Another Big Reveal! Interview with Festival Betances Main Saturday Act
Jesus Pagán is a Puerto Rican singer who has always felt close the salsa genre. Throughout his career which started in 1998, he has been part of the chorus or percussionist for some of the greatest of salsa, the likes of Rubén Blades. He decided to branch off on his own eight years ago, and since then his success as singer and composer has only been increasing. He will be performing his unique style of salsa at our Festival Betances on Saturday, July 16th, along with musicians form New York and Boston.
Most of his work is made up of original songs, this artist spends a significant amount of his time 
composing them. From his three productions, one was awarded a Grammy. Pagán shared with us what he needs for inspiration, "I need my space, silence, I sit and think about every day happenings or social topics," he said. "Or sometimes I think about romantic subjects, whether it be from my own personal experiences or other people's." He also maintains that the most complicated aspect of the process is finding the appropriate words, his themes require very specific descriptions.
His music is influenced by his favorite groups and artists. He explained that as a singer his favorite has always been Hector Lavoe, but on a musical level there is no one better than El Gran Combo. According to this talented artists, one of the most important attributes of salsa is its global composition, "it has many fusions, a little bit of everything. 80 percent is Cuban tradition, but the other 20 is Puerto Rico's Bomba and Plena among other styles from around the world."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RauokLI7yfQ[/embed]
It is not the first time Pagán has been on the Betances stage. Just las year he was part of the chorus for the renowned duo, NG2. For him it is always an honor, "Festival Betances has an international reputation because of all the years it has been held," he said. For this artist, community is of the utmost importance, the day after performing at Betances he is scheduled to lead the Puerto Rican float in the Holyoke parade. He thinks an organization such as IBA should exist in every community, "IBA's way of thinking should expand into neighboring regions, so that that style of organizing cultural events for the people can stay alive in other places," he said.
Don't miss this great salsa musician, it is also a great honor for us to have him play at our festival.
For further details regarding scheduling and the wide array of activities during Festival Betances visit this page.
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