Blending both English and Spanish musical influences, Sergio JR has cultivated a new soundscape derived directly from his upbringing in life as a first-generation Mexican American. After the success of his boyband, In Real Life, and the first hand industry experience he gained from that time, Sergio has solidified the imprint that he wants to leave in the world with his music. We chatted with Sergio about his music and more!
How does it feel to express your full heritage in your music?
I think it’s helped me kind of even find this may sound cheesy, but like it’s. Even find myself more, which at the end of the day, just like, I just feel like right now kind of the best I’ve ever felt personally, musically, vocally.
Yeah. I think being in the group, like, because my, you know, not even just me, but all of us were a little bit limited to, you know, being able to express ourselves fully. I didn’t realize it was like that and also kind of like led to personal problems. No, it was cool. Like, like I’ve been able to really just explore different sounds that I’ve always wanted to do ever since I was a kid.
If you weren’t in In Real Life, do you think you’d be where you are now?
No, no. I think leaving the group, like I had felt like, I didn’t feel like it was the end of the world. Yeah. Because of the people that I met along the way, if I were trying to jump into the Latin industry without knowing not even one single person, it’d be very different, you know, and now we’ve been in a place as a team, the past couple of months where we to meet a lot of more people in the industry. Which is gonna help a lot with, you know, roll out for songs and future events.
Why are you moving to Miami?
Well, that exactly, so the industry is kind of like the hub of the Latin industry in Miami. It’s kind of like when everyone wants to move out here for acting or for tapping into, you know, the mainstream general market.
Yeah. It’s the same exact thing. All the producers, publicists label reps, media outlets, TV networks, you name it. Everything’s Miami. Right now, at least over the past couple of years. We’ve met a couple people that have been helping us out along these past couple of months.
Since your music is both Hispanic and English, what was the decision process like to pick what songs will be English and which songs will be Hispanic?
I wanna be like the guy that sings mainly Spanish, but also in English sometimes. At the end of the day, that is me. Like I speak in Spanglish. Right. I, it’s like, you know, a good mix of Spanish and English in one sentence. Yeah. I also feel like that’s just like a really, there’s a big, like Mexican American, and Latin American community here.
And just like, so obviously in California, but in the US, you know, and I feel like I want to be able to represent that like a lot of kids that are my age and stuff, like, yeah, we’re fluent in Spanish, but like they’re also American. Yeah. So it’s like showing those sides as well, which is cool. And on top of that, the song that’s on that list of songs that I sent you is the one that I sang on tour with IRL.
Like we all did five solo songs and that’s been one that everybody’s been wanting to hear already.
What does Unica mean?
So Unica, it literally translates to unique. Right. Unica it’s just the, it’s the feminine version of unique.
And then Unica is, you know, the masculine version. But, so yeah, Unika I wrote this song. It’s an imagination kind of towards what I would like to feel towards somebody. You know, a lot of people ask me, oh my God, who do you write about all this? And although, yes, most of my music is directly about specific people.
Like that’s one of the few that I just kind of just painted a picture. I did. You know, old experiences and, but all of the feeling and everything is a hundred percent true. That whole song in short terms. It’s kind of just like an imagination of what I would like to feel towards somebody one day.
Is there a Latin artist you’re dying to collaborate with?
Yeah. I mean there’s a lot, but one. His name is Juanes. He’s a Colombian singer/songwriter as well. He was more in the top 40 mainstream when it was like the early 2000’s. He’s definitely one of my idols. Him and Ed Sheeran are up there, but if there was one Latin artist, it would be him.
If you could ECHO out any quote to fans, what quote would that be?
Dang. Well, I’ve been living by two, so I don’t know which one I’ll tell you the most recent one.
Most recent one I’ve been living by is, “do the work, let God do the magic.” That’s my personal life, right. Cause I truly believe like, whatever it is that you wanna do. It’s a career or just a personal skill or hobby or whatever you put in the work. Right. For me, it’s God for anyone else. It’s whatever it is, universe life, let, let life reward you.
Right. because I feel like the things will come at the right time, but if you put in the work, literally anything is possible as cheesy as it sounds. I feel like it’s totally true.
If you could set up a fan in a setting for them to listen to your music, what setting would that be?
I was gonna say a pool, a pool bar, because I’m, I’m thinking like you have some of the, like the groovier songs, but then, but then if you wanna like step outside of the pool and sit right on the sand, you can enjoy the like slower balance, you know?
Stream Única now!! If you’re in the Miami area, make sure you catch Sergio at Breaking Sound Miami by getting tickets here!