one is very good and rarely asks how one got there.

— César RoelDiscussing lessons learned from life experiences and mistakes.

Reflecting on his life, Roel emphasizes the lessons learned from mistakes. "When one makes a mistake, one tries to understand what one did wrong; when one succeeds, one usually thinks it's because one is very good and rarely asks how one got there," he says. The book, he notes, compelled him to conduct a deep retrospective balance of his successes and errors over his 85 years. He speaks of César Costa as a distinct entity, a "great companion," a "brother," but ultimately, Roel asserts, "I am César Roel; César Costa is, in a way, a product that I created."

I am César Roel; César Costa is, in a way, a product that I created. He has always been my great companion. We are very close, he is a great friend, a brother, but I am César Roel.

— César RoelDifferentiating between his personal identity and his stage persona.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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