Carlos Santana Opens Up About Staying Successful in the Music Business

In an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, on newsstands now, Carlos Santana — who is debuting his new CD Santana IV (reuniting his 1971-72 band) — reveals how he has stayed successful throughout his nearly 50 years in the music business.

“I’ve always believed in separating onstage and offstage,” the artistic pioneer tells Closer.

“Being onstage is, indeed, a high,” Carlos admits to Closer. “As soon as you play your last note, become the person, not the personality.”

Carlos in 1975.

Carlos tells Closer that he believes many legends in the music industry didn’t make it “because they overdosed on themselves,” adding that “they didn’t know when to park that [famous] personality in the closet and be a person.”

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“It’s very, very exhausting to maintain a personality. I think that’s what killed Whitney Houston… and Jimi Hendrix. They didn’t know when to get off the stage, and they tried to maintain that high,” Carlos explains to Closer.

Carlos in 2014.

“When you come to either of my homes, whether it’s here in the [San Francisco] Bay Area or in Las Vegas, there’s absolutely no Santana,” Carlos tells Closer. “No gold records on the walls. Just pictures of my parents, my children and musicians I love, like John Coltrane and Miles Davis.”

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“I’m very grateful to God and to people like John Lennon, Michael Jackson and Bob Marley for showing me the way,” Carlos says.

For the full interview with Carlos Santana, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!