Jay Wheeler, Latin Artist of the Moment, is All About Positive Vibes

Jay Wheeler was born in Puerto Rico with the name José Ángel López Martínez. From the beginning, he had a feeling he would take an alternative route through life.

“I never felt normal,” he tells LATV. “I’m not saying normal is bad, but I never felt normal.”

As a kid, routine made him uncomfortable, complacency a bore. He remembers his childhood neighbor. Every day, she left home, went to work, retuned home, and started over the next day. And the next day. On and on she went. From young Wheeler’s view, she was far from fulfilled.

He decided to ask his mom why she carried on as such.

She doesn’t have a choice, his mom replied.

Wheeler heeded her wise words like a warning.

“I [wanted] … to have choices, to have different experiences,” he says.

So, he set to work. He played piano in church. He made beats on his computer at home. He found out he was pretty good. At first, he put music-making before performing. But, eventually, he overcame his own insecurities, thanks to his best friend—to whom Wheeler lost a bet and, per the terms, had to post a song online with his own lyrics.

In this way, he started rapping and freestyling. He sang. Then, he posted a video performing an original song set to the beat of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself”and it went viral. Three million views in three days, for Wheeler, meant the start of a career in the music business.

“When it comes to music, I like to tell my own stories,” he says.

Since making his entrance in entertainment in 2016, Wheeler has established himself as a stand-out Latin artist who makes sad, romantic songs set to a danceable beat. He has blended reggaeton, hip-hop, and trap sounds in such a way that has enamored a fanbase worldwide.

In the studio, Wheeler puts positive vibes first.

“It’s easy when you love it,” he says, “when you’re having a good time doing it.”

Before recording each track, he charges the space with good energy; he tells stories, shares food, watches videos for inspiration, and laughs a lot.

Wheeler never writes lyrics prior. He improvises.

“I feel like it’s important that you improvise the intro and chorus,” he says, “because whatever you feel in that moment is what the fan will feel when [they] hear the song.”

For Wheeler, good music comes from an honest place. His first heartbreak, for example, showed up in the songs he was making at the time. That vulnerability revised the vibes.

Wheeler’s genuine approach to his craft has helped to sustain his popularity on the charts. Since embarking on his first world tour, he’s been feeling the love first-hand. In every new city Wheeler performs in, he is met with resounding support from fans.

“When you have people loving what you do, supporting you, being there for you, [paying] to see you, to sing songs with you—for me that’s a blessing, because I used to have nothing,” Wheeler says. “You can have a lot of trophies, but nothing can replace the love of the people.”

As a Latin artist, he aims to embody the pride of Puerto Rico and properly represent Latinidad. For him, being Hispanic is a beautiful part of the identity he shares with the world, a central part of the stories he’s telling.

He puts on no persona, nor pretends to be anyone else. His greatest strength is his sense of self, and hopefully, inspires others to follow suit.

“I want…to make people believe in themselves,” he says, “by being themselves.”

Check out our exclusive interview with Jay Wheeler on LATV’s new TV-special, Storytellers, and get to know his sound on your music streaming platform of choice.