In a few months, Jon Secada will complete 30 years of career . In 1992, an album titled with his name put him on the map as a soloist after he was a backup singer for the famous band Miami Sound Machine for a time.
“I have planned to celebrate my career in popular music,” said the Cuban-American singer in a recent interview. “It will have a lot to do with doing something within the music in Spanish and English.”
Secada has navigated between both languages since then, and has been able to bring the higher levels of popularity of songs in both languages, as was the case of “Another day without seeing you.”
Only now Secada has put aside his pop vein and brought out his most romantic side with “Solos” , an album with ten pieces composed by Cuban authors from several decades ago, among them “Contigo en la Distancia”, “Tú me accustomed” and “Delirio”.
“It is the most romantic that I have done ”, confirmed the interpreter. “Definitely, honor was honored to love, to the romantic song.”
The title refers to the collaboration between Secada –in the voice– and the celebrated Cuban musician , Gonzalo Rubalcaba , at the piano. The two had known each other for a long time, but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago when they saw each other on a flight from Miami to San Francisco that they explored the possibility of doing something together.
“It took me a while to call him, but when I did, I was lucky that he hadn’t changed his phone,” said Secada.
The idea for this album came from Secada, who was amazed in his college years when he listened to a Tony Bennett record accompanied only by a piano.
“I found it so special and transparent that touched the heart, “he said. “And I wanted to try to do the same in Spanish.”
For him , the challenge was to connect the stories of the ten songs in an organic and coherent way, and not so much to surpass or distinguish themselves from so many singers who have recorded these songs in the past.
“I was concerned about how to bring this concept to reality, that there would be a link between song and song,” he said. “The challenge was how to take it to such a transparent level with just my voice and the piano.”
And the only person with whom Secada thought he could do it was with Rubalcaba, who did not hesitate to accept the invitation.
“As he is a teacher, the vision I had [del disco] was going to be fine, ”Secada said in a Zoom meeting from his Miami home. “Each song was rehearsed and what we had in mind was carried out as it was envisioned. ”
For now, both artists are adjusting their schedules to present the album live once the pandemic he allows it. At the same time, Secada is preparing a show to celebrate his three decades as a singer. For now, exercise and family have kept him busy, but it won’t be for long; a great celebration party awaits you.