October 6, 20<strong>05</strong> ilverCHIPS ADS 25
6 ENTERTAINMENT October 6, 20<strong>05</strong> influence on reggaeton music after Puerto Rico, it is no wonder that Peña dreams of becoming a reggaeton artist. His father, a prominent merengue musician and composer, provided the support and inspiration that Peña needed to get involved in the music business. Though music had always played an important role in his life, it wasn’t until last year, when Peña came to America, that his dreams of becoming a reggaeton silverCHIPS inding fame in a reggaetonation Blazer artist rides the wave of new music genre’s national appeal and rising popularity enior Miguel Peña, a local reggaeton artist known as L‘ Migue, performs. Reggaeton, a fusion of ip-hop and Latin beats, is steadily gaining popularity across the nation. Photo by Brandon Herbst By SARON YITBAREK enior Miguel Peña stands in the hallway, facing the wooden doors of the <strong>Blair</strong> auditorium and buttoning up his black blazer. The flag of the Dominican Republic is stamped proudly on his back as he waits to perform for the Hispanic Festival at <strong>Blair</strong> last May. He pulls off his black dress shoes and hastily laces up his Jordans. Adjusting his curly black hair, he holds a sleek microphone tight as he waits for the beat of the reggaeton music to begin playing. He draws in a deep breath. “This is the night,” he whispers to himself. Smoothing out his blazer, Peña is ready to present himself to <strong>Blair</strong> as L’ Migue, a rising star on the local reggaeton scene. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, which is often considered the second greatest performer seemed within reach. On the rise Peña’s music career started with a simple pen and paper. “One day, my computer broke and there was nothing to do,” he says. “So I got out my pen and paper and started writing a song.” After that first song seven months ago, Peña joined three other Blazers to form a reggaeton group called Desafio. The group, which performed at last November’s evening pep rally, was featured on the cover of “Fiesta D.C.,” a local Latino magazine. Although they had only been together for a few months, Peña felt that it was time to leave Desafio and go solo early in September. “We split up,” he says. “I wasn’t feeling the group...We still perform together. They’re doing their own thing, I’m doing my own thing.” Even though the group split up, Peña will never forget the day they met their manager, <strong>Blair</strong> graduate Eddie Narin, and officially broke into the reggaeton scene. On a Sunday at the Chirilaguas Festival in Alexandria, Virginia, Peña describes how the group snuck backstage and asked the manager present for a chance to perform. “We got to perform for 8,000 people,” he says. Not quite there yet Peña is modest about his accomplishments, though he has good reason to brag. After only seven months in the music business and a year in the United States, he has already performed with such hit reggaeton artists as Baby Ranks and Ivy Queen. He performed last week with Daddy Yankee at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, and he has scheduled several other concerts in New York and Pennsylvania for later this year. Still, Peña has a long way to go before becoming a reggaeton star. The first step is releasing a demo. Currently, Peña has a working demo from recording sessions last spring consisting of six songs, including his first song, “Mi Hembria,” or “My Baby.” Peña hopes to get back to the studio and rerecord his demo in better quality. He also plans on adding several new songs for a fuller product. From now until the release of his demo, Peña must arrange as many performances and promotions as possible, which is why his manager is focused on booking shows at different festivals and concerts. “Any job is getting him exposure. He has to keep it consistent and make sure he connects with all his fans,” says Narin. Even with successful performances like those at <strong>Blair</strong> and other Hispanic festivals in the area, Peña is neither overwhelmed nor comforted. “I don’t think I’m better than other people. It’s from them that I learned how to rap, how to sing,” he says. “I don’t like to say I’m going to make it. I like to say that I believe in myself. The people are the judge. If they like me, that’s good. If they don’t like me, I’ll try harder.” He shrugs. “I just like music,” he says. “Music is what I do.”