Today we’d like to introduce you to Fer Villanueva
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started in music at the early age of fifteen, at that age I decided that I will dedicate my life to music. I started studying music at Staccatto Singers Academy, and was able to attend two summer programs at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I have been able to perform in Nicaragua, Colombia and the US as well as several locations in Guatemala. I have been able to work with composers and produces like John Paul El Increíble, Bomber Music and Indica Yanzee. Currently I am attending Miami Dade Community College, to get a degree in Music Business. I choose Reggaeton and Urban Pop as the generes I want to sing, I have released sixteen songs including my debute album Yo Soy Fer, being able to position a couple of songs in number one slot in Guatemala and Venezuela. Currently I am working on my second album Chamakito.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Music business is rough, it is a constant test of resilience, You are competing against giants with unlimited resources. As technology has advanced it has become easer and cheaper to produce music, opening the availability to produce and launch music. The internet has revolutionized world making quicker and easer tu publish music, artist are launching songs at an astonishing rate, it is hard to keep up with it. Also, it has become a world of hustlers, there are a lot people in this business that are trying to take advantage of you all the time, you have to be keen and always analyzing what are they offering and what is their angle. But for the most part I have been blessed with more good experiences than bad, I have been blessed to have people that are good and looking for my best interests.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Reggaeton and Urban Pop Singer. Through my music I want to send a positive message to my generation and break the stigma that reggaeton, trap and urban pop today are misogynous and degrading to woman. Through my music I want to inspire people to work hard and pursue their dreams. It is especially important for me that the image I convey is a positive role model for today´s society, one that is aware of the problems that our generation is going through.
I am Guatemalan, but also Mexican, from my mother’s side, this has exposed me to two cultures from an early age, and having been able to travel and learn about different cultures has given me the ability to give a Cosmopolitan sound to my music, making it a blend of all the great sound from Latin America. Also living in Miami which is a crossroad of Latin America, and the US has given that 305 vibe to my music. I have received several awards in Guatemala, such as upcoming artist award and composer of the year from Staccato Singers Academy, also I received a Scholarship from Berklee College of Music, for their five-week summer program. I have been nominated three times for the Estella Awards, this year I have two nominations for the Estella Awards.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Currently I live in Miami as I am studding in Miami Dade Community College, so I will answer this question twice, one for Guatemala and two for Miami.
What I best like about Guatemala City is its people, and what I like least is the traffic.
What I bet like about Miami is the mixture of cultures that gives you that special spice to everyday life, and what I like least that it has become really expensive to live here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fervillanueva.com
- Instagram: @fervillanuevamusicgt
- Facebook: @fervillanuevamusicgt
- Twitter: @fervillanuevamusicgt
- Youtube: @fervillanueva
Image Credits
Images by Richi Villanueva
