#37: Tony Maigua (Guitarist, music producer, and Kichwa Otavalo artist from Ecuador)

Tony Maigua is a guitarist, music producer, and Kichwa Otavalo artist from Ecuador. He explores Andean music, fusion, and experimental rock. Tony began playing music at the age of 13, starting with piano. By the age of 15, he transitioned to guitar, which remains his primary instrument. At 27, he expanded his repertoire to include violin and the kena flute. In his early years, Tony founded the band MyWay Trip, a contemporary music group from Otavalo, Ecuador, formed in early 2012 at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. The band's goal is to blend contemporary music with Andean elements. One of their productions, the single and music video "Yana Yurak," was created by the Otavalo-based production company APAK. The group has collaborated with established musicians and artists such as Amado Maigua (Sisay Group), Alejandra Lema (Kichwa singer), Hiliary (Foreign singer - recently released the album "Todas mis Sangres"), and SBRNS (a 10-year-old hip-hop group with lyrics in Kichwa). Later, residing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Tony was a member of the band Skaravan from 2017 to 2019. Skaravan, a well-established band by 2016, regularly performed concerts in Saskatchewan and participated in NessCree, the province's largest festival. Additionally, Tony has played with musical groups in Imbabura with Condorcitos (huaynos - 2022), in the United States with Distortion (Rock - Oregon State), and in Canada with Boogat (Mexican rapper based in Montreal). In 2021, he produced his debut album in Montreal, Canada, which was released in Ecuador in 2022. Tony Maigua is currently composing new music for his second album and is actively driving forward his band, Tarikuna, which focuses on Indigenous music from Ecuador.