Yes. Ela Buendia? Ely Buendia? If you haven’t noticed by now, I am definitely, in fact, related to him. It’s not something I brag about to people, but it’s other people bragging about it for me. In any conversation when meeting new people, there isn’t a time that they don’t pay attention to my last name. They are always bound to ask, “Are you related to Ely Buendia?”, and yes, for the hundredth time, I am related to him. He is my dad’s brother and we are directly related. For everyone asking what does it feel like to have a rock icon in my life, I will put this article into two parts:
Part I: He is my uncle.
I see him very often. I’ve seen him in his worst situations, I’ve seen him in lazy clothes and bed hair, and I’ve seen him playing video games at his house. I was born just as his band Eraserheads was getting famous so I didn’t have to adapt to his sudden fame because he was already famous. He’s a great dad, loving brother, and a fun uncle. I wouldn’t have it any other way. At times like these I’m not usually thinking about how he has all these people looking up to him and I’m right next to him. No, if you were in my position I’d bet you wouldn’t be so excited about it as I am.
Part II: He is Ely Buendia.
He doesn’t seem very different to me in the dressing room or on the way to gigs. I’ve lived my whole life in the backstage and in VIP of his concerts. He’s still my uncle even if he puts his suit on and is ready to perform. But when he goes up on that stage, everything is different. He’s no longer my uncle but he’s finally that 46-year-old rockstar who performs like it’s his first concert. When he starts to sing and the crowd cheers, my eyes suddenly widen at the confetti machines starting up and all the lights pointed at him. I am in front of all of his screaming fans and that’s really when I notice how lucky I am to be related to him. Even though I’ve lived my life listening to his songs and going to his gigs, I’ll never not be mesmerized every time he goes on stage and plays.
So, there you have it, this is what being related to him is, through my eyes. If you have any other questions that I probably didn’t answer in this article, don’t be shy and leave a comment down below. Tell me what you think about this once in a lifetime chance!
