Christian Pagán: “My music is a combination of all my influences that I heard on the streets growing up.”

Tonight we have another American Song Contest interview to share with you, this time featuring Puerto Rican artist Christian Pagán! Together we dove into his musical career, the beauty of his island, and where he’d love to perform one day. Learn more about Christian below!

Welcome Christian, we’re so excited to be interviewing with you today! For those who might not know you, why don’t you give us a quick introduction? I’m also really excited to be here and grateful for the opportunity. 

I’m a singer-songwriter from Puerto Rico who is passionate about music. People locally know me for been the first winner of Idol Puerto Rico. I consider myself to be an all-around artist trying to always express myself doing art. I study music and art in school. I also play a few instruments like guitar, piano and drums; that help me to get in the vibe and inspire me when I go inside the studio.  I made my first appearance as an actor in the series “Guerra de Idolos” in which I had the opportunity to contribute a song from my first album; which became one of the official soundtracks of the series.

And of course, you will be representing your home of Puerto Rico for the American Song Contest! How does it feel to be part of this year’s cast? I’m super excited and honored to be representing my beautiful island, Puerto Rico in this first program of the American Song Contest.

It’s a great honor, but also a huge responsibility. I live in Puerto Rico, and I know that my people are going to be excited about having our flag in this amazing contest. It’s also a great chance to bring good news for my people. That’s why I have to do the best for my country.

I’m sure that many of our readers haven’t had the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico and experience the wonderful culture of the island. What are some of your favorite things about Puerto Rico that people should know about?

Puerto Rico has too many things to enjoy. It is a paradise with beautiful beaches, mountains, rivers, with amazing people and delicious food. We have a cheerful personality. We love to party, that’s why our Christmases are the longest in the world. But the most important thing is that we have a big heart and we are always helping others.

I’m always interested to learn more about how artists first learned about their passion and potential for music. At what point did you realize that you wanted to be a singer and performer?

First of all I need to say that all the credit is to God, that give me a gift to express myself through art. Music has made me feel happy since I was a kid. My first steps starting singing it was at school, church and then I started out by playing with my band at different venues. Later on, my group disbanded and I decided to become a soloist on youtube (recording  covers). And finally, I decided to participate in Idol PR. After having won, I signed into my first record label.

If someone asked you to describe your music to them, what words, phrases, or references might you use?

My music is a combination of all my influences that I heard on the streets growing up; like pop, reggaeton, rock, electronic, and songwriters songs. And I always try to combine that with the passion that I express when I sing. 

And I also noticed in my research that you won the first season of the Puerto Rican Idol show back in 2013 – what have you learned about yourself as an artist since you won the show?

 I have learned that with dedication and work I can achieve things that I didn’t imagine. It was an amazing experience that helped me to open doors in the music industry. 

 Here’s a bit of a fun question for you – forgetting the money and logistics involved, you’re told that you can perform a concert anywhere you want but you can only perform once. Where would you choose to perform and why? 

I would love to perform in “El Choliseo de Puerto Rico”  because it is the most important venue in my island. So I will love to have that amazing memory in my town and with my people, friends and family. 

Let’s talk about the American Song Contest now, how did you first hear about the contest and what motivated you to submit an entry?

I first heard about the contest through Erika Ender, a friend, composer and singer. She called me and told me  about this amazing opportunity that let me show an original song to the word; and that is something that I always dream about. 

Earlier you mentioned your time with Idol, on the telenovela ‘Guerra de Ídolos’ and “The Bay”. Do you feel like your experience in the TV industry could help you in the competition at all?

Yes, every experience I have had in my life has made me grow and be better every day. From those experiences I always learn something that I can apply in the things that I do. When you’re on stage you also have to act to connect with the song and at the same time with the audience. 

I know that your ASC song is a carefully guarded secret right now, but could you tell us a bit about how the song was written and the message you hope it conveys to the American public? 

LOKO’ has influenced melodies of reggaeton and Latin pop songs with the sensibility of contemporary pop melodies and lyrics. The song has had quite the journey already before it got out for the world to hear. I heard the rough idea of the song first and I was like “ok this is amazing, it’s super catchy and it resonates with what I wanna convey with my music’. So my co-writers and I went back and forth on the production and lyrics to take it to the next level. I flew to Nashville to finish the lyrics with the extraordinary songwriter Desmond Child. There I recorded the vocals and then we got it! The song inspired me in a way that I instantly felt this could resonate with the whole world so we wanted the sonics of the production and the lyrics to translate on a global scale.

Lyrically, ‘LOKO’ is a combination of English and Spanish with the Puerto Rican slang you hear on the bridge. LOKO’ is about the relentless pursuit of convincing this sophisticated and independent woman who knows what she wants, which attracts me to her even more. And in this song, I’m making it my life’s mission to win her over by telling her what’s in for her. 

For our readers who want to connect with you ahead of or after the contest, where can they find you and your music?

They can find me in christianpaganmusica.com where you can find the links of my social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok) and you can find my music in YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

Alright, one final question for you – is there a final message you’d like to share with our readers?

I’m really grateful for this opportunity and I just want people all around the world to enjoy and connect with my music. At the end of the day that is what I’m looking for.  Don’t forget to vote for my song “LOKO” 🙂 

 Well Christian, I want to thank you again for your time and we wish you the best of luck in the American Song Contest!