Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I was born in the Bronx and lived in various places growing up, such as California, New Jersey, New York City and New Orleans. I think I’ve been heavily influenced by living in all these places and its reflected in my lyrics, vocabulary and my sound. I’m also half Cuban, a quarter Russian and a quarter Irish, so those cultures and their music have influenced me as well. Traveling has also helped me meet people and develop my aesthetic to its fullest potential.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I am self taught in terms of producing and engineering, but I was also classically trained in piano from a young age and went to a performing arts high school in New York City, known as the “Fame” school, La Guardia.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘Fonto’?
A: Some of my musical influences were Gorillaz, Michael Jackson, the Beatles Kid Rock, Black Eyed Peas, and TPain. The origin story of the name “FONTO” has its roots in the pride I feel about my Cuban heritage. A FONTO is a large tobacco leaf used for rolling a blunt, but for me, using that name is a remembrance to the timeless tradition of growing the best tobacco and rolling the best cigars in the world from Cuba, where my grandmother still lives and I visit each year. Growing up, people never knew I spoke Spanish or came from a multicultural Cuban heritage.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Float’. Is there a story behind it?
A: I made the song Float while traveling in Los Angeles. The song is produced by Boysarerolling Music and it came out of my desire to create a hyper-pop song that people from a wide audience could enjoy. Plus I love to float, and I found a set which was an upside down room so it just fit perfectly.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: I’m releasing a series of new solo songs and videos over the coming months. I’ve been working to fabricate a new sound for myself and my audience, by fusing different genres and creating songs in specific genres such as Punk Rock, Hyper-Pop, and Psychedelic Hip-Hop. I want to create a unique niche with my sound.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I started out in rap and am drawn to jazz-influenced beats, but I’ve been experimenting with punk, hyper-pop and psychedelic hip-hop these days. I enjoy blending and stretching the definitions of the genres.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I’m always working to grow my audience and want to travel and tour more in the future, which has been challenging as I am also juggling college courses, not to mention the covid experience. I am really looking forward to the future and getting to meet more of my audience in person.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I’ve developed a system that works for me and involves many steps from idea to completed song, working with other people who I trust and who are like-minded in terms of creative flow, hard work and output. I spend a lot of time working on lyrics but sometimes it just pours out.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I’ve had some rough experiences growing up in New York City, and music can be extremely challenging and frustrating at times, but overall I have a relentless desire to keep producing music and try to put the bad experiences into creativity.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I think the proudest I have been is when I work hard to make things happen, either my solo videos or my successful collaboration with artist @Sofaygo, (Songs “Trust Nobody” and “F**k the Feds.”) who ended up going global right after I worked with him. I’m also proud of songs I’ve created which bring people from different genres together (Songs “In the Way,” and “Cheat Code” with @Tennisboywill and @Iamcaspr). I like the creative energy of merging sounds and seeing what happens. Hoping to do more of that in the future.
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