Joni Sandez delves on his creative tastes, musical influences & new project
Great to have you on Xttrawave. Please, introduce yourself.
Joni Sandez I’m a norteño artist born and raised in Southern California. My parents are from Mexico from Baja California and Michoacan.
What got you into music and made you realize that it was your chosen path?
As a kid I would listen to these amazing melodies and something inside of me just said I have to do that one day. At the time I had no idea how or where to start from but I just knew I needed to figure it out.
Tell us about your new music? And what’s the story behind it?
When we’re organizing practice we say to each other “Una Practicada Viejon!” which basically means “let’s practice!” in Spanish.
What makes your music unique? How would you describe it?
It’s a mix of a lot of things which brought about a lot of criticism in the beginning of my career because I have a soft romantic voice and a lot norteño corridos singers usually have a hard raspy voice. Genre would be regional mexican and sub-genre would have to be tejano, campirano, and norteño.
Who are your biggest musical influences? And any particular artist/band you would like to collaborate with in the future?
I admire anyone that has the guts to get up on stage to be honest but I really draw my inspiration from old school mariachi singers like Jose Alfredo Jimenez or Javier Solis. In my spare time I listen to compositions and melody arrangements for days to get a feeling of what the Producer’s trying to portray.
Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?
For me the biggest payoff has been when they’ve sang my songs at events. It’s amazing to me how you can create something in your bedroom and next thing you know someone is belting it out.
How do you balance your music with other obligations – family, friends or work?
It’s tough because music has been my main source of income since I’ve been out of HS and sometimes it hasn’t paid so well. For the most I always make time for music in a day but it has gotten in the way of family events etc.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
The advice I’d give is to understand what you’re really getting into and the road before getting there. It’s not easy you might have to sacrifice weekends for awhile or maybe even forever. I know I almost never have a Saturday off.
If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
Remember that music is important. Listen to it when you’re mad or sad and get filled by the feeling the artist was trying to portray.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?
We’re trying to release a lot more content this year so yes we’re recording a lot more now and will be releasing a lot more songs very soon.
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