MANILA, Philippines - After winning the first ever season of The Voice, Javier Colon finally released his album “Come Through For You” last November with special collaborations with Natasha Bedingfield and his coach on the show, Adam Levine. In this exclusive interview with Supreme, we spoke to Javier about his initial struggles in the music industry, his upcoming plans, and his opinions on the likes of Lana del Rey.
SUPREME: Your voice and your style remind us of Tracy Chapman. Have you ever been told that before and which other artists have you been compared to?
JAVIER COLON: I love Tracy Chapman and I take that as a huge compliment. I guess that some other folks have said that I remind them of Babyface at times, which is also a huge compliment. I’ve heard Eric Benét, I’ve heard Brian McKnight and I’m honored to be put in company with those artists.
S: You’ve been trying to catch your big break ever since you were with the Derek Trucks Band in 2000. Was there ever a time when you wanted to give up, and if ever, what kept you going?
JC: It’s not that I wanted to give up; it’s that I thought that I would have to give up. I’ve got my family, I’ve got my wife and my two little girls and you have to be responsible as a parent, you have to be a responsible husband, and you have to be able to provide for your family. And if at some point, what you’re doing isn’t enough to provide for your family, then that’s the time when you have to say, “You know what, I can’t do this anymore. I’ve got to be something else.” And I think that time was upon me right before I entered the competition for the The Voice, and fortunately, it worked out.
S: As someone who’s struggled for so long in the music industry, what’s your take on artists who gain instant fame and a record deal just by putting up a video on Youtube (aka the Lana Del Reys of this world —ed.)?
JC: You know, however you can get it is great. I’m not saying that there’s only one way to become an artist. You know, that’s not how life works and that’s not how the music business works. There’s gonna be people that (sic) are instantly successful and then there’s gonna be other folks like me that (sic) have been working a long time and trying to make it happen. Not everybody’s story is gonna be the same. I mean, I definitely feel that if you work hard for something and it has been a struggle, then you might appreciate it a little bit more, but I can only speak from my side of things.
S: I read that you’re going to portray Ray Charles in NBC’s The Playboy Club. (The Voice is also an NBC show — ed.) How did that come about?
JC: The Ray Charles role came about through my manager and NBC. I studied the music and the life of Ray as best I could since I only had two weeks to prepare and I was still recording my album. They chose the song Let The Good Times Roll and I did my best to pay homage to a legend and one of the greatest performers. I am very passionate about music and film, and I would love to take on more roles both in TV and film, and even Broadway!
S: Now that the second season of The Voice is coming up, what’s your advice to the contestants?
JC: My advice to the contestants is to be themselves and to make sure that they be the best they can be and to leave it all out there. Just go out there, sing their song like it’s your last because it could very well be the last song that they perform on the show. They’ve got to do their absolute best. And if they do their best and they get sent home, then they have to know that it just wasn’t meant to be and they have to feel good about how far they’ve gotten on the show.
S: Lastly, do you have any plans of performing here in the Philippines?
JC: Actually I was in there in Philippines. I played there in 2004 or 2005 and did some shows for Ayala Malls in Manila. I had a record release on Capitol Records and that tour was part of my promotional tour promoting the record. I was there and I did two shows and it was amazing. You may remember the song Crazy — that was where it all started for me. I hope to come back and perform for you all again. I love the Philippines!
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The Voice Season 2 premieres on Feb. 6 at 10:55 p.m. Viewers are invited to visit axn-asia.com for the latest update on their broadcast schedules or follow them on Twitter @axnasia for more information.