New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "An accomplished musician who channels the essence of pop, soul and rock with every note he shares. His sweet guitar strums draw listeners in, but his enchanting vocals are what truly touch the soul"
Acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist
Javier Colon will celebrate the release of his 4/15 Concord album 'Gravity' with a 4/13 visit to NBC's The Voice (where he was named winner of its inaugural season). Judge
Adam Levine recently named Colon as his "all time favorite blind audition," throughout The Voice's ten seasons.
Colon's soulful voice and commanding stage presence fuel his acoustic-textured blend of pop, rock and R&B. On 'Gravity', his fourth album and his first for Concord Records, Colon shines with a mix of gorgeous uptempo and midtempo tunes that recall
George Michael's 'Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1'.
Huffington Post Exclusively Premiered the music video for the album's title track. Youtube link is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw9tv4NFja0 , and HuffPost article is below. Additional exclusive premieres via Elmore and AXS/Examiner follow as well.
For fans of The Voice, here's Javier's spectacular live performance of 'Time After Time': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_w0AH6rwls
And here is a recent live performance on The Meredith Vieira Show, supporting Grammy nominee Jimmy Greene:
https://meredithvieirashow.com/videos/beautiful-life-performance-by-jimmy-greene-and-javier-colon/
A major U.S. tour is in the works. Visit: https://javiercolon.com/tour-dates/
HUFFINGTON POST
Exclusive Video Premiere - 'Gravity'
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/twisted-sister-sam-kinison-and-comedy-dynamics-chats_us_56c5ef35e4b03e2639d274b7
2/19/16 By Mike Ragogna
Javier Colon shared these thoughts with HuffPost:
"I am so excited to be releasing the video for my new single, "Gravity," directed by Gregory Poppen. 'Gravity' is a love song, but it also speaks to the difficulty of human relationships and being a human being in general. There seems to be an almost inescapable force that causes us all to screw up sometimes - gravity. No matter how hard we try, we will all make many errors in our lifetime. While some errors will be innocent and forgettable, others are unforgivable and could cost you everything. I think we all can relate to that feeling of messing up and asking for forgiveness, especially from those we love the most. When we were first talking about ideas for the video, I thought it would be an interesting twist if we could tell the story of a couple's doomed relationship, but in reverse. In the video, we start with the break up and work backward to see the events that lead to their undoing. I play the part of the man in the relationship who makes some bad choices, loses the woman of his dreams, and has to relive his mistakes over and over again. 'Gravity' is my first project with Concord Bicycle
Music Group, and was produced by my good friends, The Underdogs--Harvey
Mason Jr and Damon Thomas--who I've been writing and making music with since 2002."
ELMORE MAGAZINE - Exclusive Song Premiere - 'Never Know' 2/12/16
https://www.elmoremagazine.com/2016/02/music-news/javier-colon-shares-emotional-never-know-from-upcoming-debut-on-concord-records
EXCLUSIVE:
Javier Colon Shares Emotional "
Never Know" From Upcoming Debut on Concord Records NBC's The Voice winner,
Javier Colon is certainly no stranger to powerful music that blends pop, rock and R&B to create his signature style. April 15th is the release date for his fourth album, Gravity, which is also his debut album with Concord Records.
Colon hooks you with his voice and the first touch of a piano key in his new song "
Never Know". The throwback to '90s R&B with his heartfelt vocals and melodies makes this track off Gravity something special for any fan of the genre. It's nostalgic, relatable, and certainly a song that his ever growing and dedicated fan base will appreciate.
"I get emails and messages from fans, saying that my music has moved them or touched them, or helped them when they were in a dark place," he has said.
"
Never Know" will do just that. Colon's songs come from his heart, with a desire to move people or make people feel something inside. He co-wrote all but three songs on Gravity, marking a creative milestone for himself and a turning point in his musical journey. It was recorded across the USA in Brooklyn, Nashville, Los Angeles and Utah, as well as Colon's home state of Connecticut. Check out "
Never Know" via the above link.
AXS/EXAMINER - INTERVIEW FEATURE and Exclusive Song Premiere for 'Giant'
https://www.axs.com/exclusive-q-a-javier-colon-talks-gravity-the-voice-77048 By Laurie Fanelli - 2/24/2106
AXS/EXAMINER Exclusive Q&A:
Javier Colon talks 'Gravity' & 'The Voice'
Javier Colon is an accomplished musician who channels the essence of pop, soul and rock with every note he shares. His sweet guitar strums draw listeners in, but his enchanting vocals are what truly touch the soul. As the winner of season one of "The Voice," Colon has reached his widest audience yet, and fans of his iconic sound will want to pick-up a copy of his upcoming album, Gravity , due to drop on April 15.
In advance of the album's release, Colon shared the hauntingly beautiful track, "Giant," exclusively with AXS - the video for which can be seen above. We got a chance to chat with Colon about his background, writing music and what it felt like to perform on "The Voice ."
Laurie Fanelli (AXS): Your new album, Gravity, comes out this April. How would you describe the musical and lyrical themes of the release?
Javier Colon: There isn't really one central theme musically or lyrically on this record. It's all over the place which is how I guess I would describe my influences and my style. I'm into everyone from
James Brown to
James Taylor and a bunch of people in between. On this album theres a hint of Rock, Pop, R&B and even some soul and funk with horns and all. I guess if there is a theme lyrically, it would be based in human relationships.
Everything from break up songs and "I messed up and want you back" songs, to "Let's make love" songs and "I'm so mad at you, I'm gonna go take a walk to cool off" songs. I think listeners will be able to relate in one way or another.
LF: You wrote or co-wrote almost every track on Gravity. Can you share a bit about your songwriting process?
JC: I love the song writing process. For me, it's almost like I have writing "seasons." I'm not the type to write song after song all year round. I have ideas for chords and melodies all the time and I start working on songs, I just rarely finish them until I'm actively writing for a new record. I'll just record little snippets of verses and choruses into my phone and save them for a later date. It works for me. I know people that write four complete songs a day but it doesn't work like that for me. When it's time to start working on an album, I go back to all those melodies and chord progressions that I saved and share them with other songwriters I'm working with. We'll pick one idea, talk about what I was feeling at the time I wrote that, come up with a concept - if I didn't have one already - and finish the song. That's usually how it goes.
LF: Do you have a song that you are most excited to share with fans?
JC: There are several that I really love but I'm so excited to share them all, honestly. I think it's that I really look forward to getting the feedback from the fans and seeing what songs move them the most. Sometimes it's the ones that I don't expect and I love that. The ones that are in my mind at the moment that I look forward to people hearing are "Gravity," "Say," "The Hard Way," and "Walking Blind."
LF: Your voice is so stunning, you must have known that you wanted to get into the music business at an early age. How old were you when you first received vocal training and/or music lessons?
JC: I started singing around the house when I was really young, around three or four. My father was a radio DJ for a Spanish radio station so there was music on ALL day long.
Music became the background noise of my childhood. I just would run around the house singing what I heard and mimicking the singers on the radio. I didn't realize I could actually sing until I got into 7th grade when the choir teacher pulled me aside and said "You have a beautiful voice." I was like, "I do?" I loved to sing, but didn't think my voice was special. I was also really shy. That choir teacher, Mrs. Spadaccino, became my mentor and really brought me out of my shell. She introduced me to my first vocal coach and I was off to the races. Once I started singing in front of others and got some positive feedback, it gave me more confidence and I wanted to do it more. By 8th grade, you couldn't shut me up. I wanted to sing in everything and anything.
I had started taking piano and guitar lessons at 7 years old so once I started to sing in 7th grade, I started writing songs. I was hooked at that point.
LF: How do you take care of your voice?
JC: Taking care of my voice starts with taking care of myself. I've been trying to eat right and recently lost a bunch of weight which has helped keep my voice healthy. I try to stay away from eating foods with a lot of acidity, especially at night because acid reflux can really affect your vocal chords. I get jealous of instrumentalists that don't have to worry about what they eat or about getting a cold. I can't get sick. If I get sick and have to sing, one or two wrong notes and I could lose my voice for weeks. I've learned over the years to alter my set when I'm not feeling my best to minimize the strain on my voice but it's not foolproof. I still have to be careful.
LF: I have to ask you about your time on "The Voice," which you won during the show's inaugural season. I get goose bumps watching the clip of all four judges turning around as you are singing "
Time After Time" in your audition. What do you remember about the moment after you finished singing that song?
JC: I just remember the sigh of relief. I was so pent up leading up to the audition so when it was over, I could finally just relax. I didn't have to try to impress anyone anymore, I could just talk to the four amazing people in front of me.
LF: What is the most important thing that you learned from your coach, Adam Levine?
JC: Adam really helped me prepare my songs from top to bottom. We went over everything. He always had really helpful suggestions on how to tell a story with my performance from beginning to end. Keep it simple in the beginning and let it grow gradually to the end of the song, then let it all out.
LF: Prior to "The Voice," you were a member of The Derek
Trucks Band - one of my favorite live acts. How did that blues-improv experience play into your career as a solo artist?
JC: Being in the Derek
Trucks Band was amazing. I learned so much about music, living on the road, keeping my voice healthy, and about just being in a touring band and all that comes with it. I got the gig with Derek two months after graduating from The Hartt School of
Music so I was really green. Derek had been touring since he was 11 years old so I had a lot of catching up to do. In the first year with him, we did 180 shows and spent 222 days on the road. It was a lot, but all that performance time really helped me grow and become a better singer and musician. I had so many opportunities to practice and take risks in front of an audience. I am so grateful to Derek for giving me that opportunity. He gave me my first job as a working musician and I've been working ever since.
LF: Will you be heading out on the road in support of Gravity?
JC: Absolutely! I can't wait to get out there. My last solo tour was in 2012, so it's been a while. I'm anxious to get in front of my fans and play them the new music. We are confirming dates for a solo tour that will start in April and run through June. After that, I'll be looking to jump on some other tours and do some shows with other artists. The plan is to stay busy and keep moving so we can get the music out there.
LF: Is there anything else that you would like to share with AXS readers?
JC: Just that the new album, which will be released on April 15, is available for pre-order on Amazon , iTunes as well as my website, javiercolon.com , where you can pre-order a signed copy.
****
Check out the premiere of Colon's new track, "Giant," exclusively on AXS, above and click here to pre-order Gravity before its April 15 release date. Keep reading AXS for more music news, reviews and exclusive interviews.
As referenced above,
Adam Levine named Colon as his "all time favorite blind audition" for The Voice of all ten seasons, via this Yahoo
Music interview: https://www.yahoo.com/music/exclusive-voice-coaches-reveal-their-top-162505360.html
More About Javier Colon's 'Gravity':
"I got together with some good songwriters and musicians, and we just let it flow," states Colon. "I wanted to make an album where I could be free to be myself, with no walls or boundaries. I wanted the freedom to be myself musically, which is really all I've ever wanted, and I was surrounded by people who encouraged me to do that."
Indeed, the 15-song album, on which Colon wrote or co-wrote all but three songs, marks a creative milestone for the artist. Such musically compelling, emotionally resonant tunes as "For A Reason," "Clear the Air," "Walking Blind" and the memorable title track demonstrate the breadth of his talents, matching his distinctly expressive voice with irresistible melodies, insightful lyrics and Colon's own distinctive acoustic guitar work, which sets the tone for the album's spacious instrumental arrangements.
Photo credit - Toby Dube
Visit:
https://www.javiercolon.com
https://www.facebook.com/javiercolonmusic
https://twitter.com/Javstwtr
iTunes: https://smarturl.it/JavierGravityiT
Signed CD: https://smarturl.it/JavierD2C
Amazon: https://smarturl.it/JavierGravityAMZ
