SINGAPORE: Raul Midón is often compared to Stevie Wonder. Perhaps it's because like Wonder, the American singer, songwriter and guitarist is blind.

In terms of music, the New Mexican native of Argentine and African American descent is in a class of his own, winning legions of fans with his acoustic brand of folk tunes which effectively fuse genres like blues, jazz and South American music.

Recently in Singapore for the Esplanade's Mosaic Music Festival, Midón – who is also a radio enthusiast – told MediaCorp's 938LIVE that radio-listening is a good source of entertainment and education.

"The iPod is what I would call 'customised entertainment' – you could shuffle but you put in what you want. Radio is a way that people use to learn about music," said Midón.

"When I was tuning in to the radio here in Singapore, I heard the interview with Harry Connick Jr, and there is a certain local flavour that you get from radio that you don't get in any other ways. It allows you to figure out what's going on in the country, what are the people like... that kinda thing. But of course, iPod has its place. My main complaint is that it's not very useful for blind people – it's a completely visual setup."

The performer and his twin brother were blinded as babies after spending time in an incubator without adequate eye protection. But the physical handicap didn't stop either of them from success. While Midón carved his name in music, his brother went on to become a NASA engineer.

The lack of sight has also given him a totally different perspective to life as most of us know it.

When asked if there is a specific quality that he looks for in a life partner, the 42-year-old equated passion with sexiness. "I've never seen, so the idea of physical beauty is an abstraction. I don't say that to condescend because I know it's important to people who see.

"For me, I feel that it's off-kilter to pick a mate based on physical beauty. It's just crazy to me 'cos there are so many other things. This is a person that you get up with, that you go to bed with, that you work with... you explore your whole life together."

Midón also feels that physical beauty – rather than music or talent – has been given too much emphasis in the show business.

"Maybe music has been taken over by image. It'll never be the same now because you have videos and you have people identifying with celebrities, as opposed to music. But it's hard for me to know how accurate that is because I'm blind and I'm in my particular world, but I find myself, sometimes, longing for the days when it was more about music," he said.

Midón, who has been living in New York, revealed he is considering setting up base in the city which "has so much going on musically".

His plan is to explore other aspects of song writing and there'll likely be plenty to listen out for judging from the soul-world music blend in his latest album, "World Within a World".


CNA/so