Sebastien De La Cruz will premiere his first official music video on YouTube tomorrow – Sat., April 25, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Central Time. The video is titled Sin Ti and features Sebastien singing an original song written and composed by Reynaldo Guzman Barrera and Jesse Viramontes. San Antonio based actress Paulina Chavez, best known for her role in the Netflix series The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, also appears in the video.
I recently had a nice conversation with Sebastien over the phone to chat about Sin Ti. Here’s what he had to say:
Cynthia: Congratulations on the soon to be released – first official music video ever for you – Sebastien. Have you seen the final video?
Sebastien: I’ve seen some of the footage but not all. My producers want to surprise me with the final version.
Cynthia: Who produced the video?
Sebastien: The director of the video is Daniel “Danny” Ramos – director of “The Margarita Man.” I had the chance to work with Danny on this film and he gave me the opportunity to play the role of a nerdy character Jesse James. Danny has opened doors for me to work on film projects as Eva Longoria has as well. My Dad, Juan De La Cruz, is the Executive Producer and Cynthia Garcia is the producer. The video was shot and edited by the Cevallos Brothers who I had the chance to work with on the Go Sebastien Go video for Eva Longoria and ESPN in 2015. Larry Servin was the Director of Photography (DP and sometimes referred to as videographer) and the editor was Gilbert A. Villaseñor.
Cynthia: Is this the original mariachi song Sin Ti or is it a new song?
Sebastien: It’s not the traditional mariachi version that most people know. It’s a brand new original song. The song Sin Ti is about a young man dealing with the loss of love. We felt comfortable naming it Sin Ti since there’s lots of different songs with this title. Jay Wheeler and DJ Nelson have a remix of a song they titled Sin Ti and so does Rawayana, Willy Rodriguez, McKlopedia & La Vida Boheme.
Cynthia: Is this a traditional mariachi song?
Sebastien: No it’s not. It’s actually a sierreño style song — sort of like Norteño. There’s a requinto, an accordian and a bajo sexto. I’m wearing a traditional mariachi traje in the video because I felt that the mariachi traje is appropriate for this style of song.
Cynthia: Who are the musicians that recorded this single?
Sebastien: Jesse Viramontes recorded all of the instruments.
Cynthia: How did you connect with Jesse and Reynaldo?
Sebastien: I’ve known Reynaldo for quite some time. Reynaldo is a promoter and songwriter who is originally from Santa Maria de Enmedio, Jalisco, Mexico. He currently lives in Las Vegas and he’s followed me throughout the years and has attended several of my performances. Jesse and Reynaldo reached out to my dad and asked me to listen to a song they had written. This song was Sin Ti. I liked it and so we decided to start working together.
Cynthia: Where was the video shot?
Sebastien: The video was shot at the R&M Ranch in Lytle and at Woodlawn Lake in San Antonio.
Cynthia: How long did it take to shoot?
Sebastien: We shot the video in two and half days about a month ago.
Cynthia: People who have been following you for a long time are going to be really excited to see your video. What do you want people to get out of this?
Sebastien: Yes ma’am. I just turned 18 on March 11th and I want people to see how I’ve evolved as an artist. Most people know me as the Sebastien De La Cruz who sang the National Anthem in a mariachi traje during the Spurs NBA Finals and now I want people to see me as I am now. I hope they will enjoy watching the video and I hope they like the song. So many people still think of me as “little Sebastien De La Cruz” but I hope they’ll be surprised at how much I’ve grown physically and professionally.
Cynthia: Congratulations Sebastien. Many of your family, friends and fans know that you’re graduating from high school this year. How do you feel about graduating during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Sebastien: It took a lot from my senior high school experience as it has for all seniors graduating this year. But, I’m hoping things will get back to normal soon. I’m still hoping we can have some kind of prom and graduation.
Cynthia: How have you been spending your time during this Covid-19 Stay at Home order?
Sebastien: I’ve been writing a lot a music, playing games, working out and of course, finishing up my school work. Everyday, when I wake up, I start playing my guitar and start writing music. Sometimes it comes to me and sometimes it doesn’t. Then I usually take a break and play Modern Warfare with my friends. My workout routine is pretty consistent and I work out every evening at 7:30 p.m. – sometimes twice a day.
Cynthia: What are your future plans?
Sebastien: I’ll be releasing an original Mother’s Day song on Cinco de Mayo and I’m also working on another original song written by Reynaldo and Jesse. Also, Margartia Man is scheduled to be released on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime this Summer.
Cynthia: Have you decided what college you’ll be attending?
Sebastien: I plan to attend San Antonio College for my first two years and then transfer to UTSA. My plans are to study Business.
Cynthia: Have you thought about what you will do for the remainder of the year in case colleges/universities don’t reopen until 2021?
Sebastien: I’ll continue to focus on my music and work hard at releasing new material until colleges and universities reopen.
Cynthia: What can your fans expect during the Sin Ti launch party?
Sebastien: I’ll be interacting with people on Facebook and chatting about the video so I hope everyone can tune in on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Cynthia: Best of luck to you Sebastien with your first video release and congratulations on your graduation from Wagner High School in San Antonio. Remember that we are always here to support you and, on behalf of the entire mariachi community, we wish you well and much success in your future endeavors.
Sebastien: Thank you!
Sebastien Video Highlights:
Dec. 2010 – Sebastien competes in the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza National Vocal Competition with La Malagueña and wins first place in the elementary school category
Dec. 2011 – Sebastien competes in the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza National Vocal Competition with Huapango Torrero and wins first place in the elementary school category
Spring/Summer 2012 – Sebastien appears on America’s Got Talent
Summer 2013 – Sebastien sings the National Anthem during the Spurs NBA Finals
May 2015 – Sebastien appears on Eva Longoria’s “Go Sebastien Go” special for ESPN
April 2016 – Sebastien appears on the Steve Harvey Show
Dec. 2016 – Sebastien performs with UTRGV’s Mariachi Aztlan as an opening act for Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan during the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza.
April 2020 – Sebastien launches his first music video
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The Mariachimusic.com online newsletter is a monthly email blast that has now gone weekly in effort to provide the community with news, information and videos featuring great performances from numerous mariachi artists and previous participants of the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza. Enjoy this content as you continue to keep your families safe and secure during this current Covid-19 outbreak. If you have stories you’d like to share about your experiences in mariachi music, and/or how you and your group are coping during this Covid-19 crisis, please feel free to email them to cynthia@mariachimusic.com. Selected stories will be posted on the mariachimusic.com website in the blog section and shared via the weekly email newsletters.
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