Five Questions with JF1
Posted by: CorrienteLatina Posted: 08-23-2010
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JF1 is an emerging Latin recording artist who is an R&B version of Daddy Yankee and in the vain of De La ghetto and Prince Royce. What sets him apart are his creative stage presence and ever present gold fangs representing his hunger to succeed and humble approach to the music industry; all vigorously supported by a growing Dominican fan-base.
Now he have five quick questions with JF1
1. What does the name JF1 mean? Where did it come from?
Well my real name is Jose Fuertes and JF are my initials. The number 1 is because Jose Fuertes happens to be a very popular name in the Dominican Republic, there are like a million of us, but I’m the first that I know of to be impacting music!
2. You grew up in the Dominican Republic and came to New York without speaking a word of English, what was the hardest thing about making that move? What did you initially love (or hate) about the States?
I was born American but was raised in the Dominican Republic. When I came back to the states the hardest thing was trying to get a job not knowing English and even though I had family here, sometimes I felt alone. Music was a refuge for me and chasing my dream gave me the strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
3. In addition to your music, you are known for wearing gold fangs, what’s that all about?
The fangs give me an edge and make me stand out. It’s like my alter ego. When I sing a Latin ballad or Bachata, I’m a Latin pop star. But when I put on the fangs, I’m a Reggaeton Artist. My fans really like it and that’s the main reason I continue to wear them.
4. You’re second love is baseball and you used to play seriously, what is your favorite team and who are your favorite players?
My favorite teams are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. I was born in Boston and now live in the Bronx, so I love both, which is ironic considering they have one of the biggest rivalries in baseball. Alex Rodriguez is one of my favorite players because he’s also from the Dominican Republic and has been very successful.
5. You spend nights in the studio but days in business school. What are you studying now and how do you balance it all?
Well, I’m working on my Business Degree. I’ve learned that in the music business, you have to be business savvy as well as artistic. The reality is that the music business is like 40% music and 60% business and the reason why a lot of artists don’t succeed is because they only know how to make music. To me, music & business are the same and balancing both is what rounds out my career.
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