Reik lead singer Jesús Navarro shares his Trump opinions, what he splurges on

A superstar group in Spanish-language music, Mexican pop trio Reik debuted in 2005 and has moved from strength to strength. The group's sound has evolved with each album, and their audience continually grows: Last year's "Des/Amor," the group's fifth studio album (and their finest), became the first to top the Latin charts in the United States. 

Julio Ramírez, Gilberto "Bibi" Marín and frontman Jesús "Chuy" Navarro formed the group in their native Mexicali, on the California-Mexico border. Their success is staggering: Each album has earned platinum-plus certification in Mexico, and they can fill stadiums and arenas in Latin America.

Much of their success is based on Navarro's gorgeous way with a ballad: His sighing delivery has turned songs like "Noviembre Sin Tí" and "Creo en Tí" into hits, but he also ups the energy on the sexually-charged "Peligro" and the tongue-twisting "Spanglish," a fun high spot on "Des/Amor." 

Navarro, 31, called from Mexico City to talk about life on the road and where the group could be heading. The singer also discussed the potential for an English album, a possible solo disc and his edgy tweets about a certain president. 

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Question: Is it a cliche or is it true: Do rock stars really wake up on tour and not know what city they're in? 

Answer: Oh, it’s absolutely true. We don’t necessarily have to keep it all straight. (Laughing) I mean, the tour we keep straight and the rest of it all goes to hell after a little while. It’s hard to have a life and go on tour and be successful at both things. Our families have had to put up with a lot. 

Q: You guys were very young when you became successful. Was it too young or was it a good learning experience? 

A: In different ways, it was both. I was 18, Julio was 17 and Bibi was 21. We were basically babies, but we were so excited to be making music. We didn’t really understand that it was a job and there were 20 people whose livelihood depended on us showing up on time and doing the right thing. We screwed up a couple of times, but for the most part we’ve been responsible. 

Q: You guys are known for your ballads, but you keep pushing the boundaries with each album. This album has a Nicky Jam collaboration ("Ya Me Enteré") and "Spanglish," and both sound like nothing you've done before. 

A: We’re thankful that the trend is now for Latin artists to try new things. Before, the most successful Latin artists sort of found their sound and stuck to it forever. I can think of a million examples and I’m not putting it down. They’ve had these enormous, fruitful careers and it’s great to have what they have. But we’ve always had this curiosity to kind of prove ourselves in different arenas. It’s interesting — we’ve done this long enough that if we put out a single that people aren’t into, we’re OK. We’ll keep working, because we've been touring for a long time. The fans keep showing up for every tour we put together, and we have the resources to make each tour cooler and bigger and to keep experimenting. 

Q: "Des/Amor" has more English than you’ve included before. Would you do a full English album?

A: We’ve always wanted to do more English. Honestly, we’re border kids. What we listen to is probably 80 percent English stuff and 20 percent Spanish stuff. It’s very much part of our identity as people. The thing that's kind of amazing is that there are so many new ways that people are listening to music. You don’t have to be a worldwide artist and only sing in English. You can do it in Spanish, in French, whatever. If you have something people connect with, that’s when it works. 

Q: So will we see an English album soon? 

A: No, there's not a lot of strategy behind it, honestly. We do things when something feels right. 

Q: You’ve done work outside of Reik. Will there be a solo album at some point?

A: Absolutely, at some point, but I’m not in a hurry. The motivation has to be there. I think a bunch of people have tried out solo albums lately, and there’s a bit of a desperation behind it. I would want to do it at a moment when we were great. I would have nothing to worry about and I would want Julio and Bibi to collaborate with me. But I don't think it's the time. Things have been going so great, honestly, I haven't had time to think of anything else. 

Q: You're very outspoken on Twitter about subjects like President Donald Trump. When you're that open, do you have managers and agents saying, "Stop doing that!"

A: Absolutely, are you kidding? (Chuckling) It’s very strange that an artist that is as mainstream and pop as we are would talk about anything that would be controversial. I don’t know, but I think we should be talking about the things that are happening in the world and in our country. I try to not be divisive and I say what I think and put it out there. I try to not be polarizing and aggressive. I don’t know if it always works (chuckling).  

Q: Since you've become so successful, what's your splurge item?

A: Oh, clothing. No doubt. I love Paris Fashion Week. I’m going to Milan next year. I love clothes. 

Q: You are clearly the best-dressed in the group. Do you give advice to the other guys? 

A: (Chuckling) I do, and they don’t always take it. But you know, they have their own thing. I have a very specific sort of look, and very specific set of ideas about what I like. And I respect that everybody has their own look and their own style. 

Q: You've been doing a lot of collaborations. Which ones mean the most? 

A: It's always cool to sing with someone you admire. I had a lot of fun with Beatriz Luengo. She's amazing, beautiful and talented. Her husband (Yotuel Romero) is great, too, and we all had a lot of fun working together. Also Rosana. I grew up listening to her, and she's so sweet and kind. She flew from Madrid to Mexico to sing with me at this charity show and she didn't get paid a dime for it. She flew 17 hours to sing with me for free? I was amazed!

Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy_cordova. 

Reik

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. 

Where: Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. 

Admission: $39-$295. 

Details: 602-379-2800, livenation.com.