Whenever exhaustion began to catch up with him, Gabi would steady himself by watching Rocky Balboa fight his way across the screen. Now, he has finally stepped into a ring of his own: the stage.

I heard you love all kinds of pasta. What Korean food ended up matching your taste the most?
Gabi: How did you know that? (laughs) Kimchi and ramyeon are probably my favorites. But when it comes to ramyeon, only the non-spicy kind. (laughs) There aren’t many of them, but I found out Korea does have a few mild ones. I tried one from a convenience store near the HYBE building that came with a non-spicy sauce packet, and it was so good. I love kimchi too, but Korean kimchi is way spicier than the kind you find in Mexico. One of my favorite parts about being in Korea has been getting to learn more about Korean culture. I even feel like it’s taught me to carry myself with more politeness and consideration. (laughs)

You’ve been experiencing so many new things in Korea lately. (laughs) You also got to appear on Korean music shows for the first time. What was that like?
Gabi: (in Korean) “Annyeonghaseyo.” Seeing artists greet us like that makes me feel like I’m living inside a movie sometimes. Since coming to Korea, we’ve been doing music shows nonstop, and whenever I’m onstage, I try to focus on enjoying the moment as much as possible. But afterward, when I monitor my performances, I start noticing all the little habits I have onstage—certain movements I repeat, or facial expressions I make without realizing it. Watching myself that closely has made me more aware of the areas where I still want to improve. After every performance, I catch myself thinking, “Okay… how can I make the next one even better?”

You also filmed the “VELOCIDADE” challenge with ILLIT’s YUNAH and IROHA as SANTOS BRAVOS’s representative. It feels like that must have been a memorable experience for you.
Gabi: Filming the challenge with them was such a great experience. It was really fun getting to dance and interact together like that. Everyone we’ve met so far has been incredibly kind and welcoming, and I’ve been really thankful for how warmly people have treated us here.

Beyond trying different K-pop challenges and promoting in Korea, you’ve also been experiencing the Korean production system in a much deeper way—like your recent “KAWASAKI” collaboration with &TEAM. How do you think those experiences are shaping you?
Gabi: I’d love for us to keep collaborating with more K-pop artists through experiences like this. We’re a Latin pop group, but at the same time, K-pop is also a huge influence on who we are. I think that’s what makes SANTOS BRAVOS different. In a lot of ways, I feel like we’re doing something that hasn’t really existed before. I hope we can continue working with more K-pop artists and keep showing people who we are as a group and what SANTOS BRAVOS represents.

All of these new experiences ultimately began with your decision to join HYBE Latin America’s audition program. But in order to grow, you also had to step outside the comfort zone you’d always known.
Gabi: It definitely wasn’t an easy decision. At the time, I was very comfortable in my life. But I also knew that if I stayed there forever, I’d stop growing—not just as an artist, but as a person too. Then I was given the opportunity to join a survival program built around the K-pop system. It meant leaving behind the life I already knew and stepping into a completely unfamiliar environment without knowing what was waiting for me or how any of it would turn out. I’d also always been very close to my family, especially my mom and grandmother. We saw each other every single day, so being away from them made the experience even harder. But looking back now, that decision completely changed my life. It made me much stronger, much more resilient, and I think it helped me grow into a better version of myself. More than anything, I just feel grateful for the entire journey.

The process of getting there was incredibly intense. Even though you joined the program later than many of the others, you quickly earned the judges' recognition through sheer hard work. There’s also that memorable story about how, even after crying alone, you would come back and throw yourself straight back into practice like nothing had happened.
Gabi: Even now, keeping that balance isn’t always easy for me. But I’ve never really been afraid of being emotional or showing vulnerable sides of myself. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it isn’t. I grew up with my mom and grandmother always encouraging me to be fully myself. Whenever I fell, they were always there to help me back up. But during the boot camp, I had to learn how to do that on my own. Every time I found myself crying after being pushed out of that familiar comfort zone, I’d tell myself, “Okay, you’re crying right now. But this is the dream you’ve had since you were a kid. You’ve never been able to picture yourself doing anything else. And in the end, this is what’s going to make you happy.” So I’d wipe my tears away and start again. (laughs) Going through all of that made me realize that your family and the people around you can’t always be there to lift you back up every time you fall. Learning that helped me grow a lot—especially mentally.

You once wrote on Weverse, “Never forget to keep fighting for your dreams.”
Gabi: Thankfully, I’m living my dream right now. To me, fighting for your dreams means searching for the reason God brought you into this world—the purpose you were given. Most people naturally want to become better at the things they choose to pursue. And when you keep moving toward your dreams like that, you slowly begin to understand what truly excites you and what you were meant to do. For me, it all started when I saw Puerto Rican artist Chayanne perform for the first time as a kid. Watching him give absolutely everything onstage moved me so deeply, and I remember thinking, “I want to make someone else feel this way someday too.” Like I said before, I’ve always imagined myself singing and dancing. I’ve honestly never been able to picture myself doing anything else. And now, as part of SANTOS BRAVOS, being able to give people that same feeling has become both my dream and my biggest motivation.

So in a way, you’ve protected your dream through that promise you made to yourself: “Even if I lose, I want to know I gave it my all.”
Gabi: I think I’ve always had that competitive side ever since I was young. Even now, I’m still extremely competitive and very hard on myself—sometimes maybe a little too hard. Even during difficult moments or when I was physically exhausted, there was always a part of me that wanted to push further. I’ve always had a strong hunger to improve and keep growing. But I’ve never really compared myself to other people. In the end, the person who judges me most critically is myself. And when I talk about competitiveness, I don’t mean it in a negative way. I mean the kind of healthy competitiveness that pushes you to grow and become a better version of yourself. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far without that mindset. That drive has always helped me push past my own limits and keep moving forward instead of giving up easily. And I think that’s a big part of why I’ve been able to grow so much as an artist in such a short amount of time.

I heard you’ve always loved the “Rocky” films. In some ways, the way you keep challenging yourself feels a lot like Rocky himself, so I’m curious what kind of impact those movies have had on your life.
Gabi: ”Rocky” has influenced me in a lot of ways. Some days you wake up feeling excited to go to work, and other days you don’t want to go at all. It’s the same with working out—some days you want to go, and some days you really don’t. Ever since I was young, whenever I felt mentally or physically exhausted, I’d watch the “Rocky” films. (laughs) I’ve always loved seeing how Rocky slowly changes his life, and how he either takes hold of the opportunities in front of him or lets them pass by. I’m especially drawn to the way his whole journey unfolds step by step. There are also so many parts of it that feel relatable to real life, too. There’s a line from the films that’s always stayed with me: “The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”

Like you, “DUAL” is an album built around the idea that everyone carries different sides within themselves—softness and strength existing at the same time. What do you think is the biggest difference between who you are on stage and who you are offstage?
Gabi: Wow, this feels like therapy. (laughs) I really do feel like I’m a completely different person onstage and offstage. The difference is pretty huge, isn’t it? (laughs) I think those two sides have always existed together inside me. In everyday life, I’m actually pretty calm. A lot of people feel uncomfortable doing things alone—eating by themselves or going to the movies alone—but I genuinely enjoy spending time like that. I also really value time with my family. But once I’m onstage, I become fearless. I think to myself, “I’m shameless up there. There’s nothing I can’t show.” I try to let the most confident side of myself come out instead of letting my anxiety take over. And I think that’s part of being an artist too—being willing to show every side of yourself. Maybe because I tend to get quieter once promotions are over, some people think I’m a quiet person. But little by little, they’re going to see who I really am. I’m actually super extroverted. (laughs)

Maybe that mindset is why the members call you the group’s “energy guy.” You always seem so passionate onstage, too.
Gabi: When I’m onstage, I always try to give everything I have. Whenever I perform, I think about what will really make the audience feel something, and that helps me a lot. The bigger the crowd is, the more confident I become. Recently, I injured my knee, so there were moments when I couldn’t fully perform the way I wanted to. But even then, it didn’t really matter to me. Once I step onstage, it feels like I can do anything. The fear just disappears. That’s the feeling I want to give to DUAL, too. 

That probably makes DUAL such an important source of strength and motivation for you.
Gabi: Absolutely. DUAL is a huge part of why I never give up. Because of them, I try every day to become a better person. Being able to meet DUAL through SANTOS BRAVOS and share that kind of positive energy with each other means a lot to me. I also really love communicating with them. Even during difficult moments, or when I start losing motivation, thinking about what DUAL means to me—and to SANTOS BRAVOS—keeps me going. That’s why I want to give that same positive energy back to them.

Then what kind of impact do you hope SANTOS BRAVOS can have as a group?
Gabi: Our goal as SANTOS BRAVOS is to have a positive impact on people. That’s what we want most. I don’t think that’s easy. A lot of different things have to come together for that to happen. But even so, I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. I believe we’re the kind of group people need right now, and I think we have a color that’s completely our own. Each member represents SANTOS BRAVOS in a different way. Drew and I were actually talking about this yesterday. We were saying that whenever one of us does well—whether it’s performing well in our role or giving a good interview answer—it naturally helps the other members and the group shine too. I think there’s something really beautiful about that.

You once described the process of becoming SANTOS BRAVOS as feeling “like a storm.” It couldn’t have been an easy journey—but if you could go back to where you were six months ago, would you still make the same choice?
Gabi: Absolutely. I’d do it again without hesitation. Every single time.