For many years, I’ve followed guitarist Johannes Linstead‘s career; his albums filled with Latin and classical original tunes have topped worldwide charts and I’ve even recognized his music in TV shows. This charming and humble artist has built a huge following and to date, has enjoyed over 500 million (yes, MILLION) streams online. He’s been named Canada’s “Guitarist of the Year” and in the UK, been annointed as “People’s Choice” in annual music awards. He regularly collaborates with musicians from Cuba, Greece, Palestine, France, Canada, Australia, Iran and the Dominican Republic, and as he launches his latest album (both in CD and streaming format) with 2 southern Ontario concerts, Johannes will perform with some of his favourite local musicians. Concert dates and venues are at the end of the blog.
I reached out to Johannes for an interview and he was gracious to tease us with some details about this new album, From Spain to Cuba.
Congratulations on your new album, Johannes, what was your inspiration for this particular musical journey? Like most of my Spanish and Latin guitar music, my compositions are inspired by my travels, usually to countries with warmer climates. Countries like Spain and Cuba have such a rich musical history – Spain is especially notable for the guitar and Cuba for its rhythms. I love to combine those elements into my music.
Who did you bring into the studio to record with you? Or did you record remotely with these artists? Actually, most of it was recorded remotely. The album features musicians from Dominican Republic, Colombia, Argentina and even Morocco.
I assume you’ve performed in Spain and Cuba? Did you perform with local recording stars there and if so, who? Yes, I have performed in Spain and Cuba, but nothing too formal; just jamming and improvising with locals. Both countries are filled with amazing musicians.
I’ve listened to the album and it’s so lush and sensual and juicy…fans will not be disappointed. Lots of dancin’ and romancin’ music. Will you have CDs available for purchase at your concerts in Burlington and Toronto over the next few weeks? Perfect Christmas gifts for music lovers. Yes! These upcoming shows will be the first opportunities to purchase a copy of the CD. The album will be released to the general public November 15th and also available for streaming.
Six years ago, your song Tropical Christmas hit the US charts where it became a big hit on US radio, charting at #1 for two weeks as the “Most Added” song on the Top 40 New Music Weekly chart, and #1 “Most Increased” song, putting you ahead of artists like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. So you’re now a millionaire, right? How difficult is it to make a good living even with incredible stats as these? I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had a long and steady career. Streaming and concerts have been a good source of income, but another source has been licensing. My music has been used in many TV series, video games and movies. My music was even used in Despicable Me 4. (As we’re closing in on the festive season, here’s Johannes sitting under a palm tree playing Tropical Christmas for us….)
A number of your tracks have been played in tv shows and films (proving there is such a thing as “6 degrees of Kevin Bacon” for The Following). Your music has even been used by Olympic figure skaters for their routines – how do you attract attention to secure “film placement”? I usually get approached. I think music placement supervisors know my music and when they have the need for a certain sound they contact me.
Will you be doing any touring with the From Spain to Cuba album over the coming months? Or booking any festivals throughout 2026? Yes, we’re planning shows for next year. We usually perform at performing arts centres and festivals.
And the best way to follow you? What are your social media handles? Signing up for my newsletter via my website is one way, but I’m on all the usual sites.
https://johanneslinstead.com
https://facebook.com/johanneslinsteadmusic
https://instagram.com/johanneslinstead
https://www.tiktok.com/@johanneslinstead
https://x.com/johannesnews
Congratulations, Johannes, on this extraordinary new album…and welcome to Fordham PR – I’m excited to promote your shows and album.
Here are the dates for the album launch:
Sun. Oct. 26 2:30pm @ West Plains United Church, 549 Plains Rd W in Burlington
