Rising Stars: Meet Juno Rada

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juno Rada.

Hi Juno, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I come from a family and culture who love singing. Being Filipino, we value karaoke and it’s part of almost every gathering from birthdays, weddings, etc. we even have get-togethers just because we want to karaoke. but our family is known to have exceptional singers and they set a pretty high bar for me.

As early as maybe four old, I was always asked to sing in front of people. I remember singing at church a lot and being on choirs. But wherever there was a group of people, there was a good chance I was gonna sing. I didn’t enjoy every second of it of course. I was a very shy kid and I struggled with stage fright quite a bit. But my parents are very a persuasive and they never missed an opportunity to let me know I can get through a performance–no matter how big or small of an event.

I learned violin when I was ten and that’s how I got my start at playing an instrument. I still play to this day but not as much as I should. Every once in a while, I’ll play it during a live performance for a little bit of a change-up.

I was introduced to the guitar at 12 and I basically just ran with that. I’ve been playing ever since and it’s been part of my identity as an artist and a performer.

Somewhere around 2012-2013, I started doing open mics around LA to basically “get out there”. I didn’t know where to start but I got the idea from other artists talking about it. I would also perform at college events that my friends would put together. In 2014 I auditioned for American Idol. I got through a few rounds but eventually, I got cut during Hollywood Week. It was an intense experience to say the least. But that was my first taste of the entertainment industry.

I continued performing around LA at bars, restaurants, really anywhere where they’d let me and then around 1028, I landed at this little dessert spot on Sawtelle in West LA called B Sweet. I started doing solo acoustic performances and it has since grown into this weekly event where I get my awesomely talented friends together and have a concert. for everyone there. The energy is incredible. Think of it as a house party with people just jamming and singing along to they favorite and most beloved songs. It’s become a welcome tradition that most people look forward to on the weekends. I perform a lot for private parties and other public events but B Sweet is how people recognize me most and I’m proud of that distinction. Shout out to the amazing chef Barb of B Sweet for giving me that opportunity!

Songwriting goes hand in hand with being a singer and a guitar player, in most cases. I think the first song I ever wrote was when I was 15. It wasn’t very good haha but I’ve basically been writing songs ever since.

During the start of the pandemic, I dove into the world of producing music and this year (2023) will releasing songs which I wrote and produced.

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?
There’s just so many other talented and deserving artists in LA and there’s no ultimately manual when it comes to making it in the music business. But being good a good place to start. I’m just trying to stay consistent until the stars align for me so to speak

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do music full-time.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
To take a break from music, I play Call Of Duty. pew pew pew!

Contact Info:

• Website: junorada.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junorada/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/junorada
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@junorada 

Image Credits
Sheldon Botler (1st picture). Romeo Cascolan (2nd picture)