If the 25-year-old artist formerly known as El Superdotado strikes you as baby-faced, rest assured that Jhay Cortez is more accomplished in the business of música urbana than most veterans. He turned 18 the year Invencible came out, the Tito El Bambino album for which Cortez won a Latin Grammy for his songwriting efforts. Since then, the Puerto Rican, New Jersey-raised artist has contributed to hits by Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam. He expanded into production with his recording partner Egbert “Fino Como El Haze” Rosa before deciding he was ready to step into his own spotlight.
In 2017 and 2018, listeners have gotten to hear the results. Check the wistful “Deseos” with Bryant Myers and last year’s nasty “Donde No Se Vea” alongside Jory Boy for proof of the versatility that has led J Balvin himself to raise his hand with a Cortez co-sign, calling the up-and-comer “super crazy talented” after Sky linked the two for studio time, adding, “I’m so grateful that I found him.” (Balvin and Cortez eventually put out this summer’s trap creeper “Están Pa’ Mí”.)
Jhay is part of a new generation of Puerto Rican artists who have been slowly building a name for themselves, his rise largely powered by the strength of his industry connections and an ability to integrate his voice into the zeitgeist sounds of the moment. Today on Remezcla, we’re premiering Jhay’s latest single produced by Sky, another example of the smooth reggaeton pop that is possible for singers with years’ experience in the industry under their belt. It’s not the first time this combo has linked — you can check Z & L’s “Hola” for the kind of alchemy that was created between the duo and Cortez when the latter was on engineer and producer duties.
Stream our premiere below: