Jay Wheeler

Puerto Rican vocalist Jay Wheeler crafts emotive, melody-driven ballads that span Latin pop and reggaeton, delivered through his signature rich and expressive voice. His biggest commercial breakthrough arrived with the 2020 collaboration “La Curiosidad” alongside Myke Towers, which climbed to number five on the Billboard Latin charts and accumulated more than a billion streams within two years. A steady flow of projects followed, among them the 2022 releases El Amor y Yo and Emociones plus TRAPPii in 2023.

Born José Ángel López Martínez into a working-class household in Salinas, Puerto Rico, he first studied piano as a child and later shifted toward production after acquiring a computer. Following a teenage breakup, a friend encouraged him to upload his initial recording, the 2015 track “Ahora Estoy Mejor,” which mixed singing and rapping and quickly drew half a million views. A subsequent cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” surpassed a million views, reinforcing his determination to pursue music professionally. He adopted the first initial of his given name for his stage moniker and, after soliciting suggestions from supporters, settled on Wheeler in 2017.

Early singles such as the conflicted “No Me Engañas” and the pointed “Equivocada” helped expand his audience, paving the way for the 2018 breakthrough “Por Tu Culpa,” which secured him a deal with Dynamic Records. Live shows and further releases including “Te Soñé” and “Mensaje de Voz” caught the ear of veteran reggaeton producer DJ Nelson, who signed on to oversee Wheeler’s debut album. Titled Platónico, the project reimagined reggaeton in a slower, ballad-oriented vein and found traction with the up-tempo “Dime Que Sí,” the Farruko-assisted “Otra Noche Más Remix,” and the reflective closer “Me Enamoré.”

An acoustic live album that highlighted his unaccompanied vocal ability preceded a busy 2020 slate of collaborative singles featuring Lenny Tavárez, Nio Garcia, Darell, Lary Over, Javiielo, and Noriel. Standouts from that period included the Brytiago remix of “Sin Ti,” the tropical “Quiereme Mientras Se Pueda (Remix)” with Manuel Turizo and Miky Woodz, and a guest spot on Cauty’s “Lloras Remix,” which exceeded 100 million streams. Later that summer Nelson again handled production on the sophomore effort Platónicos, which leaned closer to classic reggaeton rhythms and included appearances by Brytiago, Nio Garcia, Miky Woodz, and Casper Magico; its fourth track, the Myke Towers-assisted “La Curiosidad,” ultimately became Wheeler’s most-streamed release to date.

Widely viewed as one of reggaeton’s rising talents, Wheeler maintained a collaborative focus throughout 2021. Two high-profile remixes of “La Curiosidad” arrived featuring Jhay Cortez, Arcángel, Zion & Lennox, Becky G, and others, while additional joint efforts with J Balvin on “Otro Fili,” Juhn on “Fragancia,” Brytiago on “Desnudarte,” and Arcángel on “Si Te Veo” complemented solo cuts such as “Viendo el Techo” and “Dos Tragos.” Early 2022 brought the De Mí Para Ti EP, which introduced his first English-language material in “Take My Life” and “Can’t Figure U Out.” Two full-length projects, El Amor y Yo and Emociones, followed before year’s end. Wheeler opened 2023 with the heartfelt, ’80s-pop-inflected “SOS” and later scored another chart success with “Pacto (Remix)” featuring Anuel AA, Bryant Myers, Hades66, and Dei V; both tracks anchored the October release TRAPPii.