INTERVIEW WITH JON SECADA FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
In 1992, Jon Secada debuted with his self-titled album, selling over six million copies worldwide. He had four singles which were hits on Billboard's charts including, "Just Another Day," "Angel," "Do You Believe in Us," and "I'm Free." In addition, he released the album in a Spanish version, which became the #1 Latin Album of the year. This past year he released his newest album, called "Heart, Soul and a Voice." This latest album is already climbing up the charts and doing rather well. The first single, "If You Go," was a very big hit, and the whole album is getting tremendous airplay. This is a word-for-word transcript of a recent interview with Jon about his career, his music, and his start in recording.
DM) Last night you were on David Letterman, and this morning you were on Good Morning America... How did it feel doing these live television performances?
JS) It's great. Well, singing live is great. Doing shows like this where you can actually sing live is great. It's good for me, and I enjoy the fact that it's live.
DM) Both of your albums were recorded also in Spanish; what was the reason for both English and Spanish versions?
JS) I grew up speaking both languages, and for me that's really important. I grew up in a community that was bilingual. I've done it for a while, singing in both languages. So, when I got the contract for my album, even though it was an English record, my manager insisted on making sure we would record in Spanish as well, and it worked out really well for me.
DM) Do you write the songs in Spanish, or English, or both?
JS) I write in English first, and then I translate to Spanish. I've always felt more comfortable with the English side of things first.
DM) I've noticed that you studied at the University of Miami and received a masters degree. That's pretty rare for someone in the pop music industry to study and get a degree, let alone receive a masters.
JS) Well, I always wanted to be educated and be prepared. My intention when I came into this industry was to be a musician, not necessarily a recording artist, just a musician in general. And that's the reason I went to college and got my degree, which has been great for me. It's helped me a lot with my career. It has allowed me to have a good foundation and to do other things in music. Even before I became a recording artist, I did other things in music. I was a teacher, I did studio work, and I was an arranger and a producer. Having a college degree gave me the opportunity to be... well-rounded. Also, the people I met at the university, most of them are still my colleagues now. People I've known for years are all in the industry together.
DM) You've mentioned that you've done production work for other albums. Anything we might have heard of?
JS) Well, I've done production work for other people.,.some Latin artists, and this also includes the stuff I've done with Gloria (Estefan).
DM) Your bio lists all the awards you've received, and these really stretch the gamut of musical diversity. What is the true style of Jon Secada?
JS) I consider myself a pop singer/songwriter. There are many things attached to this definition, though. There is R&B and rock and the Latin...just all the things I've done, which I'm very proud of. My style is a very universal sound, which is very close to where I grew up.
DM) A couple of weeks ago you were performing and the stage fell in, and you continued singing right through it. What happened?
JS) It was the opening ceremony for the World Cup. There was a big pit by the stage that was not covered properly on the day of the performance, and I fell right through it. I broke the fall with my shoulder; I separated my shoulder and somehow I was able to keep singing. I don't know how, but I didn't want to be embarrassed in front of the world. Everything worked out okay, I didn't have a broken arm or leg, and I was still able to finish the show. I just went to the hospital, and they popped it back in.
DM) Do you feel any pressure with this follow-up album, after your first album sold six million copies?
JS) No, there is no pressure, to tell you the truth. I'm just really excited about everything that has happened to my career. I never really felt the pressure. I didn't allow it to happen. With this new album, I prepared for it a long time, and I was happy with the songs and the production. I felt that I proved myself with the first album, and with this new album, I just want to share some of my music. And that was always my feeling and my intention.
DM) Do you feel that there will be a shock from this album and the first album which was a different R&B style?
JS) Well, I think it's a pop record with just an R&B edge to it. It's not so far out that people are going to think it's all that different. It's a more developed and more mature sound, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
DM) Lately, in the music industry, tribute albums have become very popular, with artists covering everyone from the Eagles to Kiss, to the Grateful Dead. Is there any artist that you'd love to cover?
JS) Oh, yeah, I've always thought of covering some of my influences like Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder. This record has a lot of influences that I'd love to cover, like Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind and Fire. Maybe I'll do some covers of my major influences during my live show. (The tour will be in the NYC area at the end of the year.)
DM) What can people expect from your live show?
JS) A real active music set, based and really concentrated on what the music's all about. That's what I'm all about--singing and a really good strong music set.
DM) You've also mentioned that Crescent Moon Studios in Miami had "all the right albums." What makes Crescent Moon Studios so special for you?
JS) That's where I recorded the first album. All the people I work with are out of Miami. The whole chemistry and atmosphere there has worked for me.
DM) You had only started in music well into your teens. Most people start much earlier; how did that affect your career?
JS) I started in high school to be interested in music and from there, I decided to study in college. Yeah, you're right, I did start late, but luckily, because of my schooling, I picked up a lot of ground pretty quick. And I started song-writing pretty late, too, actually. I was in college when I started to do song-writing. I guess I made up a lot of ground work in the process. And to do what I've done, I've been very lucky, very blessed. I've felt so lucky, I wasn't worried about that. I just lived it and did my own thing without looking over my shoulder. I think I'm very lucky, considering when I started everything, and the fact that I have a masters in music, and I've always worked in music, and that's what I wanted to do.
DM) In a recent interview, Paul McCartney said, "The secret to the success of the Beatles was a very personalized approach, with words like 'I want to hold your hand' , and 'love me do'." How does that relate to your career?
JS) I think that's the key. If you write songs and if you write music that's very sincere and very honest, it's pop music, but it is pop music with a lot of honesty and a lot of heart. For me, I can only do that from my own experience with people I've known and things that I've lived and experienced. That's what good pop music is all about, pop music that does reach out to people. It's very personalized and very real, honest and sincere.
DM) Okay, Mr. Secada, thank you very much.