Jennifer Pena: ready to seduce the world

Latin Beat Magazine, Oct, 2004 by Rudy Mangual

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Jennifer Pena has been singing since the age of five for her friends and family but it wasn't until 1995 that she performed in front of thousands at the Houston Astrodome as part of a tribute to the late superstar singer Selena. Her tender and soaring voice immediately won over the affections of numerous fans. Within a year, the young Pena was in a studio recording her debut album, Dulzura (1996). By 2000 she had a total of four albums to her credit (including, Jennifer/1997, Mariposa/1998 and Abrázame y Besamé/2000) and her popularity expanded in the United States as well as in Mexico. In 2002, she joined the rank of artists at Univisión Records and released Libre, coming of age as a mature artist. The music industry and media praised the new recording as it went platinum. She was awarded the "Best Female Performer of the Year" and "Female Artist of the Year" at the first edition of the South Texas Music Awards. Peña also received a nomination for "Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album" at the 2003 Grammy Awards, and in the recent 2004 Lo Nuestro Latin Music Awards she took home her first "Regional Mexican Female Artist of the Year" award. She also earned four nominations during the 2003 Billboard Latin Music Awards, winning "Best Album of the Year, Female" in the, Regional Mexican category for Libre.

By far, Jennifer Peña is one of the leading U.S. female artists in today's Latin music arena and one of the most prolific and promising in the industry. In May, 2004, she released Seducción (Seduction) simultaneously in the U.S., México and Puerto Rico. The disc is her most ambitious project to date, boasting some of Latin music's most respected producers (Emilio Estefan, Kike Satander and Rudy Pérez).

The following is a short chat with Jennifer Peña:

Rudy Mangual: Congratulations on an excellent disc, and thank you for including a salsa version of the first single, Vivo y Muero en Tu Piel, on the CD. Was this something that you wanted to do in the production or was it a ca of the producers?

Jennifer, Peña: Actually it was something that really wanted to do. On my previous CD, the first single was also remixed to a salsa version by a radio DJ and it was pretty cool, but at the same time it was almost impossible to find anywhere. So on this new production I told producer Rudy Pérez that I wanted to include a salsa version of one of my songs.

RM: Do you dance salsa?

JP: I try, I can't say I'm great at it but I do my own thing.

RM: You are basically considered a regional Mexican music artist but isn't your recent popularity due to pop music?

JP: I consider myself a regional artist because that's where I started and where my main roots come from, but in my most recent productions, I have been experimenting with several other musical forms, especially pop music and the fans seem to like it and enjoy it as well.

RM: Do you have thoughts of crossover dreams?

JP: Not at all. It's simply about variety in my repertoire and in my performances. Besides doing pop songs, I also sing vallenato, salsa and cumbia, among other things.

RM: Seducción was produced by several Latin music luminaries including Rudy Pérez, Kike Santander, Emilio Estefan and the Gaitán brothers (Ricardo & Alberto). How was it working with these music hit makers?

JP: It was great; I immediately clicked with Rudy Pérez, as well as with Kike Santander, because we had previously worked together and they make working lots of fun. As for Emilio Estefan, since it was my first time working with him, I was a bit nervous, but after a while, everything was great.

RM: Can you describe what working with so many producers is like?

JP: In the case of Pérez, we started by selecting the compositions from his songbook, discussing the arrangements and styles and so on. He was always open to my suggestions and ideas, and visa versa. With Kike Santander, this time around I also felt more comfortable for the simple fact that I improved a lot on my conversational Spanish skills, making for better communication. Working with Emilio Estefan and the Gaitán brothers was also very special. These guys have awesome ideas when it comes to music. They are super cool. Working with the three masters of Latin music was truly an honor. I feel special and privileged to have the collaboration of these great producers, which brought different styles and sounds, and added so much value to the final production.

RM: Is this disc your most mature production?

JP: Absolutely my most mature work as all artist. By definition, this recording is an intimate collection of power ballads and an eclectic fusion of Latin rhythms. The songs are more romantic and reflect my adult feelings and problems, now that I have loved and had my heart broken.