You could call Javier Colon timeless. After winning the inaugural season of NBC’s The Voice, he has battled even harder than he did during the show’s “Battle Round.” Last year his perseverance and life-long dedication to creating music on his own terms brought him to yet another chapter in his career with a new recording contract with Concord Music Group. Concord Music Group is home to many enduring artists such as Ray Charles, James Taylor and The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band to name a few, but it’s also one of the most respected and ageless labels of our time.
When the ink was dry, Javier who is a longtime SONAR user dug deeper than he ever had before, and started writing songs for the new record. “A lot of the songs on this new record started right in my home studio on SONAR Platinum,” Javier recently told us in conversation. “The thing I like about SONAR for writing is that it’s really quick for getting ideas down. It’s like a creative partner. Of course it’s great for mixing and creating masters too, but for me since I was fortunate enough on this record to be working with top-notch mixing engineers, the single most important thing was getting the songs right. The features in Platinum are great for songwriting. Even just the loops in Addictive Drums 2 are a great starting place to generate ideas—there’s just no shortage of inspiration in the program.”
Javier’s new record titled “Gravity” comes out April 15, and he recently shot a new video in LA (also including scenes from Europe) directed by Gregory Poppen. The record itself is actually 15 songs, a bit of a different approach from pop music’s recent pattern of releasing fewer tracks per album. On this record Javier really wanted to get more music out there for his fans who have stayed with him all this time throughout every phase of his career.
SOME INSIDE FOOTAGE ON THE SET:
“I get emails and messages from fans, saying that my music has moved them or touched them, or helped them when they were in a dark place,” he says. “That’s something that I take very seriously. Knowing that other people are listening on that level makes me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“I’m glad to be in a position now where I can put music out there that reflects who I am as an artist and a person,” he concludes. “As an artist, you live and die by the songs that you sing, and if you sing a song that you’re not fully invested in, or a song that you don’t really feel, than you’re not doing your job as an artist. With Gravity, I got to make an album that I really love from start to finish, and I’m willing to fight for that and live with the consequences.”
We will be following Javier’s progress with this new album which will also include substantial touring here in the US and around the world. Until then here is more information:
New album “Gravity” out April 15th and available for pre-order now on iTunes and Amazon