Jade Mambre
At the age of 8, José Miguel Martis, aka Ito, who was born and raised in Bonaire, started playing baseball with a goal to become a professional baseball player. He was a dedicated player and participated in international tournaments. His main focus at that time was baseball because being a musician or singer was not a “lucrative career”. Ito, who is now 30 years of age, was great at baseball and he once won the Batting Champ Award in 2002 of the Caribbean tournament. “At the age of 16, I injured my shoulder during baseball training and that was basically the end of my baseball career. I was crushed as I was sure that this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life”. This experience led him to only focus on music production. “At a young age, I was already making hits”. Now, Ito, a creative, hard-working, and loving person who cares for other individuals around him and who enjoys exploring unique and out of the box music ideas, has been nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards 2019.
Expressing through music
When Ito was nine years old, he knew he could sing but he never thought of himself as a singer. He thought of himself as a musician. “I come from a musical family and at the age of five I was already playing and messing around with instruments just like my father, uncles, and grandpa”. He used to ask his uncle, who is also a music producer, to teach him about producing when they went to visit him in the Dominican Republic. “And little by little, I learned more each year until I was able to do it by myself”. To this day, “I still ask him some tricks I can use during music productions for my big clients in the Latin world”. “I was in the music industry before I knew such a thing as a music industry existed”. Making music felt natural to him. So, explaining why he loves music is not so easy. He just feels this urge to express himself through music. At the beginning of his music career, Ito’s parents were his inspirations. After meeting his wife, Vanessa Martis, he received “tremendous support” from her, which truly helped his singing career.
Ito’s music
After producing for so many years for different people, Ito decided that it is finally time to start singing his productions. Singing what he produces gives him “the complete freedom and control to make music” the way he likes it. As a musician and music producer, Ito explored many genres from classical to urban and from pop to Latin music. Most of his work was urban, which he is most known for. His songs mostly focus on motivating and encouraging others and sending a good message. Most importantly, he makes sure to make his listeners happy and cheerful with his songs. “Singing and playing an instrument gives me a lot of joy and freedom. It definitely reminds me to always be grateful to God for the talent he has given me”.
The experience: being nominated for Latin Grammy Award 2019
Ito often used to joke around with his clients about winning an award after producing a song. It was simply a joke. “On September 24, 2019, Xerran (a close music colleague of mine) posted on Instagram that we got nominated” for the Latin Grammy Awards 2019. At first, Ito thought it was a prank. He searched it on the Latin Grammy webpage, “and there it was! The Album of Alex Zurdo that I worked on as a music producer “Quien Contra Nosotros” was nominated. I couldn’t believe it!” It wasn’t something he expected so soon in his career. It all started in 2017 when Ito “started working with Alex Zurdo, a Puerto Rican artist living in the states” after another producer and mixing engineer, Xerran, let him hear Ito’s demos. Afterwards, Xerran contacted Ito and told him that he would like to collaborate on Alex Zurdo’s album. “Before I knew it, Alex Zurdo contacted me and told me that he was interested in working with me” to finalize his album, which was released in 2018. Two of the four singles on the album was produced by Ito. The first single got 1 million views in 1 day on YouTube. Every single was trending on YouTube in Spanish speaking countries. Ito find that being nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards means a lot to a musician and an artist. “This achievement is a recognition that my art and work sit among the prominent performances in the world, and I’m honored and grateful for this accomplishment”.
Ito looks forward “to keep growing in the music industry and continuing to impact lives” with his music and lyrics. He is hoping to release more singles and finish his music album. “I’m planning on releasing my album in 2020 and, God willing, have my first concert” as well. Ito is very thankful for everyone’s support throughout his journey. He wants to encourage everyone to discover their passion. “Take your time to develop and perfect your craft”. With time you will see the results of your hard work. Set your goals and “believe in yourself”. God has a purpose for our lives, “so live your purpose”.
