J'Martin

New York's J'Martin has earned recognition as a vocalist whose bachata fuses an array of styles with lively energy. Born Martín Espinal in Queens, New York, to Dominican parents, he remained in the United States for his first eight years before relocating with his family to their hometown of Santiago in the Dominican Republic. From early childhood he showed interest in music, absorbing both traditional Latin sounds and American pop while receiving initial support through performances at parties and school percussion experiments. At age 15 he moved back to the United States alongside his family and launched his professional path in music by forming the merengue group Baby Band, with whom he performed for five years. Following the band's dissolution he assisted his parents in their supermarket enterprise until he resumed his musical work with the 2010 release Para Ti. That album featured the single "Inténtalo," recorded with Magic Juan, which ascended to number one on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart. The next year brought a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2011 Premio lo Nuestro awards. In 2015 J'Martin issued his second studio album, Mi Tiempo, which yielded multiple additional Top Ten singles such as "Yo Soy el Loco Aquel" and "Ni una Lagrima Más," the latter featuring Samo.