Today we’d like to introduce you to J Salez.
J Salez (Juan Ricardo Chavez) was born and raised in Corona, California. Both his parents were regional Mariachi artists in their hometown Jalisco Mexico, so J grew up singing mariachi since the early age of 5 alongside his father Ricardo Robledo and mother Yolanda Maria.
J Salez has a deep profound passion for the arts. He grew up in a musical family, so he always has had a passion for music. J’s influence is diverse, he grew up listening to artists like Usher, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne, Aventura, Don Omar, to name a few.
At the age of 18, J left home. He commuted to Los Angeles multiple times a week to take acting classes, he was then inspired to get into fitness and opened his own gym at the young age of 23. Because of his artistic nature, J started training in Latin dance, specifically Bachata and Salsa at the age of 21. He was quickly in high demand around the world and traveled to countries like France, Canada, and Brazil. While trying to ‘find’ his passion in other mediums, he didn’t realize that he had already been doing what he loved since he was five years old, which was music.
After many years of ‘searching’ and trying to discover what his passion was, J started to dive back into music in 2019. Because of his active dancing career, J fell in love with Latin music all over again. He was surrounded by Latin music daily. He loves all music, but Reggaeton and R&B music inspired him to release his own song “Señorita” in 2020 and “Distraction” in 2021.
As an independent artist, J Salez has reached over 100,000 streams and 300,000 views on Youtube through his music in only a short amount of time. His unique style of music and dance will inspire the world, making him one of the biggest Latin-American artists of all time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not smooth but what journey is, right?
At first, when I decided to get into music, I was totally independent but after my first release, I got involved with a record label that I felt was going to change my life but once I got involved Covid hit. So that kind of messed everything up because they didn’t want to release anything due to the closure of Covid 19.
After a year of not releasing and being with the label, I ended up feeling as if I needed to get back into being independent and really diving into my artistry, figure out who I am as an artist.
I ended up leaving the label last year around October and decided to release my first debut single as J Salez called Señorita in December. Since then, I haven’t looked back and have already released three singles.
Going through a tough industry and not really knowing what to do has been challenging but exactly what I need to be doing. I must go throughout it all if I expect to be a respected artist in the industry. I’ve learned so much about the music industry and about myself in such a short amount of time that I can only imagine what can be accomplished with time.
You can only connect dots looking backwards so I’ve learned to just trust myself and Him… and just focus forward.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well at 21, I started learning how to dance Bachata (Latin dance style) and at 23, I started traveling around the world teaching and performing what I started learning just three years ago. Places like France, Brazil, Canada, and many parts of the US.
Now in music, I do both Latin and American songs. My first single “Señorita” was my reggaeton debut as J Salez. Distraction which I just released on April 9th was my first R&B single. I feel like everyone isn’t just one “color” and as an artist, I want to showcase that. I want to make it as one of the biggest Latin-American artists in the entertainment industry doing what I am currently doing now. Also dancing Latin fusion in both genres, giving the audience a different performance experience, as well as exposing Latin dance in a commercial space.
I am a hard worker so I know if I just keep going and growing, I will do what I did with dance in music but go much much further. What I am most proud of is that I always go after what I want no matter how big or small.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Being a genuinely good person is my biggest advice. Literally, all my mentors have mentored me not because of my talents but because I work hard, listen and I’ve always been genuinely kind. People take notice when you work hard and listen but they gravitate towards you because of your attitude.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: JSalez.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsalez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamJSalez
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamjsalez
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO8hMk-24LEgA7ZS2wkM5Fw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-807193060
Image Credits
Eduardo Sanchez Flores
