Here at Latin é, we’re always on the look out for new artists to share with the world, so we were thrilled to find a sweet new bachata artist in Jay Garcia. From his heartbreaker looks to his swoon-inducing hooks, this is one artist to watch. If you haven’t already been introduced, let us do the honor with this éxclusive interview…
Well, first off, tell us a little about yourself…
Hmm… I’m 25-years-old, my parents are from the Dominican Republic, and I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I grew up there and in Passaic, NJ. I have been recording music professionally since I was 18. I’m pretty quiet in real life, but when I’m on stage it’s a different story. I completely transform when I perform. Also, I’m positive, patient, have a strong belief in God, and I know that through Him anything is possible.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
I have many people who have inspired me to do what I do. Grupo Aventura, of course, is one of the main reasons why I started to sing in the first place. Also, I am big on becoming my own boss one day, so I got inspired by many entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, John Legere, and Jay-Z. I currently own an entertainment company called 1Two Ent. with my two closest friends, and we have dreams of making this company something great within the entertainment business industry. My biggest dream is to sell out Madison Square Garden. I would also like to make a positive impact on kids’ lives. Hopefully through my music and other opportunities, I will be able to accomplish that. Another thing I would like to do is finally be able to tell my mother that she doesn’t have to work anymore.
Those are some great goals. Why bachata? What do you love about the genre?
Bachata is something, that if you are Dominican, you grow up listening and dancing too. Since Grupo Aventura changed the game and made the genre more about young people and made it, what I like to call “cool,” I was naturally drawn to them. I actually saw them perform when I was 12-years-old, and it hit me right there that that’s what I wanted to do. So I began playing many percussion instruments, like the Guira, Tambora, and Bongo. Then, I started to gain confidence in my voice as I got older. Essentially, I hired a vocal coach to help me perfect my voice and I officially started recording. What I love about bachata is that you can dance to it, listen to it, it sounds incredible with a live band, and it can be played at many different type of occasions. It’s a great genre, and because of what artists like Aventura and Romeo Santos have done with it, the skies the limit now.
We love Llevame. Can you tell us about the process you went through recording it?
Well, in the beginning, I had one clear objective, and that was to make it different from what’s out there now. I really wanted the song to be a different kind of bachata. I wanted to make it more upbeat and more lively. I wrote the song first, then went to my producer, Eto Santos, and together we created the melody for the song. A few months later, he sent me the draft of the song with all the instruments, and we went to record it, which was a lot of fun. A few months after that, he sent me the song mix and mastered. We are all proud of how it came out. It really took about eight months to create and process, but it was worth the wait.
What’s next for you? Do you have an upcoming album? Can you let us in on when we’ll be seeing that?
Since the song came out in March, we’ve been doing what’s called a media tour. We’ve been having many interview with radio stations and such, to really promote the track. The official video for Llevame will be out soon! I’m really excited about that. We’ll be starting the East Coast Tour soon, as well. We actually have all the songs for the album recorded, but no release date yet, because we are still working on building the brand first. We’re thinking maybe mid-2016 for the full album!
Did you make any 2015 resolutions? If so, what were they?
I only really made one resolution this year, which was getting the song “Llevame” to over a million views on Youtube. That was my only goal for this year. But, my partners in crime have their resolutions as well which impact me too. They want to get my song to get played in the Mega 97.9 by this years, which would be incredible! So with patience and determination, I am confident that we will accomplish both goals.
What’s currently on your playlist? Who are you listening to?
I purposely do not listen to any bachata anymore, because I don’t want to be influenced by another bachata artist unintentionally when I go in to sing or record. Mainly, because I want stand out and sound different all the time. I listen to a lot of hip hop right now, and one of my idols and favorite artists right now is J-Cole. I also listen to Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Maroon 5, Daughtry, and The Script. So I am very Americanized. As you can tell in my music, as well as how I sound when I speak spanish.
And last, leave us with something that sets you apart. Give us one fact about yourself that will wow us – it can be anything, a hidden talent, special skill, just give us something juicy. 😉 Convince our readers why they should be following YOU.
I like to think that what sets me apart from other artists is my personality. Nobody is me or can be me. I am always going to shoot for the stars, and never going to settle. Always going to think to the left, and my ideas will always be original. Also, I don’t only sing for me, I sing to entertain, and one day reach kids’ hearts, to show them that they can be aspire to be anything they want to be, even if it sounds crazy at first. As you can tell in Llevame it’s different and lively, and thats a reflection of me. 1Two…
Thank you for the opportunity to share a little of me and my story.
We’re excited to feature you, Jay.
Follow Jay on Twitter now to keep up-to-date on the latest tour and album news!
