Today we’d like to introduce you to Leonardo Ortegon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Leonardo. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ever since I remember, I have always been attracted to music. When I was six in school in Colombia, I remember being obsessed with the challenge of learning a new rhythm pattern on the congas, which were basically the first instrument I really started to experiment with. Later on, my dad put me in piano lessons when I was eight, which lasted very shortly after I decided to quit because the lessons were conducted early in the morning on Saturdays. I remember my dad being extremely disappointed at my lack of interest in piano lessons even though in the inside I knew I liked music. I think psychologically, I just didn’t like the fact of music being forced into someone as a discipline, rather I enjoyed my voluntary approach and curiosity towards such.
A short time later when I turned ten, I decided to go to my sister’s room and take her guitar out of its case; I remember starting to become very curious about it and somehow fell in love with the instrument, which became my main instrument to this day. This time, I never asked my dad to put me into guitar lessons, rather, I voluntarily chose to engage in school guitar classes and eventually taught myself the instrument until I was confident enough to never take lessons again and continue improving based on my musical instinct. When I turned 13, my parents and I decided to move to Miami, a decision I thank them to this day because moving to the states has taught me not only a second language, but has given me the opportunity to design my future the way I always want to, and the opportunity to access different cultures and travel all over the world.
I remember in high school I was very obsessed with playing guitar and singing covers, until one day I sat down and experimented with writing lyrics and music. The very first song I wrote at the age of 15, was an important moment in my life because I sat down in my room with my guitar and I thought to myself, “this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, music”. As a teenager, I shaped myself into becoming a singer-songwriter, learning how to play different instruments such as piano, bass and drums. But only when I was 18, is when I started to realize that just playing instruments and writing songs was not enough to reach the level I wanted to reach. I knew I had to put my music out there in the world and I knew I had to record all my songs, so slowly I started learning the art of music production.
My dad never really supported me in my dream of becoming a professional singer-songwriter, so I knew that if I wanted to produce my own music and enter the industry, I had to invest in myself and acquire any recording equipment through my own means, and so I did. At around the age of 20, I got a day time job and invested in equipment, sound acoustics and instruments, in order to build my own recording studio. Ever since then, I have always produced, mixed and mastered my own music. Not only did I teach myself how to produce music, but I also made the decision to study a career related to such. When I was 23, I went to Full Sail University and got my degree in Sound Engineering, with the purpose of bettering my craft and taking all of my productions to a professional and competitive level.
Living in Miami as a Latin Pop singer looked promising, but no matter how much I tried, it seemed like my career was not taking off the way I expected it to. So after a trip to Ibiza, and being exposed to amazing electronic music parties, I quickly made the decision to switch genres and produce electronic music full time. Since 2014, I have been producing, mixing and mastering electronic music. My sound, of course, has changed and shaped into a different form since the inception of MIICHII. Producing electronic music has been one of the best decisions, if not the best decision I have ever made. I finally summed all of my leanings as a musician and multi-instrumentalist, into a genre that has given me so much space to experiment and communicate emotions. Pursuing success in the electronic world has made me become a DJ as well, maintaining my instinct to perform in front of large audiences and provide experiences through the manipulation of sound.
Today, I am proud of the path I have embarked on, producing electronic music full time as well as travel the world as a DJ. I see producing electronic music as having a blank canvas in which I can have the ability to create new sounds and rhythm patterns with no rules, and a big space.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly, every obstacle that I have encountered has been easy to manage. But one thing I always struggled and even to this day I am still struggling hard with is my Dad being opposed to my pursuit of music as a career.
My Dad has never believed in the concept of succeeding in a musical career, and he never really expected I was going to dive fully into the music world. But as years passed and I never showed any interest in pursuing anything other than music, then he became opposed to my path, even to the point of telling me that I have no future, I have no talent, and that I will never make it.
I actually believe that his disapproval is key to my success since I am racing to reach a tangible success and prove him wrong.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an electronic music producer and DJ. My specialty is definitely related to creativity, I think my forte lies in creating musical ideas and arranging them in a way that makes sense to provide a comfortable and appealing listening experience. I also consider my self very detailed when it comes to DJing. I only play tracks that perfectly fit the musical and rhythmic vision I have for specific performance.
One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that I can produce, mix and specially master my own productions. I feel like I need to be in control of every aspect of my music since I want the listener to have the best possible outcome when it comes to my creativity.
One thing that sets me apart from others is my obsession with quality. I believe that music or art, in general, should not be shown to the public until it has been carefully molded and perfected. I am a witness of so many artists and producers who rather choose the act of releasing music as a more important factor than crafting the art itself before it is exposed. In my own growing experience and path, I prefer to spend more time perfecting a song and releasing fewer songs than many.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Although I am aware of luck being an important factor in someone’s success, I personally have not experienced it yet in a big way.
My passion and hunger to succeed has made me take decisions such as going to places and talking to people, traveling distances to gain exposure, networking until late hours in the night, and the result is always a gained or found opportunity, but not by luck, but by intentional discovery.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.miichii.com
- Email: bookings@wayurecords.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/miichiimusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/miichiimusic
Image Credit:
Anna Barnat
Julian Castaneda
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