JO-L
Interviewed by: Angela

Angela: Hello Jo-L it’s very nice to get the chance to talk with you.

Jo-L: Hi Angela how are you?

Angela: Good, How are you doing?

Jo-L: Ok. Hanging in there.

Angela: Good. You just recently came out with your debut video “Keepin In Step”, which was filmed on a helicopter airport used as a military base. How did you decide on that filming in that location?

Jo-L: We wanted the closest thing that looked like a military base or something that we could actually convert into one. We couldn’t get a real military base because it’s almost impossible to get do. So once again, somewhere we could convert to look like one. They were very cooperative with us and so it was the best location and option that we had.

Angela: Oh ok. And you had more than 20 dancers in the video and you did most of the choreography yourself?

Jo-L: Yes. What I did was, I got a choreographer and she was the one that was actually able to get the casting together for the girls. When I saw the routine that she had made it was a little too feminine for me to actually do so I sort of did the choreography myself and then I taught it to her and then she taught it to the girls.

Angela: Wow. That’s a lot of people. How did you know what to have them all do?

Jo-L: Just basically modern moves that are out now. Kind of cool stuff. Nothing too complicated. As long as it looks uniform it will always look good. The simpler the better. They are all trained dancers so I didn’t figure it would be a big thing.

Angela: Got cha. And did you learn how to do choreography from your days as a dancer on Club MTV?

Jo-L: Yea. All my training comes from back in those days. We have actually danced for 8 hours straight.

Angela: Wow!

Jo-L: Yea it was crazy. You wouldn’t really make money. You wouldn’t do it for the money. You would do it to see the world. That was kind of the payoff. You would go in and you would dance straight for like 8 or 9 hours. They would give you like an hour break for lunch. So yea, that was a really good training.

Angela: Cool. Going into the video did you guys already know exactly how you wanted it to be or did you just kind of come up with it while you were doing it?

Jo-L: As far as the concept?

Angela: The concept. Just everything all together.

Jo-L: Right. Uh. Yea I knew pretty much what I wanted when I went to the director I went with a notebook with all my notes, the scenes that I wanted, what I wanted them to wear, what I was going to wear, what kind of things and props in the back, what kind of lighting I wanted, everything. I pretty much made her job really simple. I knew what kind of look as far as the color of the video I wanted. So yea, I had everything in my mind. Well not just in my mind but also on paper when I went to her.

Angela: Very well prepared.

Jo-L: I try.

Angela: Your new album entitled “Breaking Rules” includes 10 songs, most of them in “Spanglish” just recently dropped. How is it doing for you?

Jo-L: It’s doing pretty good. It’s already on the radio in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, New York, Washington and Philadelphia. We are getting a ton of people calling in requesting the songs. So we are getting a lot of love from it.

Angela: Nice. And how would you describe your style of music because I have heard it described as “Sal-Fusion”.

Jo-L: Yes. It’s “Sal-Fusion” which is pretty much a mixture of a whole bunch of different genres of music. R&B, Salsa, Hip Hop, Reggaeton and Reggae. What I did was I took all of those styles and I put them all together and I named it that.

Angela: I have another question that I just have to ask because I was discussing this with friends the other night. HOW do you dance to that? Is there a specific way that you are supposed to dance to it?

Jo-L: Ummm. No. It’s just kind of an easygoing thing where you just let the beat kind of take you. There are no rules to it and that is what I like about it. You can do whatever it is that you want as long as you do it on beat. There is no certain way to it. It is all free.

Angela: Cool. Thank You. Do you have total creative freedom over your music?

Jo-L: Total. Yes.

Angela: Total. Ok and how are you able to tell what appeals to your fans?

Jo-L: I usually keep very very in tuned with what is out in the streets. I am very much into R&B and Hip Hop and Rap and all that kind of stuff and I am also into the Latin things so I am always listening to the radio stations in all genres and that is how I am able to make my choices of what I want to do, what I want to bring from one genre and put into another genre. I am always in tune with what is happening.

Angela: Oh ok and what made you decide on the large step back in time with some of the 70’s music that you remade on your album?

Jo-L: Those are just personal influences. To me the 70’s were one of the best musical genres that we had. I grew up with that kind of music. My parents were always listening to that kind of stuff and so I wanted to take it and revamp it and offer it to people that had never even heard it. Like, “How deep is your love” was a classic and there is a lot of people that are young right now and aren’t aware of that. So it was my way of paying tribute to the people.

Angela: I understand that your cousin was a singer and that hearing him on the radio and seeing him on the TV is what made you want to be a singer. Is that the only thing that made you have a love for music?

Jo-L: Well he was a big part of it. I was influenced early on, when I was like 3 by Elvis Presley and Tom Jones. I remember watching them on TV and hearing them on the radio. My cousin, in the 70’s there was a genre of music, which is still alive now called the Boogaloo. He was one of the creators of that genre. He was a big influence because he was close to me. He is family and I used to hear him on the radio all the time and watch him on TV. To see that he had a lot of fans, it was a BIG impact on my life.

Angela: Wow. In your school years you were in a group called Nite and Day. You guys did some major damage opening up for HUGE acts.
What made you decide to give it a go on your own?

Jo-L: We did open for a lot of people. We opened for New Kids On The Block, The Cover Girls, The Commodores. We actually did the opening for the Commodores in Miami for 21,000 people. That was the reason why. It was a great experience, especially the New Kids. That was our first big break.

Angela: Why did you guys split up?

Jo-L: Because I wanted to exercise my creative outlets and experiment and he was ready to actually hang up his mic and go onto other things. We still keep in contact and are still great friends and things like that. I always pass whatever I am doing over to him to see what he thinks.

Angela: Oh ok. Who would you say the most influential person on your career has been so far?

Jo-L: I would have to say Michael Jackson and Elvis on an overall basis. When it comes to the whole Reggaeton thing I would have to say Daddy Yankee.

Angela: Ok. And why did they have such an effect?

Jo-L: Well Elvis is Elvis I don’t even have to say much about that. His presence and music outlived him. He was an incredible artist. He was only around for 20 years and he actually changed the face of music. And then Michael is pretty much the same kind of thing with his stage performance and his choreography. You will NEVER see him make a mistake. It is so well put together. He sounds exactly like he sounds recorded. That is a great influence to me. As far as Daddy Yankee, I love Daddy Yankee. He has opened new doors for Hispanics. I respect that. It makes what I do worth wanting to do. I like Daddy Yankee.

Angela: Mmm Hmm. Do you have anything else new that will be dropping in 2005?

Jo-L: Probably a remix album that we are working on now. We are doing the second single to the album, called “No Me La Muevas”. That is going to be next but right now we are focused on “Keepin in Step”, which is out now. The album “Breaking Rules” comes out on October 18th.

Angela: Are you already planning your tour?

Jo-L: We are going to start touring in the beginning of the year. Right now we are focusing on all the TV shows and a radio tour, that kind of thing. Then we will start touring after the 1st of the year.

Angela: Are you going to be making a Chicago stop to come and meet up with the INDIE STREET LATINO crew?

Jo-L: Of course! Do you know how many Latinos there are in Chicago? Wow. Of course!

Angela: Call us when you get here, we will show you around.

Jo-L: Thank you so much and Thank you for your support really.

Angela: Ok. Well I would like to Thank you for your time. I am really glad that we had the chance to talk. I wish you the best with the new album. I hope it goes great for you and hope to see you in Chicago soon!

Jo-L: Definitely. Thank you so much.

Angela: Thank you.

Jo-L: Take care of yourself.

Angela: Alright, you too. Bye Bye

Jo-L: Bye