Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Jose Fernando: Talent and Humility


Not many of us know where we are headed in life at the age of 3, but at such a young age Latin artist Jose Fernando was already moving the crowd.  Born and raised in a town called “La Canela” in the Dominican Republic, Jose described how his aunt would take all of her nieces and nephews to sing so that they could be familiar with the setting.  He was involved in various choirs growing up and he even learned to play violin; something he describes as a beautiful but difficult instrument.  Growing up, he was surrounded by everything he needed, as a platform to succeed in the music industry. 
When writing, Jose says that his inspirations come while he is showering.  “When I’m showering and the water is hitting me,” he describes as his some of the most artistic moments he’s had.  Partly due to the bathroom’s echo Jose Fernando says that this is the best place for someone to sing.  The simple act of having your own sound returned to you is a perfect way for creativity to blossom.  He says that there’s something about that running water that simply gives him the ability to come up with something magical.  “My best compositions have been in the bathroom as I am showering.”
At times, life hands us difficult situations and in this case Jose Fernando had to deal with the death of his father while trying to pursue his dream.  Although distraught with the situation at hand he looked at this as a way to better himself as a person and most definitely as an artist. He says that every morning when he wakes up he is inspired because he knows he has to find a way to support his mother and give her a breath of hope in her darkest time.  “Many people see it as a disadvantage but I look at it as an opportunity to give my parents the same...” he says that all of the things that he has achieved he attributes to the scarifies that his parents had made for him.
Jose Fernando is not only extremely appreciative of what his family has done for him but he also realizes that there are so many people in the world that are living without what is necessary to survive.  He says that with his success he’d like a way to anonymously donate to the people of the Dominican Republic who need things; no money but material goods.  For example if he knows that a family needs a stove, he’d like to send it over without them knowing who it came from.  He also says that he’d like to develop a music school in his hometown because there are many talented people that deserve the best. 
Talent and humility, Jose Fernando is the complete package.  His ability ranges from singing to dancing and acting; Jose Fernando really does it all.  When he isn’t working on his music he said he loves to write and produce things.  He is a big fan of television and loves coming up with new ideas, and so his mind is an encyclopedia of information in which he is always moving and creating. 
Why listen to Jose Fernando? The answer is simple; he is a breath of fresh air.  Jose says that music is slowly losing the ability it once had to make people fall in love and he plans to bring that back; he is ready to give the public lyrics that have meaning and that move them in ways they’ve never felt before.  He wants to be the artist from the Dominican Republic that lets the world know that Dominicans not only do bachata and merengue but ballads as well.  Here is his latest single “Ya No Mas,” which is sure to dance in your head for days to come.  Enjoy!


Contact Jose Fernando:
Facebook:Jose Fernando
Record Label: Riverworks Records LLC

Related A Vocal Accord Artists:

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Eli Jas: Girl Power in Bachata


Fearless and ready to make her mark in the music industry, 21 year old Latina Eli Jas is taking bachata by the horns and representing true girl power in a genre where female representation is scarce.  Eli Jas describes singing as something that she has done since she was young, and with her first studio experience being at the tender age of 14 she knew that music was her true passion.  However, it was not until her second year of college that she decided that she wanted to dedicate more time to her music and pursue it as a career.  It was with this decision that Eli was able to record her first single, a bachata song, entitled “Tu Me Haces Volar.” She recalls her mindset at the time saying, “[I] really wanna do what I love and show the world who Eli Jas is!”
Eli Jas’ very first performance on stage was at the Gun Hill Road Festival, “I have to admit I wasn’t used to having all the eyes on me,” she says, but describes the feeling as, “now or never.”  Despite the nervousness of her first performance, once Eli got off of that stage for the first time the feeling was infectious, she couldn’t wait to do it again. This past March Eli performed on the Calle Ocho stage in Miami, a show presented by Mr.305 Inc.  “Yes I got to perform on the Putbull stage,” she says with excitement.  “The energy was nuts …I can’t wait to go back to Miami again.” 
With the powerful, mesmerizing sound in her voice it is no wonder that Eli Jas’ inspirations stem from artists like La India, Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, and Christina Aguilera just to name a few.  Currently, Eli Jas’ self-titled mixtape has five original bachata songs infused with R&B influences making them each exciting and alluring in their own ways.  “I love them all” she says, but points out that her favorite track is “No Me Podras Olvidar.”  The song, whose title translates into ' you won't be able to forget me,' was Eli’s way of giving a more positive outlook on a breakup, “I got to express myself saying ‘ok, this is not going to break me.’”     
It is this positive outlook that will take her far in her journey to represent females in bachata, “representing women and girl power…I love it” she admits.  Eli feels that that it is important to have females stick together and states that she is, “honored to represent females and young women.”  In fact, Eli points out that being a female in a male dominated genre has helped her build a tough skin.  Her colleagues are very critical of her, always pushing her to work harder which she loves because in turn she is able to provide her supporters with quality music. 
The journey to stardom, however, is not always a smooth path.  “Nothing is easy when trying to pursue your dream,” Eli points out, and notes that it can be hard to “buckle down and do what you need to do.” She recognizes her fans and peers saying, “They are giving me beautiful support.”  Eli encourages all upcoming artists to believe in themselves and concentrate on what they do, to think outside of the box and become a different sound.  “Always be unique and if you believe in your heart that this is what you should do, go for it!”
At the moment, Eli Jas is working on new music alongside Matetraxx, who is known for producing albums for the Kings of Bachata themselves, Aventura.  Eli has a lot of surprises in store along with more interviews and live shows while working on experimenting with other genres; you’ll just have to stay tuned and follow her journey to see exactly what she has in store.   She thanks all of her supporters and says, “I am super grateful and I appreciate every single one of them!”
“I love them all and can’t wait to bring them new stuff.”  


YouTube: TheRealEliJas
Twitter: @TheRealEliJas
Instagram: @TheRealEliJas

  Related A Vocal Accord Artists: RYG, Kewin Cosmos

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Drew Tabor: Making Her Mark




With today's digital technology invading our homes and taking the world by storm it is no wonder that upcoming artists such as Drew Tabor are using the medium to its full advantage.  In my constant search for new talent I stumbled across a cover of Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" done by this talented young lady and I was immediately hooked.  I knew I had to find a way to speak to her about her developing music career. 

Drew began singing around the age of 16, and as she started doing YouTube videos discovered that it was something that she not only enjoyed but she was good at it too.  And so as any other striving artist she continued to post her videos.  "It started out of boredom," she describes.  Her channel is filled with so many adoring fans and people sending messages of encouragement to her for her outstanding voice.  However, this YouTube fame did not happen over night.

"It was slow to begin with," she states.  
"It took a long time."  After a year's time, she decided to post more regularly and do covers of more popular songs.  This is what helped Drew expand her fan base.  As of now however, she is still developing new ways of growing her followers and one way she plans on doing so is through the use of original songs to show who she really is.

With the attention she has already received, Drew has nothing but good things to say about the feeling of her growing success.  And so I asked, at such a young age what would be the most rewarding part of her musical career thus far?  "The fact that I can put something out there and have it mean something to someone else," she gushed.  Drew loves being able to touch others through her music.  

Drew’s favorite covers that she has done so far include her rendition of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” as well as “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.  She enjoys being able to take a song and put her own spin on it.  However, Drew has original songs as well.  She currently has an EP called “Glitter” on iTunes now and plans to release another one in the coming weeks called “Bright Lights and Cheap Shots.”  She shared with me that none of the instrumentals in this coming EP were electronic, and that she was able to experiment with many different instruments. 

For the future, she says "[the world should] expect for me to be around for a while.”  Drew is not looking for 15 minutes of fame but rather, plans to have a long music career that makes an impact on many peoples’ lives.  She cares a lot about her music and wants to do this long term.  In whatever she does, I am sure that Drew will go far with her constant motivation and the infectious voice she possesses she is destined for success.
Contact Drew:
Twitter: @drewtabor