Erika          Zachary        Delaney

It’s been a little over two years since we have had the opportunity to feature Daves Highway here on Rivenmaster’s Place!

Their first appearance here was back in November of 2009 along with a very well received article published on The Skykid.com the following January which I entitled “Mississippi Music Magic“.  Since that time, this Tremendous Trio has been spreading their musical magic worldwide and have amassed more than Forty One Thousand fans on their Facebook Fan Page alone!  This does not even begin to account for the thousands of fans who do not use Facebook!  They recently shared in a newsletter that their videos published by Godvine.com had been viewed nearly 2 Million times!

In addition to this great success they also launched 2 CDs recorded in Nashville, their latest being their first full length CD entitled

“All This Time” which has been Featured Here since it first released!

They have also made numerous Television appearances,  performed with famous musicians, and held many concerts across the U.S.

Commonly labeled as sibling internet sensations, Daves Highway is Delaney, Zachary, and Erika Daves from Jackson, MS.  The group has developed an authentic sound that includes a mix of gospel, country, folk and rock music.   And, they’ve enjoyed sharing their story and their lives with all who might listen.

We caught up with Daves Highway earlier this month and asked them about some of their thoughts and plans for the future.  The following is the results of that Q&A:

You’ve grown so much!  How old are each of you now?

(Zachary)     I just turned 16 in December, Erika is 14, and Delaney is 17.

What’s it like to be a recording musician?

(Erika)   It’s really an awesome feeling, but it’s a lot of work, too.  The folks at the post office sure know us well!  We’ve shipped our CDs and other products to all 50 states and to about 15 different countries.   And, we get fan mail from lots of nice people.  It’s really fun sharing with people.

(Delaney)   We love meeting people.  We love going on trips and playing out.  We’ve met so many nice people along our travels.

Who are some of the famous people you’ve met?

(Erika)   We met Mac Powell and all of Third Day, they were so awesome.  And we played with Chris Tomlin, The Martins.  The Martins were especially awesome because they are brothers and sisters like us.

(Zachary)   We met Michael W. Smith, and the NewsBoys, and Huey Lewis.

(Delaney)   And Little Big Town were awesome, too!

What’s it like to meet those famous musicians?

(Delaney)   It’s very cool! But, they are all people just like us.  All of the famous folks have treated us nicely.

Who are some of your greatest musical influences?

(Delaney)   Probably our Mom and Dad.  They taught us to sing and play music and have helped us so much.  I guess that’s normal.  Charlie Peacock has been a huge supporter of ours.  He wrote some songs especially for us and really helped us sound good.  He’s the first person in Nashville who really spent time with us.  And his studio folks and musicians were unreal and so nice.  Sam Ashworth, Anna Gilbert, Richie Biggs, and lots of others.

(Zachary)   Delaney is right, but we love The Martins too.  We sang their songs when we were little kids and still do.  I’m into guitar, so I like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and players like that.

(Erika)         I really like Justin Bieber, Chris Tomlin, and Taylor Swift.   I don’t know if they are influences,  but I sure do like them a lot.

What is the largest venue you’ve performed for so far?

(Zachary)   Well, we played a pretty big Youth Evangelism Conference in Louisiana in November.  There were over 5,000 maybe 6,000 teens there.  We walked out on that big stage and it was really incredible to see everyone.   We did about an hour of music and they seemed to like it.  We sure had a great time.  And, so many kids made life changing decisions that night.  It was really a great night.

(Delaney)    And we played with Chris Tomlin.  There were a lot of people there in Memphis.  It’s on Youtube.

To what do you attribute your success?

(Delaney)   God has shined on us and we’re trying our best to listen and be obedient.  Lots of times, kids don’t really know their purpose until later in life.  We think we’ve found ours already – MUSIC.

How far do you usually travel to perform?

Erika Daves

(Erika)        So far, Illinois, North Carolina, and Texas have been the longest trips for us.  But we’ve been to lots of places in the South East mostly.  We’re still in school, so we usually make week-end road trips and can’t just take off to Maine and California…. not yet anyway…maybe soon.

What is the most exciting thing you’ve done or accomplished since we last visited?

(Zachary)   Well for me, the most exciting thing was about driving.  I turned 16 and got my driver’s license this year.

(Delaney)   I’d say recording our new CD was pretty big.  ‘All This Time’ contains eleven new, original songs.  We wrote five of the songs and recorded them in Nashville.  It came out in September.

Where can fans find your CD?

(Delaney)  It’s in lots of places.  Family Christian Stores has it.  And, we’re on Facebook, iTunes, Amazon, and lots of other places, too.  And, don’t forget our website DavesHighway.com.

Do you have a favorite song from your new CD ‘All This Time’?

Zachary Daves

(Erika)        I’d say it’s a tie between ‘Call You Home’ and ‘Right Where You Ought To Be’.  I love both of these songs.

(Zachary)   Call You Home’ is my favorite.  It rocks on the guitar!

(Delaney)  My favorite is still ‘Just Another Day’…written by yours truly!    It’s the first song we ever wrote and we did a more country version of it on the new CD.

What’s ahead for Daves Highway?

(Zachary)   Lots of stuff.  We’re writing some new songs and touring around playing concerts.  We hope to have a live performance DVD coming out soon and will probably make another CD this year.  We get lots of invitations every week and can’t make them all, but we try to schedule as many as we can.

(Delaney)  We were featured in the Focus on the Family Clubhouse Magazine this month and we have some dates planned for TV and concerts in Nashville – I’m not sure of the details.

What’s the best way for people to keep up with you?  Do you have a record company, promoter, and management team etc.?

(Zachary)   Not really.  I don’t really know about all of that, but I do know that most of our events are by invitation.  We don’t really promote much that I know of.  I’d say it’s word of mouth.

Delaney Daves

(Delaney)  We do a lot of our promotion stuff ourselves – Mom and Dad that is.  I think they have people helping them sometimes, but it’s mostly from FaceBook or YouTube and sites like Rivenmaster’s Place.   We get lots of fan mail, too.

(Erika)        Well, I’m the best Twitterer of the family.  Follow me please @erikagdaves.  And, we Twitter for the group @DavesHighway.  We try to keep our website DavesHighway.com up to date and our Facebook page is usually pretty busy.  Of course, we pop up on YouTube from time to time, too.  We’re not too hard to find.

If you were to give advice to kids today, what would it be?

(Delaney)  Well, I’m not much of an advice giver, but I’d tell kids to be kids and to take life as slow as you can.  It reminds me of our song ‘Right Where You Ought To Be.’  It says, “This life is all that you’ve got, take it slow, you don’t have to go crazy.  You can just be who you are, leave the past behind.”   That’s some pretty good advice, don’t you think?

(Zachary)   I’d tell kids to get involved in making the world a better place.  And, to find your gift or talent and use it.  It may be music, or sports, art, or anything.  Get good at something and help others.

(Erika)        I’d say enjoy life and have fun.  But, honor God and your friends and family.  You only live once, so make it count for something good.

Daves Highway Performs

For more information on Daves Highway Visit:

• Daves Highway Domain Site
• Daves Highway Facebook Fan Page
  
• Daves Highway on Twitter
• Daves Highway on YouTube
• Daves Highway on ReverbNation

You can also find all their music on i-Tunes!

Haga clic aquí para la versión Española

Abraham Mateo’s music and talent is well known all over the globe and his music videos have been viewed by millions.

Today Rivenmaster’s Place is extremely honored to bring you his full story like it has never been told before. We promise this to be the most detailed, informative and comprehensive publication to be published yet about this astonishing young vocalist.

The story of Abraham Mateo is the story of a 13-year-old Spanish boy who was born with a dream to be a great artist. Abraham was born on August 25, 2008, in San Fernando, Cadiz, a town in the region of Andalusia, geographically positioned like an island between salt lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.

Abraham was born into a family with musical roots. His grandpa has been active as tenor soloist with a church choir for over 50 years while his Mother Susana sings Boleros and Spanish music. Abraham’s older brother, Tony, (who will be featured here soon), also plays music and was finalist in the 2009 edition of the TV talent contest “Tú Si Que Vales”, the Spanish version of America’s Got Talent. Tony has been a big influence on Abraham, who desired to sing just like his older brother. Each time Tony finished his rehearsals at home; Abraham would take the microphone and start to sing.

When Abraham was three years old, he watched the TV talent show “Operación Triunfo”, the Spanish version of American Idol, and right after the show he started to sing the songs performed by his idol David Bustamante, David Bisbal, and other contestants. His family still has some recordings of Abraham singing “Corazon Latino” and “El alma en pie” by David Bisbal and songs by his idol Bustamante. At first, his parents laughed and found the way that Abraham moved as he sang to be humorous.  However, they soon began to coach him and correct him if he went out of tune. Over time, Abraham improved his singing technique and by the age of six was singing mostly in tune and in rhythm. Abraham and his brother Tony frequently sang at home as though they were in a contest and their parents played the jury.

Abraham’s first vocal coach was his mother Susana, who has always tried to present him with music that matched his vocal range. She taught Abraham vibrato and helped him to understand the lyrics of the songs, which often moved him to tears. Even at an early age Abraham preferred adult music over children’s music and especially enjoyed songs that were more challenging to sing. He confessed,

“I felt foolish singing children’s songs”.

At home, his parents listened to romantic Latin music; in particularly, pop songs and ballads, so it’s only natural that Abraham would be greatly influenced by this genre of music. To this day he still admires great Latin singers such as Raphael, and has tried to imitate their singing style.

Abraham has progressively expanded his musical talent learning how to play musical instruments. He started playing flute at age six, piano and keyboard at age eight, and acoustic guitar at age ten, teaching himself how to play by ear. Expanding on his natural God given talent, Abraham began taking piano lessons at age ten and one year ago enrolled in guitar lessons where he has learned to read notes as well as different techniques to position his hands.

In 2006, when Abraham was seven, his brother Tony was preparing for the audition of the “Veo Veo” competition, which is a contest for young talent in song and dance, organized by the Teresa Rabal Foundation. Abraham asked his parents if could also join the auditions. He prepared three songs: “Yo soy aquel” (I’m that one), the signature song of the internationally recognized Spanish singer Raphael, and “Hoy tengo ganas de ti” and “Dos hombres y un destino” by David Bustamante. It was his first time singing in public! The show presenter, the singer and actress Teresa Rabal, were simply amazed by Abraham’s stage presence and even more astounded by his demonstrative vocal performance, noting especially how he passionately concluded the song quickly pulling the mic away from his mouth.

Abraham impressed the panel as well as the audience and advanced through the competition, reaching the regional final, where he performed “Yo soy aquel” and was awarded with a special mention for his performance.

Just after this contest, his parents sent a demo video to the TV show “Menuda Noche” on Canal Sur, a public broadcasting channel of Andalusia. Abraham’s dream was to perform in that show, aimed to promote young talent from Andalusia. They waited for weeks for an answer that never came. Then, he heard there would be a casting call for “Menuda Noche” in “El Puerto de Santa María”, a town near San Fernando. Abraham, at just eight years old, went to the audition, got positive feedback from the judges, and was told they would call him back. However this once again resulted in disappointment.  The following year when he turned nine, he auditioned for “Menuda Noche” again and waited in vain for a response. Refusing to give up on his dream, he began formal vocal training with the songwriter Pedro Gordillo, who acted as his vocal coach for one and half years.

As Abraham matured as a singer, he moved on to a new vocal coach Rubén Cárdenas, who continued to develop his vocal abilities for an additional year.

One day, after school, he heard that his brother Tony was once again chosen to perform in “Menuda Noche”. While Abraham was happy for his brother, at the same time he was a bit sad and disillusioned because he failed two times at the audition. He asked his mother Susana;

“Mom, why don’t they call me? What must I do to be chosen for the show?”  His Mother replied; “You will go one day, you are still young. Your brother was eleven the first time he went to the show”.

Accepting his Mother’s assurance, Abraham accompanied his Brother to the recording of the show in Seville. When they arrived, the producers invited Abraham to be in the audience. During the show, the presenter Juan y Medio surprised Abraham, inviting him to the stage and asked him if he would like to sing instead of his brother. Abraham said no, because he did not want to take his brother’s place. Finally, the show presenter and producers persuaded him to perform in the show. When the music started, he realized it was his key! It was a complot by his family and the show producers! It was his night, his first performance on television! Despite having a cold, Abraham, who was nine years old, made the audience feel his emotions and the audience responded with a standing ovation, with a few people crying!

 A few weeks later, Abraham was again invited to perform in “Menuda Noche”. The producers asked him to sing a song of his idol David Bustamante. What Abraham didn’t know was that his idol was in the show watching his performance. From the beginning of the song, Bustamante was impressed with Abraham’s singing prowess.  After Abraham finished his performance, he could not believe his eyes when he saw his idol. Abraham ran to Bustamante, hugged him and cried, full of emotion. David Bustamante then said to Abraham;

“You sing like the angels! Impressive! I think you are unique!”.

Since then, Abraham has been a frequent guest of “Menuda Noche”, singing in front of internationally recognized Latin singers such as Raphael, David Bisbal), and Juan Luis Guerra, who have praised his vocal talent and stage presence. Raphael said about him:

“That’s singing without imitating anyone! You are a great singer!”,and David Bisbal exclaimed; “I have no words! He has a wonderful technique, a very nice voice and a nice tessitura! I predict a huge success!”.

When Abraham was nine, he auditioned once again for the music contest “Veo Veo”, advancing through the competition and finally winning the revelation award at the national final, held in Murcia, a city in southeastern Spain. It has been till now the most important award in Abraham’s artistic carrier. Abraham jumped and was moved to tears when the show presenter, the Spanish actress and singer Teresa Rabal, announced the jury panel’s decision. He said to Rabal:

“I can’t believe it!”, “I can’t believe it!”

It was in the beginning of 2009, representatives of the major record label EMI Music Spain went to “Menuda Noche” to invite Abraham to record an album for their label. Abraham, just ten years old, accepted the offer, signing a recording contract with EMI. To produce the album, EMI hired the Spanish songwriter and producer Jacobo Calderon, who has worked before with internationally recognized Latin singers such as Raphael, David Bisbal, Luis Fonsi, Ricardo Montaner, and with the American singer Miley Cyrus. Calderon started to compose songs for Abraham, and in the summer of 2009, Abraham recorded his self-titled debut album “Abraham Mateo” at EMI studios in Madrid. The album and the promotional single “Vuelve Conmigo” (Come back to me) came out on December 4. (Check out the official video of the promotional single)  You can also find the link to purchase his CD right here on this site!

The album contains twelve songs: Calderon himself composed seven tracks. Four tracks are covers of popular Latin songs by Raphael, Alejandro Sanz, Laura Pausini and Luis Fonsi. The album also includes a duet with the French teen singer Caroline Costa, the runner-up in the 2008 edition of the television contest Incroyable Talent, the French version of America’s Got Talent. Abraham and Caroline recorded for the album a Spanish version of Badfinger’s “Without You”. A video of this cover version currently has over 3.5 million views in YouTube.

To promote his debut album, Abraham toured through several regions in Spain including Madrid, Canarias, Valencia, Galicia, Andalucia, and performed in many Spanish radio and television shows, including the popular television programs “Tu Si Que Vales”, “The Show of Maria Teresa Campos”, and the Christmas Eve Special of the Telecinco channel. Abraham was invited to perform at the TV show “Mas Que Baile”, the Spanish version of the American show “Dancing with the Stars”. He was also invited to perform at the International Carnival Maspalomas in Gran Canaria.

Abraham began to record cover songs in English language during the summer of 2010, performing “I Surrender” by Celine Dion, “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, “Imagine” by John Lennon, and “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber. His video “I surrender” currently has over 1.5 million views on YouTube. In summer 2011, he released an Italian version of the classical song Adagio by Lara Fabian, his first song in Italian.

Shortly after releasing this song, he was invited to perform at a TV show presented by the Italian singer Rafaela Carra on the Italian channel Canale 5. He has also been invited to perform in Mexico and the USA.

At the age of eleven, Abraham composed his first songs, mostly ballads and one rock song. These are romantic songs he has never released. Last summer, he became interested in the songs of Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Usher and Ne-Yo. He has already written three songs in a new style that he calls “electro latino”, like the songs of Juan Magan but with a romantic touch.  That’s the kind of music Abraham wants to do now, although he will continue singing youthful ballads and pop. His upcoming studio album with EMI Music Spain, expected to be released this year, will include “electro latino” songs written by him and soulful ballads like Adele’s. He would like to record some English tracks, but this has to be decided by the record label. On November 29^th, 2011, Abraham released a demo video of “Desde Que Te Fuiste” (Since You Went Away), a Latin dance song written by him and one of the tracks he is working on for the new album. The single was released on iTunes on December 9th, 2011.

Taking the risk of changing his style to a more contemporary up-tempo music, he will surely attract more young fans but, at the same time, he is afraid to lose those fans that preferred his pop and ballads songs. Abraham just wants to make the people happy with his songs. His dream is that his fans enjoy his music and that they feel what he feels inside when he sings. This means more than anything else to Abraham! He would dye inside if he could not sing that kind of music. Abraham hopes to find a place in the music world, where he can express himself singing his own music, and to be respected and recognized for his work.

He especially enjoys performing for charity events such as the UNICEF Gala, an annual event on the TV channel Canal Sur. In April 2010, he performed at the benefit concert for Yasmina, a child from his hometown San Fernando, who suffers from Friedreich’s ataxia, an inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system.   See Video

Together with the Mexican-American singer Gabriela Sepulveda, Abraham also recorded an original song dedicated to the Chilean miners rescued in 2010. (Watch this very special Video).”

Abraham enjoys collaborating with Youtube singers and with other musicians he meets in the TV show “Menuda Noche”. He and his brother Tony recently collaborated with 50 amazing Youtube singers to perform in a music video. They covered Pray by Justin Bieber. Last week he released a cover version of “Come Home” by OneRepublic as a duet with the American singer Sabrina Carpenter. Abraham also produces his own songs in his new home studio, a birthday present he received last year from his parents.  In addition, he personally edits the music videos that are uploaded to his YouTube channels.

 His music videos located on five Youtube channels, managed by him and his support team, have received over 25 million views in the last two years. Abraham has fan clubs in over 20 countries including Spain, the United States, most Latin American countries, Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and even in Indonesia and the Philippines.

In addition to singing, Abraham loves acting and has already been involved in several productions. At a very early age he easily memorized movie scripts and together with his brother Tony he imitated various actors at home. His family still has a recording of Abraham and Tony imitating characters of the movie Rush Hour. Abraham has never had formal training in acting but would like to study dramatic arts and to perform on Broadway.

Something you may not have known is that Abraham acted in the TV movies Días Sin Luz (2009) and Raphael (2010), both produced by Antena 3 Films and broadcasted by the Spanish television channel Antena 3. In the biopic Raphael, Abraham portrayed the worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer Raphael in the early years of his career and sang some of the vocal tracks.

When Abraham is not busy with his singing and acting career he enjoys many outdoor activities. He specially enjoys running, swimming, ice-skating, roller-skating, bike riding, especially riding bikes with his father, boxing, and playing tennis with his brother. He loves drawing, dancing and, like many teenagers, computer games. Abraham enjoys playing a computer game called “Snubby Land” and he passed all game levels without failing. His favorite book is Harry Potter.

Abraham also spends his spare time watching movies. He loves “The Karate Kid” (2010) and the boxing saga “Rocky”. He lists his favorite actors as Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Brad Pitt, Sylvester Stallone and Leonardo Di Caprio. From an early age, Abraham had a passion for the songs of the Spanish singers David Bustamante and Raphael, the Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, the Mexican singers Luis Miguel, Alejandro Fernandez, and Cristian Castro, and the English-speaking singers Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Justin Bieber. Ultimately, he began interested for the songs of Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Usher and Ne-Yo.

Abraham enjoys Italian, Spanish and Mexican food, specially pizza, spaghetti, eggs and potatoes, and Mexican tortillas.

Abraham invites you to visit him on the following websites:

• Abraham Mateo Official Website
• Abraham Mateo on Youtube
• Abraham on Twitter
• Abraham Mateo Official Facebook
• Abraham on MySpace
• Abraham ReverbNation
• “Desde Que Te Fuiste” (New Single on iTunes)

“Being a long time supporter of young artists Abraham has never been a stranger to me.  His music and videos can be found all over the web and have frequented this site and my promotional YouTube site on many occasions. His debut CD has been featured here on this site nearly since it was released and I’m proud to say it also resides in my personal collection.

Abraham hopes that this Special Feature offered here will bring encouragement to other young artists to hold fast to their dreams and to never give up!

Don’t forget to purchase his CD using the links provided here and to be watching for his new CD which is scheduled for release later this year!

Thank you Abraham for allowing us to share your story with our many readers and subscribers!”

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For our Spanish Friends

La música y el talento de Abraham Mateo son bien conocidos en todos los rincones y sus videos han sido vistos por millones de personas alrededor del mundo. Hoy, Rivenmaster’s Place tiene el enorme placer de contarles su historia como nunca antes se había contado. Les prometemos que esta publicación será la más detallada, informativa y abarcadora que haya salido sobre este increíble vocalista.

La historia de Abraham Mateo es la historia de un joven español de 13 años que nació con un sueño: ser un gran artista. Abraham nació el 25 de agosto de 1998 en San Fernando, Cádiz, una ciudad en la región de Andalucía, enclavada en una isla, entre salinas y el Océano Atlántico.

Abraham creció en el seno de una familia de profundas raíces musicales. Su abuelo fue tenor por más de 50 años, siendo solista de un coro, y su mamá Susana canta boleros y música española. Su hermano mayor, Tony, también es cantante y fue finalista en la edición del 2009 del programa de televisión “Tú sí que vales”, la versión española de America’s Got Talent. Tony siempre  ha sido como un modelo a seguir para Abraham, quien desde pequeño quería cantar como su hermano mayor. Cada vez que Tony terminaba sus ensayos delante de sus padres, Abraham pedía el micro y empezaba a cantar.

Con apenas tres años, Abraham seguía el programa “Operación Triunfo”, la versión española de American Idol, y cuando terminaba el programa empezaba a cantar los temas interpretadas por su ídolo David Bustamante, David Bisbal y otros concursantes. Sus padres conservan grabaciones de Abraham interpretando con apenas tres años los temas “Corazón latino” y “El alma en pie” de Bisbal, así como canciones de Bustamante. Al principio, sus padres se reían, pues encontraban gracioso como Abraham se movía mientras cantaba y el coraje y las ganas con que lo hacía; se le iban las notas con frecuencia y Abraham se cabreaba por eso.  Pronto comenzaron a asesorarlo y a corregirlo y con el tiempo Abraham fue perfeccionando su técnica. Ya a los 6 años lo hacía bastante bien, manteniendo el tono y el ritmo.  Abraham y Tony muchas veces cantaban en casa como si estuvieran en un concurso y sus padres hacían de jurado.

Su mamá Susana era quien le preparaba los tonos adecuados a su voz y quien le ensenó a vibrar. También se encargaba de explicarle la letra de las canciones, a veces complejas, y él se emocionaba y a veces hasta lloraba. Desde pequeño, Abraham se enamoraba de todas las  canciones de adulto y, sobre todo, de las más difíciles de interpretar. Las canciones infantiles nunca le llamaron la atención. Abraham confiesa:

“Me sentía ridículo al interpretar canciones infantiles”.

En su casa, se escuchaban las canciones románticas en español, tipo balada y pop, y a  Abraham le gustaba este tipo de canciones pues lo hacían sentir muy bonito. Abraham se fijaba en las grandes figuras como Raphael y quería ser como ellos, intentaba imitarlos, impostar la voz como lo hacía Raphael.

Abraham fue expandiendo progresivamente su talento musical aprendiendo a tocar varios instrumentos musicales. A los seis años aprendió a tocar la flauta, a los 8 años el piano y el teclado y a los diez años la guitarra. Tocaba el instrumento de oídos; mientras escuchaba la canción ya sabía que acordes llevaba. A los diez años recibió clases de piano durante un año y hace aproximadamente un año recibió clases de guitarra, donde aprendió técnicas sobre como colocar las manos correctamente y como leer música.

En el año 2006, cuando Abraham tenía siete años, su hermano Tony iba a presentarse al casting del festival “Veo Veo”, una competencia para jóvenes talentos de la música y la danza, organizada por la fundación Teresa Rabal. Abraham le pidió a sus padres que lo llevaran también a él. Preparó tres canciones para el casting: “Yo soy aquel” del reconocido cantante Raphael y los temas “Hoy tengo ganas de ti” y “Dos hombres y un destino” de su ídolo David Bustamante. ¡Era su primera presentación delante de un público! La presentadora del festival, la actriz y cantante Teresa Rabal, se quedó impresionada por la presencia escénica de Abraham y aún más por sus habilidades vocales, notando especialmente como Abraham se quitaba el micro de la boca rápidamente, con fuerza, con coraje.

Abraham impresionó al jurado del festival así como al público por su forma de interpretar y de vivir las canciones  y fue avanzando en las diferentes etapas del evento hasta llegar a la final regional, donde interpretó el tema “Yo soy aquel” de Raphael y ganó su primer premio, una mención especial del jurado.

Justo después de participar en este festival, los padres de Abraham envían un demo al programa de televisión “Menuda Noche” del Canal Sur de Andalucía. El sueño de Abraham era cantar en ese programa, que promociona a jóvenes artistas de la región de Andalucía. Abraham se quedó esperando varias semanas por una respuesta que nunca llegó. Al poco tiempo, se entera de que se iba a celebrar un casting de “Menuda Noche” en El Puerto de Santa María, una localidad cercana a San Fernando.  Ya Abraham había cumplido los 8 años, se presenta al casting con dos temas, recibe críticas positivas del jurado y le dicen que lo llamarían. Sin embargo, tampoco lo llaman esta vez. Con nueve años cumplidos, se presenta al casting de “Menuda Noche” por segunda vez y sigue esperando en vano que lo llamen al programa. Sin querer nunca renunciar a su sueño de ser cantante, Abraham comienza a recibir clases de canto con el maestro Pedro Gordillo,  con quien permaneció año y medio.

Posteriormente, continua su entrenamiento vocal con el maestro Rubén Cárdenas, quien continuó desarrollando sus habilidades vocales durante más de un año.

Un día al salir del colegio, se entera de que habían llamado a su hermano Tony para que cantara nuevamente en “Menuda Noche”. Aunque Abraham se alegraba mucho por su hermano, al mismo tiempo estaba algo triste y desilusionado pues se había presentado dos veces al casting y no lo habían llamado. Le preguntaba a su mamá Susana:

“¿Mamá, y a mi por qué no me llaman? ¿Qué puedo hacer para actuar aunque sea una sola vez en el programa?” Y la madre le respondía: “Ya irás hijo, aún eres pequeño. Tu hermano fue por primera vez a los once años”.

Aceptando las palabras de su mamá, Abraham acompaña a su hermano a la grabación del programa en Sevilla y al llegar al estudio le preguntan si quería estar entre el público. En un momento del programa, el presentador Juan y Medio invita a Abraham a acompañarlo al escenario y le pregunta si estaría dispuesto a ocupar el lugar de su hermano e interpretar la canción que Tony iba a cantar. Abraham le responde que no pues no quería quitarle el puesto a su hermano. Finalmente, el presentador y la producción del programa logran convencerlo para que interprete el tema “Hoy tengo ganas de ti”. Abraham tenía mucho miedo pues no sabía en que tono iban a lanzar la canción. Cuando sonó la música, ahí se dio cuenta de todo, ¡era su tono! Había sido un complot  preparado por su familia y la dirección del programa. ¡Era la noche de Abraham Mateo! ¡Su primera presentación en televisión! Y a pesar de estar un poco resfriado, Abraham, que en ese momento tenia 9 años y medio, hizo vibrar al público de emoción,  que se puso de pie y le tributó largos aplausos y a algunos hasta le corrían las lágrimas de la emoción.

 A los pocos días, invitan nuevamente a Abraham a Menuda Noche. Los productores del programa le piden que interprete un tema de su ídolo David Bustamante.  Lo que Abraham no sabía era que su ídolo iba a estar en el programa escuchándolo. Desde el primer instante, Bustamante se queda impresionado por las cualidades vocales de Abraham y la manera en que domina el escenario. Cuando termina su interpretación y descubre que su ídolo está ahí, no podía creerlo. Abraham corre hasta Bustamante, lo abraza y llora de emoción. Y Bustamante le dice:

“Canta como los ángeles. Es impresionante. Me parece un fuera de serie”.

Desde entonces, Abraham ha sido un invitado habitual de Menuda Noche, cantando delante de artistas reconocidos internacionalmente como Raphael, David Bisbal y Juan Luis Guerra, quienes han apreciado su talento vocal y su presencia escénica. Raphael dijo sobre Abraham:

“¡Eso es cantar sin imitar a nadie! ¡Eres un gran cantante!” y David Bisbal exclamó; “¡No tengo palabras! Tiene una técnica maravillosa, una voz muy bonita, y una tesitura bonita. ¡Le auguro un éxito enorme!”.

Con nueve años, Abraham se presenta nuevamente al festival “Veo Veo”, avanza en la competencia y finalmente logra el premio revelación en la final nacional celebrada en Murcia, en el sureste de España. Ha sido hasta el momento el premio más importante de la carrera artística de Abraham, quien saltaba y lloraba de emoción cuando la presentadora Teresa Rabal da a conocer la decisión del jurado. Abraham le decía:

“¡No puedo creerlo! ¡No puedo creerlo!”.

A principios de 2009 representantes del sello discográfico EMI Music Spain se presentan durante una grabación del programa Menuda Noche y le proponen grabar un disco. Abraham, que tenía apenas diez años, acepta la oferta y firma un contrato con EMI. Para producir el disco, EMI invita al compositor y productor español Jacobo Calderón, quien ha trabajado con artistas reconocidos internacionalmente como Raphael, David Bisbal, Luis Fonsi, Ricardo Montaner y Miley Cyrus. Inmediatamente, Calderón empieza a componer canciones para Abraham y en el verano de 2009 se lleva a cabo la grabación del disco en los estudios de EMI en Madrid. El álbum, que lleva por título “Abraham Mateo”, y el sencillo promocional “Vuelve conmigo” salen a la venta el 4 de diciembre de ese año. (Ver el video oficial del sencillo promocional)  ¡Pueden comprar su primer disco aqui en este sitio!

El álbum contiene doce canciones, siete de las cuales fueron compuestas por el propio Calderón. Cuatro temas son versiones de canciones populares de la música en español y que han sido interpretadas por Raphael, Alejandro Sanz, Laura Pausini y Luis Fonsi. El álbum incluye un dúo con la cantante francesa Carolina Costa, finalista en el año 2008 del concurso de televisión Incroyable Talent, la versión francesa de America’s Got Talent. Abraham y Carolina interpretan una versión en español de “Without You”, un tema compuesto por el grupo Badfinger. Un video de esta versión tiene actualmente más de 3.5 millones de visitas en Youtube.

Para promocionar su primer disco, Abraham se ha presentado en varias regiones de España incluyendo Madrid, Canarias, Valencia, Galicia, Andalucía, actuando además en  numerosos programas de radio y televisión como “Tú sí que vales”, “el show de María Teresa Campos”, el Especial de Navidad del canal Telecinco, así como en “Más Que Baile”. Igualmente actuó como artista invitado en el Carnaval Internacional de Maspalomas, en Gran Canaria.

En el verano de 2010, Abraham comienza a grabar canciones en inglés, interpretando “I Surrender” de Celine Dion, “I Have Nothing” de Whitney Houston, “Just the Way You Are” de Bruno Mars, “Imagine” de John Lennon y “Mistletoe” de Justin Bieber. Su video “I surrender” actualmente tiene más de 1.5 millones de visitas en YouTube. En el verano de 2011, Abraham publicó una versión en italiano del tema Adagio de Lara Fabian, su primera interpretación en ese idioma.

Abraham sido invitado por el canal de televisión Canale 5 de Italia para cantar en un programa presentado por la reconocida cantante Rafaela Carra. También ha recibido invitaciones para actuar en México y en los Estados Unidos.

Compuso sus primeras canciones a los once años, la mayoría tipo balada y una de estilo rock. Son canciones muy románticas, que Abraham ha grabado acompañado del piano, y que nunca ha publicado. El verano anterior, Abraham comienza a interesarse por canciones de Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Usher y Ne-Yo. Ha compuesto tres canciones en un estilo que el llama “eléctro latino”, como las canciones de Juan Magan pero con un toque romántico. Es el tipo de música que Abraham desea hacer actualmente, aunque no dejará de deleitarnos con baladas modernas y canciones pop. Su próximo álbum con EMI Music Spain, que saldrá publicado este año, incluirá canciones tipo “electro latino” compuestas por él  así como algunas baladas modernas del estilo de Adele. También le encantaría incluir alguna canción en inglés aunque eso lo debe decidir la compañía discográfica. El pasado 29 de noviembre, Abraham publicó un demo de la canción “Desde Que Te Fuiste”, compuesta por él y uno de los temas en los que se encuentra trabajando para su próximo disco. El sencillo salió en iTunes el 9 de diciembre.

Abraham ha decidido arriesgarse a cambiar a un estilo más contemporáneo, donde seguramente ganará más seguidores de su edad, aunque teme un poco perder la gente que lo sigue por sus canciones tipo pop y balada. Abraham intenta transmitir un mensaje de alegría con estas canciones.  Su sueno es que la gente se divierta con su música y que les haga sentir lo que él siente al interpretarlas. ¡Eso es más importante para él que cualquier otra cosa! Se moriría por dentro si no pudiera cantar este tipo de canciones. Abraham espera lograr un huequito en el mundo de la música, que se le respete el derecho a crear algo propio y que se le reconozca por su trabajo..

Uno de los momentos que más disfruta es cuando participa en eventos benéficos como la Gala UNICEF que anualmente celebra Canal Sur. En Abril de 2010,  Abraham actuó en el emotivo concierto dedicado a Yasmina, una joven de su ciudad San Fernando, quien padece de una enfermedad hereditaria que causa un daño progresivo en el sistema nervioso   Ver Video.

Meses atrás, Abraham grabó, a dúo con la cantante estadounidense Gabriela Sepúlveda, una canción dedicada a los mineros chilenos rescatados en el 2010. Ver Video.

Abraham colabora con otros cantantes de Youtube así como con artistas invitados al programa de televisión Menuda Noche. Recientemente, participó junto a su hermano Tony y otros 50 talentosos cantantes de Youtube en un video donde interpretan el tema Pray de Justin Bieber. Días atrás publicó una versión de “Come Home” de OneRepublic cantada a dúo con la cantante estadounidense Sabrina Carpenter. Abraham produce sus propias canciones en su nuevo estudio, un regalo que le hicieron sus padres por su cumpleaños. Además, el solo, sin la ayuda de nadie, edita los videos que sube a su canal de Youtube.

Sus videos musicales localizados en varios canales de Youtube han recibido mas de 25 millones de visitas en los últimos dos años. Abraham cuenta con clubes de fans en mas de 20 países como España, Estados Unidos, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, México, Rusia, Francia, Italia, Alemania, Portugal e incluso en Indonesia y Filipinas.

Además de cantar, a Abraham le encanta actuar y ha tenido la oportunidad de participar en varias producciones. Desde pequeño, se aprendía de memoria guiones de películas y luego junto a su hermano Tony imitaba a los actores. Su familia aún conserva una grabación donde Abraham y Tony imitan a personajes de la película “Hora Punta”.  Abraham nunca ha recibido clases de actuación pero le gustaría estudiar arte dramático y actuar en Broadway.

Algo que quizás algunos desconocen es que Abraham actuó en las miniseries de televisión Días Sin Luz (2009) y Raphael (2010), ambas producidas por Antena 3 Films y emitidas por el canal de televisión Antena 3. En la miniserie Raphael, Abraham representa al cantante Raphael en los primeros años de su vida e interpreta varios temas de la banda sonora.

En medio de sus ocupaciones como cantante y actor, Abraham siempre encuentra tiempo para realizar actividades al aire libre. Le encanta correr, nadar,  patinar sobre hielo y sobre ruedas, pasear en bicicleta con su padre, jugar futbol, boxear y practicar tenis con su hermano Tony. A Abraham le gusta también dibujar, bailar y, como a cualquier joven, los juegos interactivos. Le encanta un juego de habilidad en internet que se llama “Snubby Land”; ha pasado todas las fases del juego sin fallar. Su libro favorito es Harry Potter.

A Abraham también le encanta el cine. Sus películas favoritas son “The Karate Kid” (2010) y las seis de la saga Rocky, mientras que sus actores preferidos son Will Smith y su hijo Jaden Smith, Brad Pitt, Silvester Stallone y Leonardo di Caprio. Abraham desde bien pequeño ha admirado a artistas como los españoles David Bustamante, David Bisbal y Raphael, el puertorriqueño Luis Fonsi, los mexicanos Cristian Castro y Luis Miguel así como a los artistas de habla inglesa Celine Dion, Whitney Houston y Michael Jackson. Últimamente, Abraham a comenzando a  interesarse por la música de Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Usher y Ne-Yo.

A Abraham le encanta la comida italiana, española y mexicana, sobre todo, la pizza, los espaguetis, las papas con huevos y las torticas mexicanas.

Abraham te invita a visitar sus paginas en internet:

• Abraham Mateo Website Oficial
• Abraham Mateo en Youtube
• Abraham en Twitter
• Abraham Mateo Facebook Oficial
• Abraham en MySpace:
• Abraham ReverbNation
• “Desde Que Te Fuiste” (Nuevo Single en iTunes)

Durante mucho tiempo he estado apoyando a jóvenes artistas por lo que el nombre de Abraham Mateo nunca ha sido extraño para mi. Su música y sus videos pueden versen en innumerables páginas de internet y han sido promocionados en este sitio y en nuestro canal de Youtube en numerosas ocasiones. Su álbum debut ha sido destacado en nuestro sitio desde que salió a la venta y estoy orgulloso de que también ocupa un lugar en mi colección personal.

Abraham tiene la esperanza de que este artículo aliente a otros jóvenes artistas a luchar por sus sueños y nunca renunciar a ellos.

No olviden adquirir su disco usando los enlaces que aparecen en este sitio así como estar alerta pues su nuevo disco debe salir publicado este año.

¡Gracias Abraham por permitirnos compartir tu historia con nuestros lectores y suscriptores!

Please leave a comment for Abraham using Disqus below!

Thanks to my many Facebook friends, I am often led to talent that I might have overlooked if it were not for their referrals.  Such was the case of fifteen year old Spencer Kane.  Once in contact with Spencer’s family, I realized I had also missed my good friend Tommy’s article on Stars2come which I now have happily read.

Spencer was born in South Bend, Indiana, but spent the first Seven years of his life living in Ocala, Florida where his family had relocated due to a job change. During Spencer’s forming years his family was actively involved in a church filled with high-energy modern Christian worship music. This musical influence filtered over in their daily lives with some form of contemporary Christian music always being played in their home. At a very young age Spencer quickly showed signs of musical interest and ability.  His parents recall observing him as early as two year’s old, singing along to the cd in the car and be-bopping in his seat.

Spencer’s participation in the children’s choir at church also provided an outlet for him to share his musical gift. At the age of just five, his family produced his first music video. (which has yet to be seen by the public)  I did find out that the video consisted of Spencer lip synching to a Christian boy band song combined with video shots of him playing basketball and singing to the song while dancing. His family feels that this little home video was the springboard that laid the foundation for Spencer’s love for music and performing.

He has always had a passion for hip-hop music and he became a big fan of TobyMac in the early 2000′s.  This influence perhaps was the driving force that inspired him to write his first “hip-hop” song at the age of Ten.  The song is titled “Do Ya”, a children’s song with a lively hip-hop beat and a message about listening to your parents and following Jesus……

By the time he was twelve he had assembled and written lyrics to about a dozen songs. One in particular was about seeing a girl with her friends and wanting to be her “best friend”.  His parents downloaded some music tracks from a site and attempted to record an original using a pre-made song, but Spencer never liked the “vibe” of the song.

At age 13, Spencer’s county was hosting an IDOL competition and his dad challenged him to audition with him for the contest. Spencer took his dad up on the challenge and they both auditioned that year. Spencer ended up with veteran judges who had been in and around the music industry all their lives. They remarked how strong Spencer’s vocals were for a youngster his age. Of course both his parents were delighted to hear these wonderful accolades about their son but hearing it from qualified music judges only solidified their feelings they had always harbored concerning Spencer’s talent.  As the contest progressed, Spencer advanced by qualifying round after round until reaching the finals where he won Second Place in the Sixteen and under division.

Actual performance with judge’s comments!

If the truth be known, Spencer has spent most of his youth as a dedicated athlete in basketball (since age 4) and baseball (since age 7), his whole families path has been to prepare him for college and getting a scholarship. They have invested a lot of time and resources in having him on travel AAU teams. Over the past 4 yrs Spencer has spent an average of about 200+ days a year traveling to practice, games, tournaments, and training for his sports.  Something that aids his athleticism, especially for basketball, is the fact that he is already quite tall for his age standing at nearly 6 feet. He comes from a long line of tall individuals in his family and every indication points to the fact that he will continue to grow in stature. That being said, music has actually been a hobby behind sports until this past year when he and his family elected to take it more seriously.

In the spring of last year Spencer suffered an injury that prevented him from playing for the first time in his life. His parents took that opportunity to remind him that while sports is a wonderful talent and tool to get a higher education and possible career, at the same time he would  always be one injury away from not being able to perform at the level it takes to make that goal.   They also advised him to pay attention to all the talents he was blessed with and that God desires all of us to maximize our abilities in life.

Spencer’s Latest Music Video for “KNOWING”

This may have been a turning point in Spencer’s focus on what he first believed was only a hobby he now takes very serious and that proof is in his latest music video and original song called “Knowing”!

His parents shared with me that Spencer can hear a new song ONE TIME and know the lyrics and tune like he’s heard it a 100 times. “It’s bizarre”; they said;

 “He has a STRONG connection with music that we find to be a clear indication that this is something he will be connected with for the rest of his life.”

Spencer has been on a fast track since the release of his first single called “Best Friends” back in July.  All young artists quickly learn that putting together a professional music video takes both time and work.  To be serious about your music also makes you serious about the type of production you do and the end results of that masterpiece. It’s clear to me, that outside of his laid back friendly fan updates he has on his YouTube Channel, Spencer Kane creates serious music which is not only tastefully done , but shines as a polished product that any professional artist can be proud of.  With help from SWEETWATER STUDIOS in Fort Wayne, and Day Six Studios, his first music video was created. This video has not only been successful with over 11,500 views to date, but has a catchy tune and beat that will stick in your head after listening to it only one time.

Since the debut of this video he has released a REMIX VERSION which is on his YouTube Channel. Truly this young man is on his way to a great career!

 Spencer’s Music Video for “Best Friends”

In addition to his great smile, charismatic personality, and positively sound vocals, Spencer is also skilled on the piano and keyboard and can keep a mean beat on the drums.  He also plays an active part in his creations by writing the lyrics and working on the instrumentation for his backing tracks.

Spencer is acquiring an ever growing fan base from all around the world through Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation and YouTube.  With his latest work previously mentioned, the sky is the limit for Spencer and things can only become more exciting in the near future!

Of course along with fame and success come the haters.  Spencer has been no island when it comes to the type of bullying that seems to be running rampant among our young people today.  Any teen age boy who especially attempts to showcase his musical talent is often left open to those who want to ridicule, poke fun, or call names.  Sometimes these things are brought on by jealousy and others by just pure ignorance that the young male voice is a treasure that quickly fades.  It soon becomes that lower booming vibrant voice that either demands attention or scares you away!  Spencer is blessed in the fact that his voice has not yet fully broke and his ability to use his higher register now at this time in his career is an added feature that I hope he is able to hang on to for some time to come!  His sound is clean, crisp and clear and a pure pleasure to listen to especially the acoustic versions of his songs.  Don’t worry about the gainsayers Spencer.  You have the entire package…… run with it….. I personally think you’re amazing!

On a personal note, I find Spencer’s lifestyle to be one of his greatest qualities.  In an article just published this past Sunday January 15^th, by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette ,we read that Spencer’s; “lyrics will always reflect a lifestyle that is faith-based” but “we’re not trying to sell somebody something.”  We are also told that Spencer has taken a purity vow until marriage which I find to be extremely commendable.  The last talented group of teen idols I remember boasting this was the Jonas Brothers, and it did not hurt their career in the slightest!  In fact I think it strengthened not only them individually, but helped to demonstrate to their fans that they were not just followers but born leaders.

Within the lyrics of his songs you will truly find out who Spencer is as a person. His personal story is very much a part of why he writes the lyrics he does. When writing to me, Spencer’s father shared the following:

“We have agreed that we want his music to reflect his lifestyle. Not to be preachy or Bible thumping, but rather that you can be a kid with wholesome values and not feel abandoned or bullied.” 

Beyond music, Spencer is still passionate about getting a scholarship of some kind for either music or sports. He holds a 3.7 GPA and is an honors student.  He is not dating anyone and is patiently waiting for the right girl who will respect his standards. His cousin is the same age and goes to the same school and shares classes with him. They are both each other’s best friend and share similar convictions and social beliefs.

Spencer’s hope is that eventually he will be able to line himself up with a well-known music producer to work with. He continues to produce his own songs at Sweetwater Studio and hopes to complete an entire album by this Summer.

Currently Spencer is performing at a variety of venues. He has performed at (coffee shops, family dining locales, etc.)  His greatest experience was in front of a few thousand people at last year’s Riverfest in Fort Wayne. He performs with confidence and style, pulling the audience in as he delivered his songs.

Radio Disney has also taken notice of Spencer.  He can be seen featured among some of the other outstanding young artists in this new video only released on Jan 25th and added to this article after original publication.

There is no doubt that you will be hearing much more about Spencer Kane in the near future on Rivenmaster’s Place.  This is one young man who I desire to see perform in person some day and thankfully Indiana is not too far away!

Congratulations Spencer on an amazing beginning of what I see as a strong future for you in music.  Keep up the hard work and hold fast to your ground in the commitments you have made.  You are a beacon of encouragement to everyone who watches you.  Truly a Bright Star!

QUICK FACTS:

• Invited to play at Six Flags parks in the Midwest this 2012 season.
• Nominated for Best Pop Singer and Best Solo All Indie Music Awards Show.
• Over 25,000 video views on his channel so far.
• Over 3,500 fans worldwide and growing each day. (all social media sites combined)
• Top 3 finish in the X-Factor auditions held in Fort Wayne among all male participants that day (over 130 auditioned).
• Spencer just released his new mix of his song BEST FRIENDS and it is available for FREE download.  You won’t want to miss adding this to your collection of Spencer Kane music! GET IT HERE NOW! The title is BF Redux-Ft The Ground Above

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPENCER KANE

• Spencer on ReverbNation
• Spencer on YouTube
• Spencer’s Domain Site
• Spencer on FaceBook
• Spencer on Twitter
• Spencer on MySpace
• Spencer on Indiecharts
• Spencer on Tumblr

MUSIC SALES

•  Amazon
•  i-Tunes

“I Love my life”    Jay Jay Warren

It was a real joy when I stumbled upon today’s feature artist!  Sometimes, one young artist will lead you to another!  Jay Jay Warren is one of those youngsters whose charisma is so magnetic that it causes talent scouts or promotional writers like myself to take a second look!   It was a Hip Hop dancing video of him which was posted by another YouTuber that first caught my attention.  Having only featured a few dancers on my site, my interest was sparked and the search began to try to find out more about this boy with the fast feet and slick moves.

When I began to research a little about Jay Jay I just could not find out enough about him from his IMDB page.  Then after visiting Kim Dawson’s Talent Page, his profile page at AMTC, and Teen Stars Online, I became even more interested and determined to find out as much as I could about this new young actor/dancer!

After a couple attempts, I was finally able to contact Jay Jay’s parents.  While they have been extremely busy spending most of their time in LA, with Jay Jay doing auditions left and right, I was delighted to hear that I would be able to introduce him here in this feature article.

Jay Jay Tired out at computer

Jay Jay Warren was born in Midland , Texas in 2000.  He was a typical/non-typical West Texas boy loving football, and basketball while at the same time having an obvious above average aptitude for creativity.  He was very computer savvy before age two.  His father, new at the parenting gig, accidentally bought a construction design program designed for ages six to eight year olds when Jay Jay was only about 18 months old.  Within a week, Jay Jay was demolishing buildings and constructing new advanced designs by himself. The big surprise came one day when he printed one of his designs by himself after observing his mother print one for him.

This creative side continued to exhibit itself as Jay Jay spent hours on the computer designing zoos from scratch on Zoo Tycoon and then addressing the business aspects of ‘managing’ a zoo to make the zoo financially successful to keep the animals from starving. He quickly learned how to make his zoo profitable and keep his animals alive.

His next creative and analytical outlet to manifest itself was his love of Lego’s and his uncanny ability to put massive projects (3000 +) pieces together in a day or two.  On a recent move, two van loads of assembled Lego’s had to be moved. To this day, Jay Jay can spend hours on computer design programs or assembling Lego’s. At this point in his life, it appeared he was on track to become an architect or engineer where he could use his creative and analytical gifts.

At about age five,  Jay Jay became a gaming guru.  Whether it was Battlefront Star Wars on the computer or competitive games on the Wii or PS3, Jay Jay could master it in one or two days without any assistance. The most amazing feat was when he figured out how to fly a jet on a simulation game long before he could read.  In reality, he learned to read by playing computer games.

When Jay Jay was eight years old the family purchased an Apple laptop. Jay Jay took it aside one day without his parent’s knowledge, and figured out how to video a self made commercial complete with edits. The commercial was a real hit and received many laughs. In the commercial, he filmed a monologue explaining why kids just want to watch their shows and commercials.  He was very honest and convincing.

About a year later when his mother was working for a national talent scouting company, Jay Jay and his dad and brother would accompany their mother to Dallas, San Antonio and Austin several times a month to conduct auditions and training for prospective actors, dancers, singers and models.  Initially, Jay Jay, his brother John and their dad would spend about half of each weekend watching the training and the other half out and about.  It was during this time that Jay Jay went to the Apple stores to train on “iMovie” and “Garage Band” while learning to edit film.  He caught on very quickly and advanced to editing on final cut after several trainings.  To this day, Jay edits his own green auditions with amazing skill.  He scares his dad to death by looking at the footage just once, making his edits, and always ending up with and awesome end product.

After attending the  training weekends that his mom was conducting for 6 months,  Jay Jay decided at the end of October, 2010 that he wanted to participate in the January 2011 talent showcase even though he had never had formal training in acting, dance, or modeling.  His mother explained that the showcase was a mere eight weeks away and that it would be impossible to get him ready.  After speaking to the president of the scouting company, Jay Jay’s Mom was assured that it would be good experience for Jay Jay and to do the showcase. The “GAME” was ON and that is exactly how Jay Jay likes it.  He worked hard for the eight weeks, and the family went to Orlando for the January 3rd-11th showcase.

At the showcase before many industry agents, casting directors and managers,  the “contestants” were grouped by age and sex and assigned a number. They always competed in numerical order within their group.  As luck would have it, Jay Jay was behind a boy his age that was born to be on the stage and had trained every day of his life or so it seemed. Jay Jay brought his “A” game in every event in which he competed.  In most of his thirteen events, Jay Jay performed his all time best that he had done, since beginning his training just eight weeks prior.

At the awards banquet, he received the award for best model. Jay Jay is a disciplined goal setter and prior to the event, he felt that he was called to be an actor and that if he received three or more callbacks, that he was in fact called to be an actor/entertainer.  What a surprise it was when the callbacks were announced!  Jay Jay received Seventeen callbacks, the second largest number of the large Texas group. At the callback session, agents, managers and casting directors from New York, LA, and Dallas wanted him immediately.  On his return to Texas, the phone was ringing off the wall, and he was in Louisiana three days later auditioning for a Bruce Willis film.  One week later, he and his family were on their way to LA to begin the journey.  After being in LA for only 3 weeks,  Jay Jay booked his first feature that recently showed on Nickelodeon.  It has been non-stop ever since and he is living his dream.

Jay Jay feels so blessed to get to do what he is called to do.  He has a passion for the craft!  After a long day of  filming on his first short film at Big Sky Ranch,  Jay Jay’s mom asked, “how was it?’  Jay Jay’s reply quickly summed it up.  “It was awesome mom.  If I could do this all day, every day for the rest of my life,  I would be the happiest kid in the whole world!”

On a recent audition callback at Warner Brothers for a major feature film,  Jay Jay came out from the audition and was asked by his father, ” how did it go?”   “Awesome dad ! ” was his reply. ” Did she say anything?”, asked his dad.    ”Yes, one thing “, Jay Jay said.  She said, “Awesome!”  After Jay Jay questioned her if she would like him to tweak it any? She  thought a moment and said, “Yes, let’s try this.”  After his repeat of the tweaked monologue, she exclaimed, “unbelievable!”  That is how this journey has been,  “awesome and unbelievable!”  Jay Jay wishes everyone could experience the ride he has been on. As he says on his Facebook page “I love my life!”

Today, Jay Jay still draws on the creativity and analytical gifts he honed while playing computer games and building Lego’s.  His gift for honest acting and instincts to make good choices in his roles were definitely influenced  by his early interests.

Jay Jay was gong to make a little video log for this article but he was called to several auditions and needed the time for script study and memorization.  When things slow down for Jay Jay he has been given an open invitation to still do that short video and I will add it here should that happen in the near future!

We wish you the very best of success this year in all your ventures Jay Jay and we are so happy that we have been able to share your story here with all our readers and subscribers!

Be sure to check back here soon for more contact information for Jay Jay. His webmaster is putting the final touches on his brand new website and I’m sure he will be appearing in some new films that I will want to share with you!

Congratulations Jay Jay Warren on a fantastic job!  Keep the cameras rolling!

2011 has been a banner year for Rivenmaster’s Place.  We were afforded some extraordinary interviews and introduced some of the best young talent in the world, some for the very first time. In addition you, our subscribers and readers, have catapulted this site to record breaking monthly numbers.

While we are still a long way to our goal for daily readers, we are very happy to announce that we are now enjoying over Ten Thousand visitors and readers a month.

Please know how very much we appreciate all of our wonderful subscribers and readers

I would like to wish a Happy New Year to all the wonderful young talented musicians, actors, dancers, vocalists, and stage performers who have graced this site by way of feature articles or movie reviews these past three years.

Here’s wishing you the very best of success in 2012!

Actors/Film:

• Asa Butterfield
• Chloe Moretz
• Christian Traeumer
• Dakota Goyo
• Tyler Layne
• Uriah Shelton

Singing Groups:

• 2 Boys  (Marcus & Sondre)
• Daves Highway (Delaney, Zachary and Erika Daves)
• Kropp Circle  (Sebastian , Remington and Emerson)
• The Wright Kids  (Sage, Baruch, Levi and Selah)
• Uher Brothers ( Dustin, Tyler and Scott)

Musicians, Vocalists and Stage Performers :

• Ajsil
• Alan Hall
• Alan Wheeler
• Allan Clelland-Goddard
• Alexandru
• Anthony Gargiula
• Arden Reimer
• Ash Graham
• Ashton Harrell
• Bryan Sevener
• Chad Clemens
• Carson Lueders
• Christopher McGinnis
• Colin Alexander Brennan
• Colton Jacobson
• Connor Blackley
• Dalton Cyr
• Dalton Letorney
• Daniel Shaw
• Dima Borodin
• Dylan Cragle
• Eirik Gjendemsjø
• Jack Vidgen
• John Geraghty
• Jordan Jansen
• Josh Taylor
• Joshua Bernstein
• Joshua Flores
• Loïc Van Hoydonck
• Luke Womac
• Marco Konegger
• Mike Gawlik
• Morgan Li
• Reed Deming
• Rhys Yeomans
• Sam Santiago
• Sam Verlinden
• Shane Foxx
• Tallan Latz
• Thilo Berndt
• Thomas Hans’
• Tommy Batchelor

2012 is promising to be even more exciting.

I am currently in contact with the promotional managers for two young artists that I have been waiting a long time to feature on this site. Troye Sivan from Australia and Abraham Mateo from Spain.

In addition to that we will be introducing some brand new artists who are just beginning their journey into the entertainment spotlight.  Two young artists who are currently putting together their networking and domain websites are Jared Cardona from South Africa and John Ververis from the United States.  We are anxiously waiting for that to be completed so we can introduce them to this international audience for the very first time.

I am also very happy to announce that I have been personally invited by Bruce Owens (Host of Good Morning Hudson Valley) to be featured on his talk Radio program sometime in the near future.  Bruce will be bringing more attention to Rivenmaster’s Place through this interview, providing a wonderful opportunity to share this site with his stations very large listening audience.

In closing this special Holiday article today, I want to personally thank my good friend and author of The Skykid.com . It has been through his continued support and behind the scenes help that this site has grown so exponentially.  He has become more than just an associate and supporter, but truly a friend who shares with me the desire to see all of these young artists become successful in the pursuits to fulfilling their musical dreams.    Thanks Skykid!

Here’s wishing all of you a Happy 2012!  May your days be filled with music and your hearts uplifted by the talent you find here in the coming year!

Please be sure you visit some of the articles about the young talent listed above before you go today and be sure you subscribe to this site so you don’t miss out on the most exciting year yet! 

By now, you my readers know of my love for music. There is no end to the genre or style of music that graces my library and computer hard drives.  Over this past year Rivenmaster has been proud to support and feature some of the very best young male artists in the world.  This year we have been privileged to meet many of their parents and work with a number of new managers and producers.

Please know how honored we are to be in contact with so many of you and also of my gratitude to each and every reader and subscriber that visits this site!

Next week we will share a little data with you about the site and also provide you with a complete listing of every artist that has been a vital part of this site in a very special tribute post!

So this week as we celebrate Christmas all around the world we offer you a little Christmas  Past, Present & Future

Christmas Past

One lad that has been in my collection for years is Michael Verschuere or better known as (Michael Junior).

I purchased his VHS Tape years ago that featured one of his concerts where he sang two songs with his idol Helmut Lotti.  Because of the Season and the fact that good videos and beautiful music never gets old I offer this video to bring back memories of a time that I’m sure Michael Junior himself looks back on with fondness and great joy!

Needing no further introduction here is then 12 year old Michael Junior singing Silent Night and the beautiful Panis Angelicus as a duet with his idol and hero Helmut Lotti!

In addition I used two different publications to put together this new re-edited video of Michael Jr. with some fans outside the theater and his duet with Helmut a song simply entitled “Friends”.

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Who could forget the amazing Billy Gilman who captured all our hearts with his memorable “One Voice”!

Billy has been a long time favorite of mine. In fact I often will request a young artist to cover one of his songs!

Here Billy at just 12 years old, blesses us with his rendition of “Oh Holy Night”

 Christmas Present

This year’s outstanding artists are Justin Bieber, Greyson Chance, Cody Simpson, Straalen, Jack Vidgen & Ronan Parke . Of course Justin Bieber’s new Christmas Album has been a huge hit with many new youngsters doing covers of his hit single “Mistletoe” which at the time of this Christmas post is nearing

 71 million views!

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Greyson Chance Sang “Rockin Round The Christmas Tree” Live on The Ellen Show 

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Cody Simpson performed “Blue Christmas” live for a large audience at City Walk!

Both Greyson and Cody are fast tracking to fame on the heels of JB.  However, all three bring a unique sound and are very different artists with each offering their own styles and interpretation of music.

You can be sure that these three will not be going away anytime soon!

In the fall of last year, Straalen McCallum became the youngest artist to ever be signed by Sony!  This little guy with a big voice has amazed audiences’ since the time he was old enough to walk.  Singing since he was just two years old, now an accomplished artists is able to hold a crowd of listeners in the palm of his hand.  While I was disappointed that Straalen did not do anything for Christmas this year I’m still listening to his CD which was only released this past fall!  Of course both Jack Vidgen and Ronan Parke were extremely busy performing all over their respective countries at Tree Lighting Ceremonies.  Because I could not find a quality Christmas video for Jack or Ronan, I’m offering Straalen’s performance of “Noel” that he sang to a large audience backed up by a full choir from a concert held last year!

Enjoy once more this very high quality Christmas number from a very High Quality Young Artist!

Straalen McCallum sings “NOEL”

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I can’t say enough about this young man who comes all the way from San Fernando, Spain.  I have been a long time supporter of Abraham and listen to his music often.  While he was never featured this year we have been in recent contact with his agent and have been promised an exclusive piece to bring to all his fans right here on Rivenmaster’s Place!  Here Abraham offers his rendition of “Imagine” by John Lennon.  Abraham has one of the best vocals I have ever heard for an artist his age.  The feeling and emotion he gives with every performance is second to none.

                                      Feliz Navidad Abraham!

 Christmas Future

While I wish I could bring to this Christmas Post every young artist that I have featured and introduced this year it’s just not possible.  It was with careful consideration that I selected just a few to present this Christmas.

So in no particular order, here is this year’s presentation of Future Signed Artists wishing you Merry Christmas in their own wonderfully unique and amazing way!

Aj Silva is a Florida born singing wonder!  I have been working very closely with his team of supporters this past year and am extremely pleased to be called not just one of his promoter’s but his friend.  Ajsil released his Debut EP just this past month and he is amassing huge numbers of fans from all over the world!  Ajsil is defiantly one to be watching in 2012 as a breakout young artist and nothing is going to surprise me concerning this super talented young musician and vocalist!  Here Aj wishes us all a Merry Christmas singing his rendition of “Rockin Round The Christmas Tree”.

Please support Aj by purchasing his new EP at i-Tunes or CD Baby!

Aj Silva sings “Rockin Round The Christmas Tree”

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A young artist that I had the privilege to meet in person this year is Sam Santiago from Irvine, California.  Sam, who turned nine years old this past August, is a youngster who is going to be doing some amazing things in 2012.  This past year I was honored to appear with Sam on WZZM TV Channel 13 in Grand Rapids Michigan.  Sam astounded everyone in the studio with his singing prowess and has already received invitations from the producer to come back for another appearance as soon as he is able.  Sam made a very special Christmas Video which shows not just the fact that he can sing but that he can sing extraordinarily!  His vocal range on this video will astound you and have you begging for more!  Merry Christmas Sam!  You are a Bright Little Star!

Sam Santiago sings “The Lord’s Prayer”

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One more rising young artists sprang out of obscurity this fall from a tiny town in Norway.  Since his debut on this website, Alexandru has been making headlines in many local papers in and around his city. He has also been making guest appearances at a variety of venues and becoming very well known through his fast growing network both on Facebook and Twitter!  This is one young vocalist that has taken giant strides already toward a promising career and you can mark it down that this is only the beginning of very exciting things to come for him in 2012.

Alexandru sings cover of Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe”

Our last video with a very special Christmas song is none other than Dylan Cragle from Washington State.  Dylan has had an amazing year and has brought us some wonderful original songs which will not soon fade away!  We are so proud of the great strides Dylan has made this year on his road to stardom. You can be sure that Dylan is one young man who will continue to bring even more excitement in the year to come!

MERRY CHRISTMAS DYLAN!

Next year we will be introducing 12 year old Jared Cardona who resides in South Africa!

I met Jared, his Mother and vocal coach on Skype this past month and we had a wonderful time visiting for well over an hour.  I enjoyed listening to Jared and watching him do some of his vocal lesson with his vocal coach.

So until we can formally introduce him I wanted to share his most recent Christmas video made especially with Rivenmaster’s Place in Mind!     While he has just started out in his singing career, I think you will find his vocal to be very clean and pure.  His pitch quality is nearly perfect and his tone exceptionally pleasant for one so young.

So one last time here’s JB’s “Mistletoe” performed by: Jared Cardona!

Merry Christmas Jared!

Jared Cordona sings cover of Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe

Because I want to take the opportunity to spend the next two weeks celebrating with family and friends there will be no special artist introductions or special feature articles.

However after the first of the year we will begin another wonderful series of interesting updates from your favorite young artists, along with introductions of Debut Artists, Musicians, Dancers, Actors, Stage Performers, Musicians, Sibling Groups, and Bands.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US AT RIVENMASTER’S PLACE!

Heralding from Weymouth, Massachusetts, USA, comes thirteen year old singer, songwriter, musician and outstanding vocalist Dalton Letorney!  This award-winning musician, plays keyboard, piano, harmonica, and has performed for thousands throughout the New England States.

While most talented youngsters are reported to show amazing musical abilities as early as four or five years of age, Dalton secretly held his in reserve.  It could be that he was just soaking everything up in preparation for his moment to shine and demonstrate what he was really capable of.

His parents report that Dalton started playing piano at age eight taking Suzuki lessons at South Shore Conservatory where you learn to play by ear first then read notes afterward. It was about this time that he began to demonstrate signs of having perfect pitch. Despite these musical abilities blossoming, he always showed anxiety when it came to singing. Whenever his parents would hear him sing around the house he would get shy and stop.  However, through the encouragement of his Mother when Dalton was eleven, he was persuaded to perform at his fifth grade talent show with his younger brother Dylan, age nine.  The boys were the opening act in that show performing in front of more than 600 people.

Dalton and Dylan sing:”Fly With Me”, by Jonas Brothers

After that performance, Dalton was bitten by the performing ‘bug’ and wanted to do more. His brother decided to focus on sports while Dalton pursued singing along with his piano skills and performed his first solo performance at his fifth grade school concert.   The following year Dalton blew everyone away with his performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” backed up by 300 of his classmates in the school choir.

Dalton Rocks the School Stage to an audience of over 800 people

 Since then Dalton has entered and won numerous talent competitions throughout New England. He performed in Braintree’s Got Talent, Wachusetts Got Talent, and Music On and Up’s (2nd place winner in the Grand Finale for under 19 showcase).  Music On and Up has been very instrumental in providing tremendous performance opportunities for Dalton throughout 2011.

Dalton enjoys all types of music. When he first started his solo career back in June, 2010, he loved the group Journey (Don’t Stop Believin’). He then started to learn more classic rock songs that incorporated more piano. Songs like “Piano Man”, by Billy Joel, “Crocodile Rock”, by Elton John and “Dream On”, by Aerosmith.  As his music taste broadened, he began to enjoy more current pop music like Adele, Usher and Bruno Mars. Soon afterward, he became inspired to start writing his own original music with the use of Jam Studio and Garage Band on his home computer. In addition, Dalton enjoys collaborating on songs with other musicians he meets and posting new covers of songs on his YouTube Channel.

Dalton has a very loving and giving personality and especially enjoys performing for charity events.  Just since June 2010, Dalton has performed well over 100 times at a variety of places and events. He’s performed at:

• The Hard Rock Cafe (Boston)
  

  Dalton at Fenway Park preparing to sing the National Anthem

• House of Blues (Boston)
• Foxwoods Resorts Casino (Connecticut)
• Teens Rock America
• Camplified Tour 2011 in New York
• Boston Lobsters half-time show ( World Tennis Team Franchise)
• Festivals & Fairs
• Elementary , Middle, and High Schools
• College’s
• Charity events
• Restaurants
• Private functions
• Live Radio and Television interviews
• Major Newspapers including – The Boston Globe
• Internet sites ( Hollywood East Connection, & Stars2come.com)

Some of Dalton’s recent accomplishments include:

• Participating in Debra Crosby Talent Quest in August, 2010 where he competed with adults and won First Place for the ‘Top Entertainer’ award at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston.
• The debut of his First Original song entitled – “Dance Around Me“. Dalton composed the music and co-wrote the lyrics with his brother Dylan.
• Acting as Green Rocker Ambassador – Dalton was chosen in 2011 as one of Seven Green Rockers to perform at many schools and events around New England to promote green initiatives

Dalton with "AHMIR"

• Foxwoods Resorts Casino Performance – Performed at this resort for the Community Auditions TV show as one of their youngest contestants during the year in Oct 2010.
• Camplified Tour 2011 – Dalton and his brother Dylan performed on this tour in NY at a kids camp in August 2011.

• Acting Debut in Music Video – Dalton was asked by AHMIR – the #1 most popular R&B groups on YouTube with over 52 million views to be a part of their music video, “Perfect”, a cover of Pink’s song.              They made this into an anti-bullying video and Dalton played the part of a bullied victim in one of the scenes. The video was shot in April, 2011 at Dalton’s school and currently has over 1 million views and counting.

Pink – Perfect  (AHMIR cover) – Anti-Bullying Video

•  Documentary Film, “Bullied To Silence” – Dalton was interviewed this summer of 2011 and will be a part of this anti-bullying documentary due out in early 2012. Dalton was the victim of bullying in the 5th and 6th grade and shared his experiences with the film’s producers. He wrote his 2nd song, called, “SOMEDAY” ( an anti-bullying song) which will also be featured in the movie. Check out Dalton in the film’s trailer below, then visit the site at: www.bulliedtosilence.com

BULLIED TO SILENCE Trailer from Tami Pivnick on Vimeo.

• Faneuil Hall in Boston – Dalton auditioned and was chosen to be an official 2011 street performer at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, MA known for their world famous entertainment. He performed all summer long to thousands of tourists all over the world. Watch this clip of a collection of his street performances from this past summer 2011
• Dalton’s Biggest Venue – Dalton was invited to sing the national anthem at Fenway Park before a Boston Red Sox game on August 17, 2011 in front of a sold out crowd of 37,000 people.

Watch Dalton Perform to the packed stadium at Fenway Park in Boston

Dalton’s greatest desire is to inspire others through his music, encouraging everyone to believe in themselves and live out their dreams.

To learn more about Dalton Letorney visit:

• DALTON  DOMAIN SITE
• DALTON ON FACEBOOK
• DALTON ON YOUTUBE
• REVERBNATION
• “DANCE AROUND ME” (First Original on i-Tunes)
• “SOMEDAY” ( Anti-bullying Song on i-Tunes)

While this site boasts some of the very best talent in the world, I’m always excited to discover one more multi-talented artist to introduce here.  About a month ago I discovered 13 year old Josh Taylor’s YouTube Site for the first time.  He was singing his original song entitled “I Don’t Want to Be Ordinary” which contained a powerful message wrapped up within an amazing musical masterpiece! In addition the video was artistically produced and acted out with such professionalism that I knew I had just found a youngster that was NOT ORDINARY!

I thought to myself who is this young performer? Is he signed? Is he being produced yet?  I immediately read the description contained within that post and found that he was working with two amazing writers, Matthew Humphrys and Andrew Beverley of 360 Artist Development.

It only took moments to compose a letter to his production team requesting more information about Josh in an attempt to learn more about him.

I was delighted to be put in contact with Josh’s Father who graciously supplied me with the following insight into the background of his extraordinarily talented son!

After watching and listening to Josh, I was amazed to learn that nether of his parents were musically involved in the arts in anyway.  This discovery lent itself quite well to the theory of a God given talent from birth, and in Josh’s case, was born with NO ORDINARY portion!

  I Don’t Want To Be Ordinary

His Father explained that they first noticed Josh’s singing ability at around five or six years old when his Mom, a teacher, wanted to learn the piano for teaching purposes at school. His Father purchased a second hand piano as a Christmas present and had a friend who was a music teacher check it out to see if it needed tuning. As their friend was playing Silent Night, Josh just stood next to the piano and to everyone’s surprise started singing along.

A few years later Josh once again showed interest in singing while they were on holiday at a caravan park. Every week they held a talent night in the club house and Josh wanted to audition.

Josh had been singing the song “Let Me Entertain You” by Robbie Williams for weeks prior to their vacation, so in he marched with his CD in hand. To his disappointment they would not let him perform, as he did not have a backing track and licensing laws prevented them from allowing anyone to sing over copyrighted material. While he was extremely disappointed and upset at the time, his parents sat him down and explained that if he really wanted to sing, he needed to start learning the words and singing with music and backing tracks rather than singing over the song.

Josh’s desire to advance in his singing was unquenchable. Because Josh wanted singing lessons and his younger sister enjoyed dancing, his parents enrolled them both in an academy that instructed in music, dance and stage performance.  However, Josh soon became board due to the school not being aggressive enough with singing lessons and after six weeks he had yet to have one lesson in singing. Josh’s parents then decided to find Josh his first vocal coach and withdrew him from the dance school. (His sister however still dances with the same school).

Josh’s first vocal coach was Melissa Finbarr-Smith, who ironically is a dance teacher. Melissa, as well as teaching dance at Melody Pop Tuition, also taught the smaller children to sing and perform on stage. This was a great start for Josh because they also managed lots of Park events were the kids got the experience to perform live. Having had a little training he returned to the holiday parks and went on to win on several occasions.

 His dad confessed; “I think the cute factor may have crept in at this point.

Thinking Of You Tonight

 As Josh moved through primary school he got involved in the choir, drama and talent nights and through his early years he was often cast in lead roles at school making his parents very proud. As this talent and desire surfaced his parents put his name down for a place with a local theater (Activ8 at The Octagon Theatre, Bolton) that held weekly acting classes which is when it all started! The more he got involved the more he wanted to do. His first real break came when he was cast as Tiny Tim in the production of Scrooge The Musical (with Bolton Premier Production) and when he attended the International Talent Showcase in Paris, from then onwards he has been busy with multiple productions (often at the same time) which has meant lots of juggling.

His father proclaimed; “Still to this day I do not know how he can remember scripts and lyrics whilst spinning so many plates”.

As Josh matured as a singer and Melissa took him as far as she could, Josh moved on to a new vocal coach ‘Lorraine Harris-Roche (Bella Saprano)’ who has continued to develop his range and has helped him manage this difficult period as his voice breaks. Josh has now been with Lorraine for nearly three years.

What made Josh so interesting to me is the fact that he is already producing originals. This shows him to be more than just a singer but a true artist with a desire to tell a story.

When asked about his original material and what aroused his interest in music and what he hopes to accomplish with his singing career I was told;

“Josh loves working on original material and he is trying to establish himself as an artist as opposed to just being a good singer who sings covers. This is why he started working with Matthew and Andrew at 360. Josh wants to be a performer that can entertain large crowds as well as having a recording voice that plays well on CD’s, the radio, other media and in front of smaller more intimate crowds. As he gets older, artistically he is growing. In terms of why he became interested I can’t really tell you. He just was, it’s almost as if that’s what he was always going to do. It’s always been with him.”

Josh has performed in parks, at charity events and in many shows including the a fore mentioned International Talent Showcase in Paris, the Remembrance service at the Albert Halls in Bolton with a Big Band, a concert performance at the Rose Theater in Kingston for the International Youth Arts Festival and at West End Live in Leicester Square 2010 and Trafalgar Square 2011.

 If You Choose To Leave

In addition to his singing, Josh stays extremely active as a stage performer, performing in and around his home town of Bolton which is near Manchester in the North West of England.  From school productions, to roles with Activ8, CATS, The Lowry Young Actors Company, Youth Music Theater UK to The National Youth Music Theater, Josh has continued to be involved with many societies at both a local and national level which has meant that his training has been varied, diverse and interesting. He has been involved in many productions and has been cast in many lead roles. He has also acted on camera for many low budget short films. This commitment and desire has since helped him to secure several professional jobs which have included several runs in theater, some camera work and vocal commissions for animations. He has been frustrated at times because he has just missed out on some major roles at the final cut which could have lead to a run in the West End, a role in a major film or on TV in either an established soap or a new series. At 13, he has come to realize how difficult this industry can be and how hard you have to work with nothing guaranteed.

Read or download Josh Taylor’s Full Resume. Josh Taylor Resume (.pdf format)

When Josh is not busy with his singing and acting career he enjoys many outdoor activities. He especially enjoys spending time at the beach.  When Josh was younger he and his family were all very actively involved in water sports. Josh enjoyed Jet Skiing, body boarding, knee boarding, water toys, generally messing around in the sea and hanging out with friends on the beach from morning until night. Prior to his involvement with acting, he also spent many hours out on his BMX and generally outdoors in Wales at a holiday park near Porthmadog.

Josh loves animals and has a pet dog called Scooby Doo and a Crested Gecko call Jeffery. Like many teenagers, his current hobbies include Xbox Live, and Urban Rollerblading. It is not unusual for him to take his dog for a walk on his Roller Blades! Most recently he has become interested in magic and is often researching tricks on the Internet and practicing on friends and family.

Josh also spends his spare time watching movies. He loves the big screen and attending local cinemas watching everything from Animations, to Action Movies with Science Fiction and Comedy added to the mix. He especially enjoys anything James Bond or similar with his favorite genre being Comedy. Josh loves a good laugh – Little Britain, Family Guy, and Come Fly With Me. On TV he is currently into I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and X Factor. He lists his favorite actors as Jude Law, Adam Sandler, and Jonny Depp.

Josh enjoys Italian food, especially a good carbonara. He likes to experiment with fish and Paella dishes. He enjoys hot and spicy foods. Dads full English Breakfast and a cup of tea is also a winner.

Josh does not get much time for books, as he is usually memorizing scripts or lyrics. He tells us that the last books he read were from the Twilight series.

Josh enjoys going to large music concerts and his favorite artists and groups include Robbie Williams, Take That, Michael Bublé, Queen, Ed Sherman, Adele, Jessie J, Cold Play, Bon Jovi, Rihanna, and Kings of Leon.

 Look Into My Heart

For sports he lists; Running, Swimming, Climbing, Outward Bound Type Activities, Water Sports and similar activities.

Josh dreams of being an international pop star and/or an A list film actor and at times he does get frustrated wondering when or if he will get a break, especially having no one connected to the industry at a professional level who can point him in the right direction. Over the years he has come very close to being cast in some high profile roles. Having missed out, he just picks himself up and moves forward in the belief that one day when the time is right it will be his turn.

As regards his listeners he just wants them to enjoy his music and performances and to connect with them to establish a fan base that will help him to get established and who will support him in the industry.

Bitter Pill

Josh is currently working on original material for his first album with songwriters Matthew Humphrys and Andrew Beverley. His songs, all which have been included in this article are “If You Choose To Leave”, “I Don’t Want To Be Ordinary”, “Thinking Of You Tonight”, “You Can Be Mine”, “Look Into My Heart” and “Bitter Pill.”

During 2011 Josh was commissioned to record Friends No More in German for Hexis Productions, a classical vocal for a play called ‘The Interview – the story of the holocaust’. He also recorded The Bible The Bible for a new animation series called “Cherub Wings Bible Tales 1″ for Herald Entertainment Inc. and three further vocals for independent animation specialists in Mexico.

One of Josh’s proudest moments over the last few years was being selected to represent the National Youth Music Theater (NYMT) were he went onto perform at the Shoreditch Theater in Sweeney Todd. During this run he got the opportunity to meet Jude Law, Tom Chambers and mix with some of the best up and coming junior actors and musicians in the industry. Last year he completed a 3 month run at The Octagon Theater, Bolton in David Copperfield playing the part of Young David Copperfield. This year he has played Sky Masterson in the junior production of Guys and Dolls with The C.A.T.S. Youth Theater at the Theater Church in Bolton, he has completed a re-run of Sweeney Todd with the NYMT performing at The Rose Theater in Kingston-upon-Thames. More recently he played the part of Abraham in Korczak a musical theater play about Janusz Korczak and the children that faced their final journey to Treblinka in 1942, also at The Rose Theater with the Youth Music Theater UK.

Just this past week Josh completed the Wedding Singer with The C.A.T.S.Youth Theatre, which was a sell out every night. This month Josh is rehearsing and playing the part of Vincent in The Memory Master with Activ8 at The Octagon Theatre whilst slotting in several live performances as Josh Taylor in and around Blackpool.

For 2012 Josh has been cast to play Ronnie Winslow in the Winslow Boy, his fourth professional production with The Octagon Theatre and Dim, a principle role in The Grandfathers, a new play which will be showcased at The Lowry Theatre. Most recently he has been cast to play a part in The King & I also at The Lowry Theatre. Also in 2012 Josh hopes to officially launch his music.

You Can Be Mine

To learn more about Josh Taylor visit:

• Josh Taylor on YouTube
• Josh’s Second YouTube Channel (old clips / archive material)
• Josh On Starnow
• Josh On Spotlight
• Josh’s Domain Site(being updated)

360 Artist Development Website