We recently had the chance to connect with JJ Caballero and have shared our conversation below.
JJ , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I would hire me because I can do a lot. I’ve always prided in myself with being well rounded in the music world. I’m a songwriter, as well as a producer, engineer, stage tech, live sound dude, booker, marketer, and most recently a DJ. You kind of have to do that nowadays in order to understand how to be a part of a team and to understand every role in it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Chicano Soul Punk JJ Caballero, a songwriter/producer/DJ out of El Paso, Texas. Most recently I released a power pop/punk EP from my project JJ Caballero Y Los Suenos. The EP is a group of songs I’ve had for years and finally had some time to polish and rework.
Having grown up as a punk rocker and playing as a musician for hire in many different types of bands – from Americana to Goth to funk – I learned that we are all just in bands. I believe genre is more of a separator now and it is less important than it has ever been. Because of my unique experience being a part of so many eclectic projects, my sound is varied. Consider me a student of the world who is always learning and showing people what they’ve learned.
I recently began work at a studio called Genuine Reference Studios where the artist is always the priority. It’s allowed me to expand and grow and learn from up and coming producers, as well as share my knowledge.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I kind of say I was always the same dude, but had a period of losing myself from late high school until I got in trouble with the law. I adopted conservative values that I lied to myself that I believed in. I was also just partying way too much, trying to be someone everyone loved. I have barely realized the little punker who wanted his hair blue while he wrote novels is who I’ve always been. It took time to reconnect.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was a point in my life when I told myself “if I’m still doing this at the same level in 10 years, when I turn 35 I’ll move on.” At 37 now I can say that I’ve only just begun. The past few years have been very inspiring as I’ve taken the time to extend my community. The DJ community I’ve found myself in is very supportive and totally on the same page as far as getting things going. As well, finding a new studio space to work out of and meeting the people who have been a part of that space has totally helped!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I am the same guy all the time. Sometimes I’m introverted, sometimes I want to be the life of the party and for everyone to look at me. It feels like I’ve been performing so long that this has just naturally become my state of being.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What false labels are you still carrying?
Most recently I have had to realize that being a “perfect son” will not allow me to fully realize my own path. I’ve done a lot in my life to make my parents proud, when the whole time I should’ve been focused on making myself proud.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/jjcaballero
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jjcaballero/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYyqXqJVmz9IdmC_CLom6uA
Image Credits
All Images produced and owned by JJ Caballero
