A singer-songwriter is a unique and, unfortunately, dying breed in the modern musical world. While remnants of this breed, such as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran,like a casual date in bern still exist and cling on to their superstardom, the reality is that singer-songwriters are being phased out of the industry. After all, you have ghostwriters and dedicated songwriters in the industry, penning hits for artists at labels’ behest. As a result, it’s often surprising when a singer-songwriter manages to emerge through the midst of the fog and establishes themselves as someone to keep an eye on, especially when the industry is actively working against them.
Born in Bristol, UK, Ayrton Jimenez is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter with something unique to offer. While he might be British-born, he traces his roots to Colombia. As a result, his Latin and Colombian heritage often presents itself in his music. By merging the sincerity of his singer-songwriter background with the warm energy of his Latin upbringing, Ayrton has fused a unique sound that no one else can emulate. Moreover, his thoughtful, intimate songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing have led him to capture listeners’ hearts globally.
He grew up learning the classical and flamenco guitar and quickly discovered his love for music. Eventually, he also started competing in national music competitions, winning most. While he doesn’t come from a musical family, his parents quickly recognized his talent and enrolled him at the Southwest School of Music to hone his songwriting skills. The decision paid dividends because Ayrton credits the school for helping him become the musician he is today.
If you’ve heard Ayrton Jimenez’s music, you’ll quickly recognize his influences. As a singer-songwriter, he always admired the greats, including The Beatles, Prince, David Bowie, and Kate Bush. Moreover, as a guitar player, he was also fascinated by maestros like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr, and John Mayer. Hints of his musical influences can still be found in Ayrton’s music, as the musician loves to pay homage to his idols while putting his own twist to create his distinct sound.
However, you don’t get to his level as a musician by simply locking yourself in the studio and toiling away at your craft. Music isn’t a science. Instead, it’s an art form. It’s a vehicle for self-expression. Thus, most artists advocate the importance of playing before live crowds and seeing how people respond to your vocals, harmonies, notes, and chords. Ayrton understood this from an early age. Hence, he temporarily moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to work on his craft.
The move was fruitful because he took the city by storm, filling clubs and bars citywide. In addition, he also supported huge Argentinian artists like Mery Granados on their tours. The experience benefitted him because it taught him how to captivate a crowd. But, more importantly, his time in Buenos Aires helped him get in touch with his Latin roots and opened up a new world of sounds and genres for him to experiment with in his upcoming music.
Speaking about his time in Buenos Aires, Ayrton states, “Moving to Argentina helped me evolve and develop as a musician. I learned more about how Latin artists create songs and captivate audiences. Apart from that, getting more acquainted with my Latin roots was amazing because it gave me new ideas to play with in my music.”
While he’s primarily known for his songwriting skills, Ayrton Jimenez has also taken up production, teaching himself everything he needs to know. Doing so was essential to ensure his musical output didn’t suffer because he couldn’t find a producer to help him with his tracks. As for the future? He plans to release a self-written and self-produced EP soon. He’s sure people will pay attention because he’s himself, and people always gravitate towards authenticity.