Interview with UMBE B

- What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Since I was a little kid, I always had a passion for all types of music. But it was really when I heard for the first time one of Vico C earlies Latin hip hop albums that I found myself lip singing all his songs and even adding some modifications of my own. However, I was more passionate at the time about dancing and live performing at school concerts etc.

Later on, I founded a backstage dancing group to support live shows of a popular band in Cuba. While working most of the time with Gente de Zona at that time Jacob Forever spotted me rapping some lyrics for fun during some of his rehearsals and he pushed me toward starting a singing career in Urban music.

If that moment would have not happened, then today instead of singing I would most likely be working as a dancer/show producer as that was the path that early on I was taking.

- What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

When I am not playing music, I really like to watch as much news as I can get a global scope of what of the latest top ten artist in the world right now are up to and gage my work against them is always an internal competition, I have to improve my music all the time.

I also love to spend time with my family and friend. I always find inspiration in all the life experiences I have or hear from the stories they tell me when we are sharing moments together.

- How long have you been making music?

I started in 2013 when I was part of an urban music band in Cuba, but as a solo career, I began in 2018. So in general I have been involved with making music for 9 years now but at 100% since 4 years ago.

- Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

I am based in Toronto and I came from a tropical island where a lot of reggeaton music is consumed. Once I heard the Toronto native urban sound which is a blend of hip-hop and trap I found it really appealing to add elements of the reggeaton to it and create my own style where listeners can feel and dance through my music.

Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

I had the good experience of performing while I was a member of Cuban popular urban music band at the time in front of thousands of people. It was a thrilling moment with a lot of emotions going on. From that moment I felt it is my destiny to be in front of big crowds and make them happy while enjoying my music on stage.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Here in Toronto I have been fortunate enough to open some concerts in nightclubs like El Mocambo, Baro, and Posh and also some other bigger but still small venues like the Super Club. From all of these Baro is one of my favorite because of the vibe and multicultural I find in there

One venue I dream to play is the Scotia Bank arena and the Coca-cola center which also means my music has reached a very popular level not only within the Latin community here in Canada but also the Torontonians community.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

On the ticket, I will have, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon and Eminem. I would love to put up a show where I can bring Rap, Latin hip-hop, and reggaeton legends.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

My advise would be to keep not only believing in your talent in the music but be always aware of what is working in the social media platforms to make yourself more visible and reach more audience. One thing I learned is that if your music is good enough and talented once new people discover your product they will become immediate fans and supporters.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

There is one song I am about to release called Confiesale (Confess). This song is based on my personal experience about having a genuine and true love relationship with a woman and with the passing of the time when money became an issue and hard times hit us I found my love cheating on me with another wealthy man. It is the most hurting experience in love anyone can have while still having feelings for the other person. However, one thing I learned is that “time” is the best invention of life with time everything boiled down, time gives you what you need to learn from previous failures, and most importantly it gives you a chance to find love again. And with new love comes new songs :)  and there is another song I am working “Por un beso tuyo” (For one of your kisses) where I tell the story of finding love again and finding inspiration once again.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

From the songs I have published so far the one that is my favorite to perform life is “Champion” because it is a trap high pace song which talks about the city of Toronto and all the sports accomplishments we have had at the higher level in the world. Feeling so proud of the city I am living in it is definitely the one song my fans asked me while performing live.

What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

My creative process always start with a personal experience or with story I heard from someone that I care about (family or friends). As I started thinking about an event a subject or a particular feeling in my head there is always a rhythm a beat that withing a few days transform into a melody with some lyrics. Then I hit the studio and work with my producers and start creating the base beat, then comes the lyric with the message I want to get across and more sessions follow to perfect the musical production.

Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music, if so please tell me about them?

I found that in our current world everything is moving at such a pace that sometimes the message you want to get across in your work has to be a constant in every single post or music you produce as an artist. Having said this I also think is important to use current popular elements in urban music where first I connect to the people from the street, poor neighborhoods and people struggling in life in general, then once I started speaking their languages I always try to pass in a message of hope and respect and to be loyal to the ones we receive love from.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

I plan to continue to release the new songs I have recently finished and promote them on all the platforms to increase my audience. I have strong confidence that as more people get to know my music more fans and followers I going to get. I am also very excited with the upcoming music video “Confiesale” which is my favorite song at the moment.

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

The platform I am constantly working on is Instagram and also Tiktok. But the rest of my team is keeping up-to-date also Youtube. But Instagram is my first go to social media platform where I am constantly sharing stories and reels with the current music I am doing.

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