Today we’d like to introduce you to JM Ferreiras.
Hi JM, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in The Dominican Republic in a Christian home, because of that I was always surrounded by music which led me to start playing drums at the age of six. Six years later, I became my church drummer and by that time music was everything I could think about, so I started exploring other instruments like piano and guitar and other areas of music. That’s when I discovered my passion for music production by making beats and writing songs in FL Studio. Years passed and my desire to be a better musician grew bigger, that’s when I decided to audition for the National Conservatory of Music of Santo Domingo where I was formally trained in jazz and popular music.
Five years later, Berklee College of Music, my dream school, came to my city with an exclusive program to which about 1200 people applied, only 700 were accepted and out of those 700 only 60 were invited to audition for the school and only four won tuition scholarships, I was one of them. I am proud to say that I graduated with honors with a degree in Music Production and Engineering and a minor in Commercial Record Production. After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles, CA, a city I always longed to live in and after moving in here, it has been nothing but blessings! I had the honor to produce, record, mix and master Jesus Molina’s 2nd jazz album called “Departing” which ranked number one on Youtube’s Jazz Playlist. Jesus Molina is a world-renowned jazz pianist and singer.
Also, I played drums artist Noel Schajris’ double album “Mi Presente” and I was the drummer for his online album tour in 2020. Noel, a two-time Latin Grammy winner is known for his former band “Sin Bandera” which was one of the most famous Latin pop bands in the last two decades. Finally, I recently had the pleasure of becoming one of the engineers for Grammy-winning producer group/band 1500 or Nothing.
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?
Anything worth having is worth fighting for so it has not been a smooth one, but I can say that I’ve enjoyed the journey and the lessons I learned from it. For instance, while still in college, having a full-tuition was one of the obstacles I had to overcome in order to finish my degree. When Berklee gave me a scholarship, it covered 75% of my tuition so I had to find a way to pay for the rest. Thank God I had just learned that the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation offered about 40 scholarships per year which was exactly the 25% I needed to complete my tuition, so I applied and was one of the winners, in fact, I had to apply every year I was in college so I won the scholarship three times. Another challenge was having enough money to live and to fund my study supplies such as books, notebooks, etc. For that reason, I had to work at school throughout my entire college experience. That job paid for my rent, food and other expenses, but it was a challenge having to study and work at the same time, it was very overwhelming if I’m honest, but I wanted to go to Berklee so bad that nothing was going to stop me from accomplishing my goals.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a drummer, producer and audio engineer who specializes in playing drums on records and mixing music. I am known for being a studio drummer and mixer who’s always wanting the best for the song I am working on and doing whatever it takes to accomplish a solid and professional record. The thing that I am most proud of is that I get to do my passion for a living, I get to be a part of a creative process, I am able to see a song from its original phase or idea, all the way to being finished, and I love that. Music is a subjective thing and everybody has their own opinions regarding what’s good or bad but I can say that is my taste and musical decisions what sets me apart from other professionals in my field, that’s why my clients come to me for and it’s that what I try to imprint in the music I’m making every time.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising about myself and that most people that know me or work with me don’t know is that I can actually sing. I learned how to sing by listening to R&B records when I was a teenager. Even though I mostly sing on demos for songs I write, I can also do background vocals if needed when I’m producing for somebody else and I have a Christian R&B/Pop band where I sing on some of the songs.
Contact Info:
- Email: jmferreirasmixing@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jm_ferreiras/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josemanuel.ferreirascastillo
Image Credits
Avishek Udas
