He was the "ambassador of the night." He made a name for himself as a DJ and model in the '90s and now organizes alcohol-free dawn parties.
He was the “ambassador of the night” of the 90s. Alejandro Lacroix (54), the famous DJ of the Esteña parties who conquered the world playing his music in Ibiza, New York, Amsterdam, today admits with a smile that he has not recognized himself in that role for a long time. “Now they call me 'ambassador of the 5 AM',” says the former model and MTV host in a clear reference to the changes in habits that led him to adopt and promote a healthier lifestyle. Distanced from the nightlife, Ale also found a new meaning to his passion as a DJ and for two years now he has been organizing parties at dawn, the “sober parties”, zero alcohol, a project he called “Awake up & dance”.
–How did the idea come about?
–I love playing music. So I said to myself, “How can I incorporate what I love most into this new lifestyle? How can I combine my two worlds?” That's how this concept was born: enjoying a party early in the morning, without selling alcohol. The great thing is that I play the same songs I used to play at three in the morning, but now at ten. And the energy on the dance floor is the same. You see everyone dancing and they're all fired up. I think it's a great way to start the day. Afterward, you get together with friends or go out for barbecue, whatever you want. The first time I did it, I couldn't believe it. You come out with endorphins and dopamines pumped up, all naturally because your body generates them. You don't need to take anything.
–On your social media and even in this new project, you talk about “awakening.” In your case, what was that awakening that brought you here?
–It was a long process, but I think the first glimmers of that change arose with the arrival of my children Felipe (17), Letizia (15) and Alfonso (14) –born from his marriage to Cecilia Firpo, from whom he separated–. The important turning point came when I discovered Robin Sharma’s book The 5 AM Club at an airport. That was my alarm clock. What the book suggests is that you get up very early every day, it could be at five, six or seven in the morning, it doesn’t matter, the idea is to create a habit.
–What is the purpose of doing that?
–It's been proven that productivity is greatest in the morning; creativity is a true highway. When you wake up at that time, you find the world is silent. Your family is sleeping, your neighbor is sleeping. It's a time of complete silence. According to the author, at that time of day you have a mental clarity that ultimately becomes very productive. The important thing is that your brain is rested, that your mind isn't distracted.
–And what other habits did you incorporate?
–I also incorporated other habits that the author also encourages you to do. It's the 20-20-20 formula: 20 minutes of physical exercise (I go for a run); another 20 minutes of yoga or meditation; and the last 20 minutes are for absorbing knowledge, whether it's a book, a podcast, or whatever. So you get home at 6 a.m. and you've already gone for a run, meditated, and learned something. And then the day has just begun.
–How did all this change you?
–Obviously, I needed a radical change in my life. Of course, I had to rearrange some pieces before. Keep in mind that I still played at night, and I also had to gradually eliminate going out with friends after 10 p.m. It's not that I never do it now; I do it every now and then. Today, those situations are exceptional.
–Was it hard to say no?
–A lot. I think it took the rest of us longer to accept my new lifestyle than it did me. The path of transformation is extremely lonely. No one is there for you. There were relationships I had to let go of, and others that let me go. I also left a lot of friends behind along the way, but not because I don't love them; I just didn't have anything in common anymore. I also know that I went too far, I became very withdrawn, and I left. Luckily, they made me realize it, and I managed to find a balance.
–There is also grief in letting go…
–Over time, I realized that my party friends were just party friends; I have very few real friends left. It used to happen that every time I went out with my group of friends, they'd say, "Why don't you have a whiskey?"... "Because I don't feel like it," I'd reply. "Have a drink." "I don't feel like it." And if it's always like that, the next time they won't invite you anymore. The truth is, it hurt a lot, but I understood that this was part of the transformation. I also understood that my change was going to end up affecting my family, and it did.
–You broke up…
–Yes. It's really crazy. My psychologist told me: "Ceci didn't fall in love with this man. She fell in love with Ale from MTV, with the younger Ale." Of course, she's grown up too, but I admit I've changed a lot. We used to have a glass of wine every day. And suddenly, she started drinking alone because I wasn't drinking anymore. That, in the long run, gets tiring. Today, calmer now, I allow myself to have a glass of wine every now and then; I think I've found a balance.
–What is your relationship with her like now?
–We found love after love, and we loved each other in a different way. We talk every day. On Mondays, the five of us get together for lunch.
–What things do you feel you are teaching your children?
–I think the legacy I'm leaving them is that they know I'm a healthy person, they know exactly where I come from, they know everything I've been through. I don't hide anything from them. They know that the time I spend with them is one hundred percent. The day my time comes to leave, I don't want to be thinking about all the things I should have done but didn't. I'm happy knowing I'm with my family as much as I can be. I enjoy every sunrise, I love hugging my children, walking on the beach.
My children know I'm a healthy person. They know exactly where I come from and everything I've been through. They know that the time I spend with them is one hundred percent .
–Do you want to fall in love?
–Yes, of course. But it's not easy. A close friend of mine tells me: "Come on, you're going to be alone. What girl is going to want to go out with you? If you don't drink, you won't go anywhere, and you'll be asleep by nine o'clock at night. So, you'll be alone."
–And what do you think?
–You choose. If this is going to make me lonely, I'll navigate it the best way I can. I also believe it's about moments, about stages. Today, this feels really good to me; it's organized my life, it makes me a much better person, more compassionate. I got rid of my enormous, destructive, unbearable ego that I had for so long. Now I feel more grounded. It's a new awakening, and I want to live it. It's not like I'm living the life of a monk. I love to go dancing and I have a great time, but I choose to have a good time, to laugh, in a different way. I don't want to live on autopilot. There's a statistic that says a quarter of a million people die every day. So life is almost a miracle. From now on, how do I want to live it?
–Do you miss anything from the Alejandro of before?
–No. I embrace that Ale because he brought me here. Everything I've experienced is extraordinary. I was one of the best DJs in Argentina, I laughed my head off, I had a great time, I made a ton of money, I saw the world, I played at the best sunsets, and five thousand people danced to my music… I love that Ale like crazy, but I no longer identify with him because I woke up.
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