Lamento del Desierto

Como el MAR releases LAmento del Desierto after 2 and a half years of silence

July 3rd, 2026 - Como el MAR (formerly known as M A R) releases a new single, "Lamento del Desierto" (Lament of the Desert), after two and a half years of silence. A song of pure resistance and resilience in the face of the injustice and abuse of power that have become normalized today, reclaiming the need to stand brave against adversity.
Like a heart beating beneath the earth, the voices of Como el MAR and Elizabeth McCorvey unite in this chacarera-folk fusion, carrying the strength of love through their veins to the surface to nourish us with hope and allow us to witness the birth of a flower. "The desert represents the most arid part of the human being—a place where, supposedly, nothing can bloom. Yet, it is alive, and the flower that emerges (from rage+resistance) represents the hope of not giving up and the desire to keep going. Maintaining that hope is a daily battle—it’s a practice—in the pursuit of justice and equality, opening minds through dialogue and love," shares Como el MAR.

"Lamento del Desierto" is an intentionally inter-American collaboration featuring musicians from both South and North America. The traditional bombo legüero was played by Argentine musician Tincho Casado, while the charango was recorded by Como el MAR. Elizabeth McCorvey played the violin, Mattick Frick laid down the nylon-string guitars, and JP Furnas played bass and sousaphone—all three are from the United States. "Lamento  is a timely invitation to face the struggles of the world with bravery and courage," says McCorvey.

The music production for the single in charge of Como el MAR (Mar Perez-Albela, a Peruvian artist based in the US), took place over a challenging 29-month period. During this time, he faced the physical and emotional devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina,, and the constant attacks from the new US administration. "The silence of these months has been a desert for me—a process in which that seed remained dormant, waiting for the rain to arrive and nourish it, and burst through the surface."  – confesses the singer-songwriter and producer. Mixing and mastering were handled in Venezuela by Yofran Tovar, and the cover art was created by Eibram Rojas.


 

Hailing originally from Peru, US based, Como el M A R is a singer, songwriter, and producer who fuses folk elements through bilingual lyrics and Latin grooves over indie-flavored acoustic guitars and Andean charango. 

His music career took off in Miami, FL with the debut release of the EP En Silencio which won him Song of the Year (2007) with his single Busca Tu Voz. Winner of the Peruvian Pride Award (2009), Como el M A R honors his roots with love and loyalty to the place where he grew up and began playing and singing at a very young age.


With his second album Lineas 1000 and later on third release The One (2015) M A R toured different cities in North, Central, and South America. He has shared his music on national radio, and television networks such as Azteca TV, Telemundo, Mega TV, in the US and in Latin America.

In 2019, M A R landed a collaboration with renowned LA music producer Billy Lefler (Ingrid Michaelson, Dashboard Confessional) for the making of his EP I AM I, which sold out for its release in February 2020. After the pandemic, in June 2022, M A R released a latin-urban song in a “call back to life” called Vuelve a La Vida. And later in August the indie-electronic single Hollow that became really popular in the streaming platforms in Finland and other European countries, as well as South America.

Recipient of the 2022 Music Forward Foundation Emerging Artist Award, and founder of Óyelo Music Productions, M A R truly enjoys collaborating with like-minded creatives, which propelled the idea for this collective. That same year, M A R debuted an original and autobiographical piece in the iconic A Swannanoa Solstice at the Wortham Theater in Asheville, NC in junction with American-Peruvian artist Gina Cornejo, and returned as a guest artist on December 2024. You can catch M A R solo at a show, with his band M A R & The Marmeladies, Cumbia band Las Montañitas, or his recently formed salsa band La Sonora Carolina. 

Como el MAR is releasing a new single July 3rd! Stay tuned!

 

STREAM LAMENTO DEL DESIERTO HERE

Photo by Liz Williams