Jon Secada On ‘Jon Secada: A New Day,’ His Music & His Childhood [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

From what I remember: I’m an only child, I was raised an only child. I have vague memories; in the 60s my father was a political prisoner in Cuba. I remember my mother and my parents trying to, after he got out of prison, to try to find a way to leave Cuba legally at that time, with what they considered the legal process at that time. That it was what we did after for a long time. We tried to come to the states directly, but that was impossible at the moment unless you had someone to claim you in the states. So there were countries that accepted Cuban immigrants and refugees, Spain being one of them, so we chose Spain. We went to Spain and were there for close to two years. It was wonderful, the fact that the Spanish government accepted all these Cuban refugees and for us our first initial way out of Cuban seeking our dreams.

I didn’t get into singing until I was here in the states. I was already close to being 15 years old. I knew that I could sing; I always felt that I could sing, but never did anything about it. I was a really shy kid, very introverted all through my childhood and early teens. But in high school, I got the courage to want to be part of the high school music program and audition for a play that was going on at the time. Once I got it into my system, the passion of music, there was no turning back for me and I started music formally.

My first meeting with Emilio was an amazing meeting. I knew what he was all about. Gloria was on the up and up as a recording artist. I knew about him already because of guys in the band that were working with him that I went to college with. I was kind of known locally, for a little bit at the time. He was looking to represent new talent. He was at the beginning process of his production company, kind of growing and going to the next level. He called me and wanted to see where my head was at. He was such a go-getter from the very first meeting. I talk about that detail of what that first meeting represented to me. He was somebody who had so much vision, such a strong will, and so confident. That’s something that really stuck to me. At the same time, I talked to a friend of mine who was in the band, asked him what should I expect from meeting with Emilio. He says, “You gotta take everything he says with a grain of salt. If that works for you, so be it. If you can get out it, what you think you’ll be able to really make it work for your career.” I knew this guy had the confidence and the drive to make things happen, for himself as an entrepreneur, and for me as a recording artist, producer and songwriter.

Gloria was like a big sister to me. She always has been and was back then. I guess in retrospect I appreciate that. Even though, at the time, I didn’t like what she was trying to do. I was in with a lot of growing pains. In light of what was happening with my career, my relationships, everything that was going on inside me. I wasn’t realizing exactly what it is, all these feelings that I wasn’t ready to tackle. But I was in the middle of a lot of things that were part of my growing process as an artist. She was seeing it and she was in the middle of it. She was kind of on the sidelines keeping tabs and wanted to make sure that my head was straight in her own way. I appreciate that, I really do.