JON PARE

Penetrating lyrics that sing of profound passion and pain paint a profile of this multi-dimensional singer/songwriter: Jon Paré.
“Do you love me? Do you need me? Let your eyes, not your words tell me so. For if we hung together on ropes of death, after your fall, I would faithfully let go.”
His lyrics speak sweetly as his voice kills softy within a bilingual framework that cuts across cultures and genres giving a deeper meaning to the title of this CD, “Mi Voz.” Weaving lines and phrases of poetry between tracks, Jon Paré creates a mystical allure with his voice that is at once a call to the soul as a spiritual awakening. From pop to salsa to a touch of reggaetón, Jon Paré’s creative expression springs from a solid musical foundation built on salsa, house, freestyle, rock and hip-hop.
His first independent production as a soloist, Jon Paré has worked hard to craft his writing as well as vocal skills cutting his teeth as a member of the four part harmonies found in “Mi Mayor.” An all boy group recording over Platano Records, Mi Mayor opened for Ricky Martin, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Olga Tañon, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor Manuelle, La India and many others.
Jon Paré’s defining moment however occurred just prior to his joining Mi Mayor when he opened for Marc Anthony in the Bronx. Marc was enjoying the popularity gained from his second CD and an appearance in the movie Hackers. Jon was singing one of his original songs called “Solo por Amor” while Marc was coming off his successful recording of “Rebel” that had been a hit for the singer in the freestyle world when Marc was Little Louie Vega’s vocalist.
Jon was terrified waiting for his turn backstage when a very friendly Marc Anthony walked in, touched him on the shoulder and told him to just go out there and sing with his heart and the crowd would love him. At the end of his song, Jon saw the crowd jump to their feet with thundering applause not realizing that Marc Anthony had taken the stage behind him. All of a sudden Jon felt Marc’s arm around him while the singer whispered, “You see, I told you.”
Born John Perez in the Castle Hill section of the boogie down Bronx, he is the eldest of three children from a musical family. Visits to his grandfather’s house formed the nucleus for his musical springboard as it was there that Jon began to listen to the masters of Latin music through his abuelo’s records while his father and uncles tuned up their instruments playing the classic rock of Grand Funk Railroad, Bread and the Beatles.
It was during these sessions that the young singer began developing his ear for music, helping the adults tune their instruments as he listened to their tribute cover songs. Pop music was also changing and Jon, although still a child, was right on top of it. When he first saw Michael Jackson do Billy Jean on television it so affected him that he began to cry with the knowledge that this was what he had to do.
Meanwhile, freestyle was all the rage with artists so accessible to their fans that they could be heard over top 40 radio in the morning and then seen at a local block party in the ‘hood at night. In fact, it was at a concert in Poe Park in the Bronx where Jon got a glimpse of his future while watching Suave perform. “It was the first time I thought that I could do that too,” he recalls.
Extremely shy in school, Jon developed his love of poetry at first as an outlet for talking to girls. As he got into high school, a teacher noticed his writing talent and began schooling him in the ways of poets such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Wordsworth and Edgar Allen Poe. He then began tinkering on the piano and playing with words and songs to the dismay of his friends who told him to forget about music and get a day job. But the bug had already bitten him and Jon met and hung with other artists who encouraged the young singer/songwriter to continue. He started writing songs for other artists before meeting his first manager, Michael Velasquez who hooked him up with his debut performance where he opened for the ubiquitous Marc Anthony. From that point on, Jon Paré was so inspired by Marc he began studying him for style, technique and stamina. Jon was booked for small shows here and then until he met Robert Carasquillo and became a part of Mi Mayor.
It was here that Jon became very serious about his musical training. After one recording, the boy group worked extensively performing and opening for the top artists of the Latin music world. After four years, many heartbreaks and disappointments, Jon solidified his life and his career and once more turned to music as solace and inspiration for his future. This time, the connection is stronger, clearer and brilliantly expressed in Jon Paré’s first solo recording aptly titled “Mi Voz.” His first independent production, Mi Voz is certain to kick off a career that is already turning heads and spinning Cds. “I like music that is real,” the young poet confides and this CD contains a lyrical literacy that is deep as well as real. Lyrics and music nourished through poetry and song make up the essence that is ..........