Willy Calderon is an American percussionist, record producer and composer. He is the founder and director of The L.A. Impromptu Orchestra, a prestigious, Los Angeles based all-star project whose debut album boasts the integration of over 30 over the world's most reputable musicians. His song “Stay With Me,” [from the album, Project Neon: The Birth Of City Pop Salsa] was dubbed “the birth of city pop salsa,” by Yoshiyuki Suda (salsa.org/ salsajapan) He is an official voting member of NARAS, The Recording Academy GRAMMYS®.
William Rafael Calderon Jr. was born on December 22, 1989 in Los Angeles, California. Willy came from a musical family. His mother, Jeanine Rosales, was a saxophonist and his father, a popular Colombian singer. An upbringing amongst family friends like Jairo Varela, Julio Ernesto Estrada “Fruko,” who is Calderon’s Godfather at birth, and many musicians from popular bands during the 1990’s like Grupo Niche and Sonora Dinamita made him a natural in the art of music since infancy. He started his professional career at the early age of 13 playing congas with Colombian artist, La India Meliyara. Specializing as a percussionist, Calderon is also professionally adept in piano, bass, electronic instruments, record production, music arrangement and composition, which has made him a highly sought after record producer and composer for media as well.
Since then, Calderon has toured 6 continents, has visited over 35 countries, and has collaborated with countless artists, some of which include Carlos Vives, Guayacán Orquesta, Fruko y Sus Tesos, Tony Succar, Maelo Ruiz, Frankie Negron, Los Adolescentes, Piecework Japan, Giovanni Hidalgo, La Suprema Corte, Adonis Panter y Osain Del Monte, Alex Acuña, Luisito Quintero, David Pabon, Melochita, Eddie Santiago, Hildemaro, Luis Conte, Cuco Valoy, Fonseca, Pastor López, Silvestre Dangond as well as frequenting as musical talent on television shows like Bones, Jane the Virgin and America’s Got Talent, amongst others.
NEW ALBUM RELEASE: Project Neon: The Birth Of City Pop Salsa - Willy Calderon City pop is a form of Japanese pop music that emerged in the late 1970s and peaked in popularity during the 1980s. It was originally termed as an offshoot of Japan's Western- influenced "new music", but came to include a wide range of styles – including funk, disco, R&B, and soft rock– that were associated with the country's nascent economic boom and leisure class.
When Japan’s economic bubble burst in 1991, City Pop faded into obscurity. In 2017, an anonymous user uploaded Mariya Takeuchi’s classic, Plastic Love, to YouTube, which gave this dead genre a viral rebirth. Now, Willy Calderon’s latest album titled, Project Neon: The Birth Of City Pop Salsa, marks the first ever “City Pop Salsa” crossover consisting of 8 of Japan’s most beloved songs from the 80’s. Japanese radio DJ and founder of SALSA.ORG/SalsaJapan!, dubbed the first single off the album, Stay With Me, the “birth of city pop salsa,” inspiring the name of the album and, in turn, creating a brand new genre of music.
Project Neon: The Birth Of City Pop Salsa Released on streaming, CD, and vinyl on May 29th, 2024. 1. Plastic Love ft. Aico Simon 2. Bay City ft. Stephanie Amaro 3. Midnight Jokes ft. Karol Posadas 4. Stay With Me ft. Aico Simon 5. Japanese Woman ft. JP Castillo 6. I’m In Love ft. Stephanie Amaro 7. Midnight Pretenders ft. Aico Simon 8. Love Was Really Gone ft. Ricky Luis
Album Credits: Production, arrangement, translations and lyrics - Willy Calderon Piano, synths - Willy Calderon Percussion - Willy Calderon Bass - Luchito Sandoval Trumpets - Carlos Centeno Trombones - John Egizi Electric Guitar on Love Was Really Gone - Andy Abad Coros - Stephanie Amaro, Ricky Luis Lead vocalists - Aico Simon, Stephanie Amaro, Karol Posadas, JP Castillo, Ricky Luis Mixing - Hector David Mora, Willy Calderon Mastering- Hector David Mora
