After attending the Cristina Rota and William Layton drama schools, he teamed up with guitarist Iván Ganchegui in 1994 to form El Canto del Loco, who went through various lineup changes before releasing their 2000 self-titled debut album. The band went on to become one of Spain's biggest pop/rock acts, scoring four chart-topping albums, A Contracorriente (2002), Estados de Ánimo (2003), Zapatillas (2005), and Personas (2008), in a hugely successful six-year period.
However, Martín simultaneously continued to showcase his acting talents, appearing on both the big screen in gay-themed comedy I Love You Baby, Bigas Luna's comedy Yo Soy la Juani, and Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces, plus the small screen in medical drama Hospital Central, cop show Four Countdown, and sitcom Los Hombres de Paco. After El Canto del Loco decided to take a hiatus in 2009, Martín began work on his debut solo record with producer Bori Alarcón, the result of which was 2010's Pequeño, a highly autobiographical and deeply personal record written in the wake of his sister's death. It was a formidable success, hitting number one in Spain and spending more than 18 months on the charts. Three years went into the making of his second solo album, Dani Martín, which spent four weeks at number one in Spain and also charted in Mexico and Italy. Tour dates consumed most of 2014, culminating in the release of his live album Mi Teatro in October 2014.
Pequeño
Dani Martín Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No necesita depender de los demás.
Mira al frente y saca todo de su piel,
Es su arma, poder mirar ser quién es.
Y hoy, dejó tu lugar, sonó tu voz
Se armó de verdad y con valor tomó el sentido que buscabas
Y no sigue reprochándote tanto mal.
Tanto tiempo sin querer dejarte ver.
Tanto miedo de no gustar a los que ven.
Busca dentro donde tienes tu poder.
¡Ay!, pequeño, qué grande puedes llegar a ser.
Y hoy, dejó tu lugar, sonó tu voz
Se armó de verdad y con valor tomó el sentido que buscabas
Y no sigue reprochándote tanto mal.
Y toda tu luz vuelva a brillar, y ahora ya nunca se te apaga.
¡Ya nunca!
Y esta vida la que nos da a cada uno ese lugar
Y a veces es el que uno no quiere.
Y quién te aparta de tu verdad,
Y que alguien quiso colocarte en el hueco donde pierde.
Y hoy, dejó tu lugar, sonó tu voz
Se armó de verdad y con valor tomó el sentido que buscabas
Y no sigue reprochándote tanto mal.
Y toda tu luz vuelva a brillar, y ahora ya nunca se te apaga.
Y ahora que pequeño vuelve a caminar.
The first stanza of the song talks about how the little one is finally able to walk on their own, without depending on anyone else. The little one looks forward and brings out everything from within themselves, making use of it as their weapon to be who they truly are. In the second stanza, the little one has gained the courage to leave someone's place, and with their voice, they have taken the direction they were looking for, instead of blaming someone else for their misfortunes. Now, their light shines brighter than ever before, and it will never go out. The chorus reassures the little one that they can be great, despite being small, and encourages them to search within themselves to find their power.
The third stanza talks about how life gives everyone a place that they might not want, but sometimes, people try to steer one away from their truth and put them in a place where they don't belong. The fourth stanza repeats the chorus, with the little one walking again, now with more confidence and inner strength than before.
Overall, the song "Pequeño" is an ode to inner strength, resilience, and claiming one's identity. It urges listeners to have faith in themselves and their abilities, no matter how small they might seem.
Line by Line Meaning
Y ahora que pequeño sale a caminar,
Now that the little one walks, he doesn't need to depend on others. He looks ahead and pulls everything out of his skin - his weapon, the power to be who he is.
No necesita depender de los demás.
He doesn't need to rely on others anymore.
Mira al frente y saca todo de su piel,
He looks ahead and shows his true self to the world.
Es su arma, poder mirar ser quién es.
His power lies in being able to look like who he really is.
Y hoy, dejó tu lugar, sonó tu voz
Today, he left his place and your voice sounded. He gained strength and courage and made sense of what he was looking for. He no longer blames you for much harm. Your light can shine again, and it will never go out again.
Se armó de verdad y con valor tomó el sentido que buscabas
He gathered strength and courage, and he found the meaning he was looking for.
Y no sigue reprochándote tanto mal.
He doesn't blame you for all the wrongdoing anymore.
Y toda tu luz vuelva a brillar, y ahora ya nunca se te apaga.
Your light can shine again, and it will never go out again.
Tanto tiempo sin querer dejarte ver.
He spent so much time not wanting to be seen.
Tanto miedo de no gustar a los que ven.
He was so afraid of not pleasing those who see him.
Busca dentro donde tienes tu poder.
He looks within himself to find his power.
¡Ay!, pequeño, qué grande puedes llegar a ser.
Oh, little one, how great you can become.
Y esta vida la que nos da a cada uno ese lugar
Life gives each of us a place.
Y a veces es el que uno no quiere.
Sometimes it's a place that one doesn't want.
Y quién te aparta de tu verdad,
Whoever separates you from your truth.
Y que alguien quiso colocarte en el hueco donde pierde.
Someone wanted to put you in the hole where you lose.
Y ahora que pequeño vuelve a caminar.
Now, the little one walks again.
Contributed by Gianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.