Tuesday Apr 3
palabras ARACELI CRUZ
Before reggaeton sensation Zion was just Zion, he was part of one of the most successful reggaeton duos ever. Zion & Lennox' popularity grew immensely, in a relatively short time, with their music featured in several compilation albums. In 2004 the duo exploded into the emerging reggaeton scene with their mega-debut full-length album “Motivando A la Yal,” which was produced by Luny Tunes, Noriega and Nelly among others.
“Motivando A la Yal,” had tremendous success with hit singles such as “Doncella,” “Bandida,” and the special edition album had even more hits including “Don’t Stop” and the hip-hop remix of “Yo Voy” which featured Fatman Scoop and Pitbull.
Though the rise to stardom might have led to the end of Zion & Lennox as a team, but it also gave way for Zion to shine on his own. Aside from his own singing career Zion, aka Feliz Ortiz, has now joined the ranks of P. Diddy and Jay-Z as CEO of his own label — Baby Records.
Zion sat down with nocheLatina.com to talk about his new album The Perfect Melody, which drops on June 5th.
How is The Perfect Melody different from your previous work?
First of all, it’s me…solo. Secondly, I have to proof myself more than before.
Does that stress you out?
Nah. I’m a very confident person.
Do you have special artists appearing on The Perfect Melody?
Superstar, international artist…Akon, The Kumbia Kings, De La Ghetto, who is on my label. But I am not using any of the big reggaeton artists, because I want to expose new ones…you know give opportunity to the new blood and get a different sound, because they’re more hungry. A lot of artists that get to a certain point...who, you know, get all Hollywood. I didn’t want to go through that.
What's the most exciting aspect about this album?
This album is for all audiences, from kids to adults. It’s really universal and it has a great vibe.
What's the first single?
The first single is going to be the Akon song for the American market, and for the Latin market is going to be “Zun Da Da."
What do you think is next for reggaeton movement?
All these big labels like Motown Universal are now working with Latin reggaeton artists and I think now they’re going to take it to another level. Now we’re working with publicists directly with the label, and they know the strategy to get the artist on that mainstream level.