Grammy award-winning artist Jon Secada chatted about his “Unforgettable” duet with his daughter Mikaela, and his new tribute album “Fascination.”
‘Unforgettable’ collaboration with daughter Mikaela
On his “Unforgettable” duet, he said, “It was an afterthought. The album was kind of closed at that point. I remember having a conversation with publicist Michael Caprio months before the album was going to be released.”
“Michael suggested to me to revamp the song ‘Unforgettable’ and do it as a duet with my daughter. I told him I never thought about it and that the record was done, but it was not released at the time that it has to be, and many months had passed.”
“Then, the thought stayed with me. The thing is, my daughter was in the middle of doing the Broadway musical ‘Back to the Future.’ I decided to talk to the producer of the record and see if we could add another song to the album, so I did the duet with Mikaela,” he said.
“That duet was inspired by the recording of Natalie Cole along with Nat King Cole, and that was it. The idea snowballed and I presented it to the producer and I spoke to Gonzalo Rubalcaba, the pianist, so we were able to put it together.
Inspiration for this Nat King Cole tribute project
On the inspiration for the tribute album for “Fascination,” he said, “For us, it was really inspired by Nat King Cole but we took all the arrangements and everything attached to it and made it more jazzy, more interpretive, but not necessarily a direct tribute.”
“We’re not really trying to make the arrangements or anything close to Nat King Cole. That was not what we wanted to do. We just wanted to take a brand new approach to those songs, the philosophy of those recordings, his voice, his intention but then do something different with them,” he explained.
“That was our intent,” he stressed. “That was also Gonzalo’s intent, and the producer’s intent, and I think we got it.”
Favorite song on the collection
When asked about his favorite song on there, he responded, “Well, I have my favorites. Obviously, ‘Unforgettable’ is still warm to my heart.”
“I also love ‘Stardust.’ It would probably be my favorite track inside the album since it’s such a classic, timeless song,” Secada said.
“His recording was tremendous and timeless. The song has been done so many times in so many different ways,” Secada said. “It’s such a beautiful piece of music. So, for us to do service to it and do it the right way, I’m proud of the recording. I’m proud of the way that song came out. I really am.”
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Secada said, “I love it in the sense that in the end, I’ve always been a supporter of working with how the music industry evolves and what happens to it. From that standpoint, the reality is that this is how people hear music and how they buy music.”
“The truth is, in my opinion, the digital age makes things more accessible than ever across the board,” he said. “Anybody can hear, buy, and appreciate any type of music, and they can do so in more than one format. So, I think that’s amazing and for me and my career, it has actually been good.”
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he revealed, “Enjoying the process, and enjoying these kinds of records.”
“Also, perhaps working more and doing things with my daughter. She might explore doing some recordings of her own, and maybe I can help her reproduce some of those recordings as a part of what she’s doing with her career,” he elaborated.
Jon Secada — The three-time Grammy winner
Throughout his career, Secada won three Grammy Awards. “That was amazing,” he admitted. “The fact that I got the first Grammy for my first record, that in and of itself was tremendous. I couldn’t believe it!”
“To have the respect from the people in the industry, is very humbling because that’s when you know your colleagues really appreciate the work you do. That means a lot to me!”
Success
On his definition of success, Secada said, “Oh my goodness. At this point, I’m enjoying still 33 years as a recording artist.”
“I’m enjoying 40 years as a professional musician. So, success is everything that has happened in my career, and it still means that I’m enjoying what I do,” he noted.
“I got into this industry for the love of the craft, and to make a living doing what I love, and this is what I keep doing,” he added.
Closing thoughts about the new album
For fans and listeners, Secada said, “I hope fans get the essence of my influences, the true essence of it, and the integrity of it. This record is very transparent. It’s very organic and I think it’s true to itself. I’m a recording artist that had a lot of success in a non-format pop music industry.”
“This record explores a side of me that builds from my education, with my roots, with a foundation that it touches my heart because that’s where I come from,” he noted.
“Everything that I’ve done attached to working with the people, producers, working with other writers and everything, really stems from my love for jazz music, for just the beauty of this type of record and this type of project,” he elaborated.
“So, I’m loving it. I’m loving the fact that I’m having the opportunity to do this now,” he acknowledged.
Jon Secada’s album “Fascination” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Jon Secada, visit his official website.
