Songwriters Armenta, Calle 24’s Diego Millán, and Cristian Avila García accompanied the SoCal frontman during the panel presented by Sony Music.
JOP during Billboard Latin Music Week Day 3 Panels at the Fillmore Hotel Miami Beach on Oct. 16, 2024 in Miami Beach, Florida.
Gustavo Caballero
During the Sony Music Publishing Icon Q&A session with JOP (Jesus Ortiz Paz), the Fuerza Regida frontman sat down with his team of writers on Wednesday (Oct. 16) for Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 to offer a glimpse into his career and vision with his band and label Street Mob Records.
The session was introduced by Jorge Mejía, president/CEO of Sony Music Publishing Latin America and U.S. Latin, and moderated by Leila Cobo, chief content officer for Billboard Latin/Español. Here are the best quotes from the conversation:
JOP:
- “I’ve always wanted to be a businessman; after music, the first thing I wanted to do was get into business. Thank God I can sing.”
- “I knew that there was money to be made here [in the business]. I just bought a jet!”
- “I started alone, but two heads are better than one, and three or four [are even better].”
- “[Street Mob Records], we are a team and we almost always agree.”
- “Fuerza Regida is the best band in the world.”
- “Sometimes we hit the mark, other times we miss.”
- “A little trick is to work a lot. Hard work beats talent.”
- “I started singing in the streets of California.”
- “I don’t want to focus on hip-hop; I already diverged into dance (Jersey club), but we’re back [with corridos].”
- “I also sing about romance, but it’s explicit.”
- “How do I split my time? It’s business and art. I burp business, I s–t art.”
Armenta:
- “We have a working philosophy, and from working so hard came out, ‘Crazyz,’ ‘Nel,’ ‘Qué Onda?’”
- “We decided to do a different project for No Te Enamores.”
- “[Besides being a writer] I’m also a producer, I’ve been working since I was 14. We are not new in this business.”
- “We know that there we can walk without stumbling.”
- “We must keep growing [as a business]. We work hard here.”
Diego Millán (Calle 24):
- “If we are going to sit down [to write], we are going to make an anthem; and besides, we have a lot of fun.”
Cristian Avila García:
- “We have to share the pie.”
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
