On a sunny afternoon, at Phantom Vox, his Hollywood studio, I met with singer/songwriter Draco to talk about his new album, his new projects and his new perspective on life. After battling since 2009 with, what at first was thought of rheumatic fever and later properly diagnosed as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Draco’s new album Vida comes to mark a very important stage in his life, not only professionally, but also personally.

Vida, a labor of love, is a collection of songs and great collaborations, and “it means renacimiento for sure, it means a rebirth.” Since being declared cancer-free on December 2012, Draco has a new appreciation for this thing called life, which sometimes we, on our day to day routine, can take for granted. “You can always be more thankful. There’s another level of gratitude, and I think you get that when you possibly are going to die,” he said.

Those of us affected by cancer, directly or indirectly, know first hand how life is different from that moment on. “Cancer changes your life in so many ways, and so many levels. There’s a part of me that’s more relaxed, there’s a part of me that’s desperate to get things done. My hopes, my fears, my desires...everything has somewhat been affected,” he added. And these days he feels pretty good of  “walking amongst the living.”

For Vida, Draco knocked on some familiar doors. It does help calling Juan Luis Guerra, Ruben Blades and Ricky Martin, close friends, and also having past relationships with Mana, Enrique Bunbury, Juanes and Ednita Nazario, and new friends like Romeo Santos. In an extremely well organized project, to make sure Draco didn’t go through any stress, and to avoid any traveling, some vocals were sent from different parts of the world or recorded in Hollywood. “I was worried about just staying alive, and luckily, I had a few people worrying about putting the project together,” he said.

On the first single, Más y Más, Draco got the opportunity to work with Ricky Martin, which he hasn’t done in nine years, while shooting the video in New York City. “It was good to see him and hang out in New York, and we had a great time, and it was a lot of fun. And the shoot went smooth, the day we shot it was very lovely, very comfortable,” he remembered.

Under the pseudonym Mr. Blake, Draco has an experimental track on iTunes and another eight “in the oven.” Plus also he’s coming out with five limited edition vinyl records. One is Vida, the other a re-issued collector’s edition of Vagabundo and the other three are Vino, the Grammy nominated El Amor Todo Lo Vence (Amor Vincit Omnia) and the Grammy winning Teatro.

Draco, who is characterized for his raw, poetic and metaphorical lyrics, draws inspiration from anything and now more so after cancer. “Things just pop up and you just participate. I’m still getting to know how to go about this new opportunity. You just observe more, you’re just a better observer,” he said. This new opportunity of life, Vida. His new love and passion for life is contagious, and stays with you after being touched by it. And he send me off with words to live by, “your joy is your strength, and when somebody crushes your joy, it can destroy you.”