Pandemic
We all know that 2020 was a tough year for everyone, the reason is quite obvious, the pandemic. Although more than a whole year has passed since the disease began to reach the whole world, the repercussions of covid-19 continue to affect many people today, that is exactly what the new Ray’s song is about, it is called “pandemia” (pandemic) after all.
There are many artists who have taken the unfortunate health situation to create art out of it, in this particular case, a song, after all, inspiration can come from anywhere, something that great artists clearly know, and this is the case of Johnny Ray and this song.
In charge of the direction and the percussion of the song is Johnny Ray himself, while the person in charge of the composition of the song was Johnny Zamot. Sammy González Junior was chosen to sing the song, and after listening to his interpretation, we realize it was a good choice.
The song is relatively short if we compare it with the average genre’s songs, but it is enough to comprehend the message, plus, but with just over two minutes in length, we can enjoy the authenticity of the salsa’s sound at its best.
On the other hand, as everyone could imagine just by reading the song title, the lyrics focus on the changes that have arisen as a result of the crucial pandemic and the desire for it to finally end. If we translate the lyrics, these say “you can no longer hear the drum that makes you so happy, all this ended when the pandemic arrived”, these are the first lyrics we listen to after the song’s introduction. “I would give a to be able to cheer people up, beating my drums, watching people enjoy,” sings Sammy Gonzáles, making the message of the song clear in that phrase.
Johnny ray
Johnny Ray is not just another salsa artist, he is a veteran musician with almost forty years of experience, which makes him someone very recognized within the salsa industry. Together with his group called Salsa Con Clase (Class salsa), Ray has participated in countless events of different nature, from schools and universities to different fairs and many private events; Furthermore, they have been indifferent shows in more than a dozen countries, so his international journey has allowed him to gain a lot of experience.
From a very young age, Ray was a talented percussionist, and his interest in music would lead him down the road to success. As he grew and developed himself more as a musician, he would go from playing congas in different places in New York where salsa was constantly present, to sharing the stage with some of the most internationally recognized salsa (and other music genres) artists, such as: Marc Anthony, Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Oscar de León, Tito Nieves, Eddie Palmieri, Jerry Rivera and many more.
Despite such a memorable career, Johnny Ray continues to produce songs to this day, and will surely continue to do so for many years to come, as we see that even the pandemic is far from discouraging him, in fact, does the exact opposite, inspire him.