"Not the Boy Next Door" is available now 23-year-old singer-songwriter Junior Martinez from Casa Grande, Arizona is one of the newest aspiring artists to enter the R&B/pop online independent music market. Martinez dropped the deets on his background and current digital release, Not the Boy Next Door to JSaysOnline.com.
Well, hello! Let's start off by telling everyone a little bit about your background. Were you born on a warm spring day or a harsh, cold one? Haha. No, seriously, where did you grow up, what things are you involved in outside of music and how did music become something you wanted to actively pursue?
JM: [I] was born in a little town in Arizona called Chandler. Besides being a musician, I work in the medical field; I am a caregiver. I also raise my brother, who I adopted when I turned 18. I had a tough childhood; we didn't have much. [Also,] My grandma, who raised me, worked a lot, so that really forced me to be creative and that is how I fell in love with music...buying my first Michael Jackson album (i.e. Thriller)...made me want to sing and write. I was obsessed. Everything about Michael's music was alluring to me, so I literally spent night and day trying to learn everything; from his dance moves, to the way he sang.
You have 3 full albums available for download on Bandcamp.com; the oldest was released last year. Did you produce all of them by yourself? If not, who else did you collaborate with? What resources did you use to complete the projects?
JM: I have written and produced every album. Some of the instrumentals are collaborations with a beat maker named DJSSR, who I have been working with since my first album. I started recording out of my bedroom in 2008, and released a string of horribly produced songs that I have erased from existence, haha. The 3 albums that are available...I'm pretty proud of them. I have grown lyrically and vocally. I'm completely self taught: no vocal or writing lessons, and the production has been learned pretty much through trial and error.
What's the concept of and story behind Not the Boy Next Door? Which song is your favorite?
JM: The concept is simply that I was tired of being put in the "R&B box." I literally would get comments about how I sounded like this or that R&B singer. Don't get me wrong; I really love R&B, but I also love other genres and really wanted to experiment. I wanted to make an album that was a little bit different and incorporated pop/dance elements, but still had the R&B that my supporters like. So, the title was my way of saying "Hey, I'm not just that R&B guy and I have more to offer than a couple of sappy break up songs." My favorite song is probably the darkest song I did this go round called "Battle Wounds."
Well, hello! Let's start off by telling everyone a little bit about your background. Were you born on a warm spring day or a harsh, cold one? Haha. No, seriously, where did you grow up, what things are you involved in outside of music and how did music become something you wanted to actively pursue?
JM: [I] was born in a little town in Arizona called Chandler. Besides being a musician, I work in the medical field; I am a caregiver. I also raise my brother, who I adopted when I turned 18. I had a tough childhood; we didn't have much. [Also,] My grandma, who raised me, worked a lot, so that really forced me to be creative and that is how I fell in love with music...buying my first Michael Jackson album (i.e. Thriller)...made me want to sing and write. I was obsessed. Everything about Michael's music was alluring to me, so I literally spent night and day trying to learn everything; from his dance moves, to the way he sang.
You have 3 full albums available for download on Bandcamp.com; the oldest was released last year. Did you produce all of them by yourself? If not, who else did you collaborate with? What resources did you use to complete the projects?
JM: I have written and produced every album. Some of the instrumentals are collaborations with a beat maker named DJSSR, who I have been working with since my first album. I started recording out of my bedroom in 2008, and released a string of horribly produced songs that I have erased from existence, haha. The 3 albums that are available...I'm pretty proud of them. I have grown lyrically and vocally. I'm completely self taught: no vocal or writing lessons, and the production has been learned pretty much through trial and error.
What's the concept of and story behind Not the Boy Next Door? Which song is your favorite?
JM: The concept is simply that I was tired of being put in the "R&B box." I literally would get comments about how I sounded like this or that R&B singer. Don't get me wrong; I really love R&B, but I also love other genres and really wanted to experiment. I wanted to make an album that was a little bit different and incorporated pop/dance elements, but still had the R&B that my supporters like. So, the title was my way of saying "Hey, I'm not just that R&B guy and I have more to offer than a couple of sappy break up songs." My favorite song is probably the darkest song I did this go round called "Battle Wounds."
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