Jesse Baez

Producer/vocalist Jesse Baez grew up in Guatemala and developed an early fascination with music, eventually producing his own inventive R&B tracks. With his 2016 debut EP, he tended more toward a detached and minimalist approach to atmospheric R&B, but several collaborative singles over the next years marked a changing of gears. Both released in 2018, the singles “Mi No Eres Tu” featuring C. Tangana and “Mientu” featuring Paty Cantú went in darker directions, relying on trap beats and heavier production. These singles set the scene for Baez’s debut album, which came out later that year. Jesse Baez was born in Chicago and moved to Guatemala at age six. Along with playing in the band Easy Easy and collaborating with friends like vocalist Girl Ultra, Baez worked on solo music. His debut EP, B.A.E.Z., was released in 2016, seeing the singer/producer working primarily in moody, loping R&B tones and collaborating on some tracks with like-minded artists Teen Flirt and MONVCO. The entire album was sung in Spanish, though Baez often sang in English as well. For his debut full-length, Baez incorporated heavier trap rhythms and rap undercurrents into his sound, bringing in rappers and producers like Dillon Francis and Fuego to fill out the sound. The resulting album, Turbo, was released in the summer of 2018 on Universal. ~ Fred Thomas