Yendy Duran, alias “Jau-D”, was born on May 14 in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros Dominican Republic, the eldest of four brothers from a very humble family.
When he was a year old his father decided to bring their Dominican Republic family to the United States, New York. Like every parent he was hoping to give a better future to his son in the city where he currently resides.
“Mommy when I grow up I want to be a baseball player or a singer.” Those are the words he told his mother as a child, and I must say that he is poised to become an internationally renowned artists now.
At just 12 years of age he began to work in a supermarket, packing bags to earn extra money to help his family make ends meet. Then, as he entered high school he decided to team up with one of his fellow reggaeton to form a pool, and at 13 years old he recorded his first song of reggaeton. With the passage of time he realized that he was having great acceptance as a singer and decided to take it seriously, because until that moment he had only been singing as a hobby. But fate wanted him to meet Jason Tejada and from the first they decided to work together to make music his profession.
Like all beginnings, it wasn’t easy, but they decided to invest the little they had to create and promote the music and career of Jau-D. Sfter much effort and sacrifice were able to generate a fan base that even today follow him wherever he goes.
2011 was the year of change for Jau-D, since he decided to venture into the genre of bachata and record a CD of bachata. He recorded on the “Calpio Music Studio” and that’s when producer and singer Javier, aka “Bad Faith”, decided to join the team and make “Jau-D” internationally known. That is also when they made the decision to record an album entirely of bachata, entitled “Get Crazy “, which will be released in the coming months.
We recently had a chance to talk to Jau-D about his career, music, and background.
Thank you for your time. We want to get to know you better. How did you get the name “Jau-D?”
My name is Yendy Duran. I tried combining letters of my first and last name and came up with Jau-D. Not sure where I got the J from to add it but it sounded good to me, lol.
Tell us about your single “A Cual Le Miento”; what was it like creating that song? How would you describe your music?
A Cual Le Miento is a song I wrote about a personal experience I went through. I had feelings for two girls, and felt bad about it. So then I had to admit to myself that I was lying to these girls; white lies are still lies. I have had a lot of people both males and females tell me they relate to the song personally, so it seems like there are a lot of people in the same situation.
I recorded the song here in Washington Heights, NY. I was there throughout the entire process, from the recording of the instruments to the sound engineering part where all of the vocals and instruments were being mixed and mastered. I love creating music; everyone poured their heart into making this song. I think people can feel that when they hear the song, and I think they can also feel that I mean what I am saying. I think it makes a difference when a person is singing about something that happened to them. I think people can feel when something is genuine.
Do you visit the Dominican often? How has your Dominican culture impacted you as an artist?
I try to, but unfortunately these past few years I have not been able to visit much. My mother is still over there in Santiago, DR. I wish I could fly over there weekly, lol.
Dominican culture has impacted me as an artist to the core. I was born in the Dominican Republic; I grew up listening to mostly Bachata and Merengue. I think you can hear the influences of all of the great bachateros in my music. I love the genre, and I hope to add to it by giving it my own little twist. Am trying to combine both the bachata style of the traditional bachata singers with the urban style of bachata started by Aventura. I pride myself in calling myself a Bachatero.
What projects do you have in store for 2013?
Well, we just dropped the video for my single A Cual Le Miento. I am happy to say that the song has been in the top 25 in the tropical Billboard charts for the past month. We hope to keep climbing the charts, and I look forward to introducing my music to as many people as possible. Hopefully everyone loves the music. I’m putting the final details on my album entitled, “Get Crazy.” We are hoping to drop it within the next few months; definitely before the end of the year. The promotional tour dates are being finalized now as well. Please follow me on the social network sites for details as they are released.
Any message to your fans? How can they follow up with you?
To my fans: I love you all; to those who are discovering my music now: I hope you enjoy it.
