Joshua Flores (США)

Mesmerizing, captivating and charming are just a few adjectives that describe Joshua, a 13-year-old singer from Corpus Christi, Texas, who has fans, particularly teenage girls, on lock. But Joshua is more than just a pubescent singer who follows trails, blazed by former singers whose picture looks supersede, pure raw, unadulterated talent, Joshua is an impressive blend of the qualities that have staying power: stellar looks and superstar talent.

Much has been said of the new breed of teen talent that has overtaken the airwaves in recent years. But there’s a difference: Joshua Flores is one of the most impressive recording artists to hit the scene in decades.

Danilo Cacace, President of Astro Music Group decided to come together in a joint venture with IHM Music Group for the Joshua Flores project. “We are a young, enthusiastic company that is looking for the sound that was once lost but rejuvenated. We are looking to bring the excitement to the industry that was once and vital, says Wallace Marshall, president of the IHM Music Group.

Wallace, a two-decade music industry executive who was formerly associated with such acts as New Edition, continues, “At the time that we found Joshua, I was looking for something that was missing in the industry. It didn’t have conviction, soul or something that would sell the brand.”

The discovery of Joshua Flores resulted through a chance search online. According to Wallace, IHM Music Group A&R executive Christopher “Benjamin Great” Mason found someone who caught his eye and ear. “I saw him on line and I, too, was intrigued. Joshua was on Youtube singing material by Alicia Keys and Brian McKnight. It was funny…he sounds nothing like what he looks. I haven’t seen a person sing like that in years. It kind of reminded me of how Berry Gordy, Jr. must have felt when he first met young Michael Jackson. When you close your eyes, he has enough soul and conviction where he seems about 40 years old. As we began working with him, he nailed some records as if he had written and produced them himself. We decided that he was someone we really needed to meet, so we flew him in to Miami and we realized we had the first artist for our label.”

Wallace felt that an artist like Joshua Flores is a rarity, which will only enhance the young artist’s staying power in the music industry. “Back In the day, artists had real music and messages. These artists had real music and messages. They had a sense of sound that people could relate to. We were looking for the intensity of the sound that we wanted the artist to deliver. And we found him: Joshua Flores. You see this little kid with Harry Potter glasses and then you hear him open his mouth and every note was consistent. It’s only once in a lifetime that you find a diamond in the rough. You get the same delivery live that you get on the record.”

During that time, Joshua has been developing his fan base as he has traveled back and forth between Corpus Christi and Miami, completing the tracks for his forthcoming EP. The young bi-lingual singer (his family is of Latino descent) even writes some of his own material and is a skilled guitarist whose instrument accompanies him onstage. Although Joshua has recently blossomed into a teen heartthrob, the singer who began singing at age 8 for church congregations, started out a bit shy.

“But I got started getting such a good reaction from people who didn’t expect what they heard from me. Back then I was short, but I had a loud voice. I found that I liked performing, so my mom and dad encouraged me to continue to perform and post performances on Youtube so that I could have exposure. I believe we posted about 50 videos, and I started developing a large fan base,” Joshua noted.

In recent years, the self-proclaimed Justin Timberlake/N*Sync/Brian McKnight/Jason Derulo fan has frequently performed the National Anthem and even did some work with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Through such public appearances, his shyness gave way to the makings of a formidable entertainer.

On his upcoming EP, which features a variety of heart tugging love material suitable for all ages, Joshua’s voice resonates on such songs as the catchy mid-tempo “Ready Or Not,” the Hi-Five cover, “Never Should Have Let You Go;” “Hardly Breathe” and “All I Need Is Your Love.”

Nowadays, Joshua, who is constantly mobbed by fans who want to touch his hair, text him and call him, looks forward to reaching the same level of success as his musical idols. “Getting signed (to a record deal) is awesome. Now I look forward to sharing my gift with the world.”