Reggaetón’s Romantic

Jay Wheeler has long been known in his native Puerto Rico as “reggaetón’s favourite voice”, due to his romantic lyrics, folky tone and unashamedly sensitive side. He famously got so emotional at one concert in his native town Ponce that he cried, an event that went viral and, as you can imagine, garnered him even more fans. A protégé of legendary reggaetón pioneer DJ Nelson, who signed him to his prestigious record label Flow Music, collaborations with the likes of Farruko, Dalex, Myke Towers, Miky Woodz and Alex Rose have catapulted him onto the global stage. His song La curiosidad featuring Myke Towers accumulated more than 760 million streams, and earned him a nomination at the Premios Lo Nuestro 2021 as “best new artist.” Now in the middle of his first world tour, named Emociones true to his romantic image, the new face of Reggateon took time out to talk to Carina Londoño.

Looking relaxed in the car, Jay Wheeler is on his way to a music video when he zooms into my screen. He has just come out with two surprise releases ‘Te La Dedico’ and ‘For You’, while in the middle of doing his world tour, combining both in a single video.

LatinoLife: what inspired you to release two songs in English and Spanish simultaneously, and a video for both as a single storyline?

Jay Wheeler: The English part ‘For you’ I wrote a while ago, and ‘Te La Dedico’ I wrote recently and I just had this idea of mixing the two together in one video and I really liked and went with it. For the visuals I had the Spanish part with the water vibe and then the English part with fire I liked the contrast. It really highlights almost two different worlds.

LL: How come you decided to release while on tour?

JW: Even while on tour, I haven’t stopped working on my music, composing, and even recording. I managed to finish these two tracks and decided to release them both at the same time as something to give to my fans while touring, a thank you for all the love they have given me in every city I visit, which has made a big impact on me.

LL: Would you make more music in English, and collaborate with a UK or US artist?

JW: Yeah for sure, I have a few things written and I would like to release some projects in English too. I mean to make music with another artist I have to be a fan of theirs, if I’m a fan of their music then 100% I’d happily make music with them. There’s a few but I’d love to collaborate with the Weeknd.

LL: Your known as an artist of ‘feeling’, do you think singers have an advantage over rappers in the reggaeton game?

I don’t think being a singer over rapper is an advantage, I think being diverse is an advantage, it’s what you bring to the table, that’s your advantage. You have to always remember that no one is you, and you have to have faith in believe in what you bring and develop your craft.”

LL: DJ Nelson is like a legend for us, we brought him over for our first La Bomba parties, back in the noughties which pioneered the scene here in the UK. How has DJ Nelson influenced your career ?

JW: It’s funny that you mention him because I literally just got off the phone to him. He literally jumped started my career. He reached out to me after a concert I did when I got a bit overwhelmed after hearing people singing my lyrics back to me and I just starting crying. He was at that show and we’ve worked together ever since. Apart from being someone I work with he is also my friend, and I’m very grateful to him for everything.

LL: I’m guessing that having the right guidance and the team you have around you is just as important as being talented right?

JW: Absolutely, an artist needs to focus on making music, my team, which consists of about 50 people, is what helps with everything else and I am so lucky and blessed to have each one of them. With technology changing all the time and such an important part in reaching your audience, you cannot do it all. Artists want to invest all their time and energy in their craft but someone has to be helping with Tik Tok, Instagram and then there is managing bookings for events and concerts, choosing outfits, sourcing dancers…it’s a lot of work. An artist is only as good as their team.

LL: You stand out as being a reggaetonero with manners, not a bad boy. how did you make the transition from church boy to reggaetonero?

JW: My mother use to sing in the church so naturally I did as well, but I would play the piano more than anything. To be honest it’s all by the grace of God, it is because of him I am where I am today and I able to do reggaetón. I try and stay grateful and humble and not forget where I came from and to keep mindful of that throughout my journey and to always give thanks along the way, because you will never know where you will end up.

“You have to focus on your happiness. We rob ourselves of so much time thinking about what other people think, being fearful and then we end up not doing anything.”

LL: You were producing for while, would you say that has helped you as an artist?

JW: Yeah, I really enjoy the process of producing and making the music. It helps a lot when I’m listening back to certain songs and beats and I can listen out for things that our missing or that don’t sound right. Producing 100% helps you become a better artist. it kind of goes hand in hand and I love being able to do it all. I would say I’m a perfectionist. I like to keep control over what I put out.

LL: La curiosidad has become a classic, how do you plan to beating or maintain that level of achievement?

JW: To be honest I have come to terms that that song is the biggest of my career so far. I spent a long time, trying so hard to do better than that song that I realise I was robbing myself of happiness. Now I just want to be happy, and make music that I want and like. I’m not trying to do better than that song, I’m focused on spending my time wisely and being happy.

LL: One thing that’s very admiral about you is the way you have been very open about your physical appearance, I mean that you come up with rashes sometimes and don’t try and hide it, which is incredibly positive. What’s your advice to artist with insecurities about their looks?

JW: Like I was saying before, you have to focus on your happiness. We rob ourselves of so much time thinking about what other people think, being fearful and then we end up not doing anything. I look back at when I was at school and I think of all the talent shows I never entered because I was afraid or scared to and sometimes I regret it like damn I should have just done it. So my advice would be don’t focus on anyone but yourself, you have to do what makes you happy otherwise you will spend your life looking back in regret wishing you had done so many things.

Have you ever been to London?

No I haven’t, I would love to!

Te La Dedico and For You available on all platforms now