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

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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

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Kingston: Revolution in the Making




“Don’t sleep on me.”  Those are the words of self-taught musician, Kingston.  Discovering his vocal ability at the age of 13, Kingston says he was not very outspoken about his talent because those around him claimed that singing was for girls.  Kingston, who’s real name will not be revealed, got his stage name from a friend in high school named Denzel who he met as a freshman.  Denzel crowned Kingston with this nickname and people began to think it was really his name.  Halfway through his high school career, when Kingston moved to upstate New York, he decided the name would be his new identity.  He tells me that ‘Kingston’ is his alter ego, “[he’s] music, entertainment, pride,” Kingston describes.  This alter ego is the one that doesn’t sleep because there are songs to write and things to do, “he’s a little bit cocky but he knows what he’s doing.”

High school was when Kingston was able to truly embrace his ability to sing.  People Kingston for his music at school, and finally during his senior year of high school and freshman year of college he realized, “I have something crazy.”  However, vocal ability is only one of the things Kingston is able to do.  At the age of seven, Kingston taught himself how to play the piano.  He went on to teaching himself how to play the guitar, and drums all by simply listening.  “I can’t read music,” he confesses, and so he uses his keen ear to create the melodies you hear in his songs; music for him is innate.    

Kingston knows above anything that he has something to contribute to the world of music and will stop at nothing to reach his goals.  If there were one thing he would change once he makes it big would be the quality of music.  He wants his hard work and dedication to shine through his music.  He uses meaningful words to portray messages in his songs.  His first song, ‘Nightmare Girl,” was about having complications with a girl and not knowing what to do; a theme many people can relate to.   

“I’m not a rapper or singer,” Kingston points out “I’m an artist” and it is this kind of self-talk that keeps his dream alive.  He admires artists such as Usher, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar but no one has made an impact on Kingston the way Chris Brown has.  “I watched him grow, his concepts are crazy,” he says, and he uses this admiration as the fuel to ignite the fire that is his dream.  He studies Chris Brown and the way he does things and tried to take it to the next level in his own music and performance.      

Kingston is ready to take the world by storm.  From people memorizing his lyrics to being recognized on the streets from his videos on YouTube, this young man is slowly making his way to fame.  March 25th Kingston will be preforming at Webster Hall [details in the video below], and in April he plans to release his first music video.  Also, be on the lookout for his EP coming in May called ‘Mind of a Gemini’.  Determination is everything in a successful artist, “I’ll go outside in hail, [and] fire coming from the sky if it means I’m gonna get it done” he vows, and this perseverance is what will drive him to the top.   




Twitter: @Kingston_H_
Instagram: @kingflyiz4ever
YouTube: KingstonH523

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CoreenVic Rose