On Feb. 16, Whitworth University hosted a Javier Colon concert, singer-songwriter and winner of season one of “The Voice.” His performance ran for about 3-and-a-half-hours with a repertoire stacked with familiar tunes, such as “Hello” by Adele, “Ghost” by Justin Bieber and “Traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo, as well as original songs entitled “Running” and “Win.”
According to Colon’s interview on “The Voice,” he grew up in Stratford, Conn. where his dad was the first Dominican person to own a radio show in the United States. Due to this, Colon listened to music non-stop and kickstarted his own music career. He auditioned for “The Voice” after losing a deal with Capitol Records. After winning “The Voice,” he said he “gets to run around the world, sitting on a stool, playing a guitar and singing songs.”
Associate Dean of Student Life, Jason Chapman saw Colon perform at the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) in Columbus, Ohio.
After seeing Colon perform at the NACA conference, Chapman said he “immediately knew he would be a great fit to celebrate Black music.”
He added, “He was just a great representative of the culture and everything with his talent.”
Zeke Taten, a second-year Elementary Education major heard about the event because of his residence hall senator. He reported he “was really excited to go and actually really impressed that we were able to have someone who won ‘The Voice’ come to Whitworth.”
Taten’s interest in music production contributed to his enjoyment of the concert. He said he “really enjoyed getting to learn more about that and hearing him discuss his techniques and his thoughts about music was also really exciting.”
Ella Davis, a first-year Biology major, heard about this event through a friend, as well as the poster hanging in the HUB. “I thought it was a wonderful environment. It felt like just the right space and the production of it was amazing,” she said. “I loved how authentic and close it was with the real composer/songwriter.”
She added, “I think not many people can say ‘oh, I saw [Javier Colon] really up close and I really enjoyed it’.”
Chapman is hoping that “people will see and appreciate the talent and how much hard work and dedication [and] persistence [is needed while] following your dreams. I really hope students not only enjoyed the show, but also get that lesson.”
Colon’s music can be found on any music streaming platform: Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora. He also has a social media presence on Instagram and TikTok under the username @javiercolonmusic.
