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Q & A with Leonardo Villanueva
Winning the Dove Award for Spanish Album of the Year was an honor Leonardo Villanueva had always dreamt of reaching . The annual honor is given by The Gospel Music Association to the top Christian music artists in the nation . Villanueva took home the 2006 award for his self-titled CD “ Leonardo .” We got a chance to chat with Villanueva – who resides in Tampa , about his faith , his recent win , and how it feels representing Latinos in the Christian music industry .
Latin Times : Where were you born & raised ? How long have you lived in Tampa ? LV : “ I WAS BORN IN ARECIBO , PUERTO RICO BUT WAS RAISED IN THE CAPITAL , SAN JUAN . MY MOTHER IS FROM CALI , COLOMBIA AND SO I AM ‘ BORICUA / COLOMBIANO ’. WE MOVED TO TAMPA IN 1988 , WHEN MY FATHER , WHO IS A PASTOR , GOT TRANSFERRED TO A CHURCH HERE IN TAMPA .” Latin Times : How does it feel to have just won the GMA Music Award for Spanish Album of the Year ? LV : “ IT ’ S AN HONOR AND A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED
By Rosa Mercado
BY THE GOSPEL MUSIC ASSOCIATION WITH THIS NATIONAL AWARD IN THE ONLY CATEGORY WHERE LATINOS WHERE REPRESENTED . BEING AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE IN NASHVILLE , IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE CHRISTIAN MUSIC INDUSTY COMMUNITY , GIVING AN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FOR A DOVE AWARD ( AS IT ’ S ALSO KNOWN ), WAS A CHILDHOOD DREAM OF MINE ! THIS BRINGS YOUR CAREER TO DIFFERENT LEVEL !” Latin Times : Is this your first album ? LV : “ THIS IS THE FIRST “ OFFICIAL ” ONE UNDER A RECORD LABEL ( LAMON RECORDS ), WITH A NICE BUDGET , AND A LEGENDARY PRODUCER LIKE ISAAC HERNANDEZ .” Latin Times : Why did you choose to do Christian music ? When did you start ? LV : “ I CHOSE TO DO CHRISTIAN MUSIC BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN ITS MESSAGE . THESE SONGS CAN HELP BRING YOU CLOSER TO YOUR CREATOR AND GIVE YOU ETERNAL HOPE ! A CHRISTIAN SONG ALWAYS HELPED ME - AND STILL DOES - IN DIFFICULT TIMES IN MY LIFE . IT GAVE ME HOPE , AND SO I WANT TO NOW EXTEND HOPE TO OTHERS THROUGH THIS MUSIC .”
Latin Times : What is your favorite musical style ? Who are your musical influences ? LV : “ I CONSIDER MYSELF A MUSICIAN AND SO IT IS MY JOB TO LISTEN AND BE FAMILIAR WITH VARIOUS STYLES OF MUSIC . I LIKE CLASSICAL , JAZZ , POP , LATIN POP , AND GOSPEL , AMONG OTHERS . MY MUSICAL INFLUENCES ARE CHICAGO , MICHAEL ENGLISH , MICHAEL W . SMITH , MARK SCHULTZ , LUIS MIGUEL , AND ENRIQUE IGLESIAS .” Latin Times : What ( if any ) challenges have you come up against , and overcome ? LV : “ THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS A ROUGH PLACE . THERE IS SO MUCH REJECTION THAT IF YOU DON ’ T HAVE A STRONG , HEALTHY MIND , YOU COULD CRUMBLE INTO PIECES . THANK GOD , HE ’ S GIVEN ME ONE OF THOSE MINDS , ALONG WITH A STUBBORN AND PERSISTENT PERSONALITY . OTHERWISE , I ’ D PROBABLY BE IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION BY NOW ... HA , HA !” Latin Times : What are your goals ? LV : “ FIRST AND FOREMOST TO GLORIFY GOD IN EVERYTHING I DO AND TO PLEASE HIM THROUGH MY ACTIONS , AND TO BE A GOOD FATHER AND HUSBAND .
PROFESSIONALLY , I WANT TO CONTINUE MAKING GREAT MUSIC AND SHARE IT WITH AS MANY AROUND THE WORLD AS POSSIBLE .” Latin Times : Do you have a day job ? LV : “ BESIDES SONGWRITING , RECORDING , PERFORMING AND TOURING , I ALSO TEACH MUSIC AT IDLEWILD BAPTIST CHURCH AND AT WEST TAMPA ELEMENTARY .” Latin Times : Tell us about your family - Is anyone else in your family musical ? LV : “ I HAVE A 4-YEAR-OLD , BEATIFUL LITTLE GIRL NAMED MELODY WHO TAKES AFTER HER MOTHER , MY BEATIFUL WIFE DOREEN . MY DAD HAS A GREAT TENOR VOICE AND PLAYS A LITTLE BIT OF GUITAR . THAT ’ S HOW I LEARNED , BY WATCHING HIM AND THEN TRYING IT MYSELF .”
Mirage – 3605 W . Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa , FL
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