JD Pantoja

Having found international success as a social media personality and video creator, Juan de Dios Pantoja Núñez emerged on the music scene under the alias JD Pantoja, turning his vocal talents to a smooth blend of contemporary Latin styles. After a successful run of singles through the late 2010s, Pantoja made his full-length debut with 2021 mixtape Tiempos. Born in the shoreline city of Mazatlán, Mexico, Juan de Dios Pantoja Núñez (fka Juan de Dios Pantoja and JD Pantoja) built a substantial following through social media, creating videos that received over a million views by the mid-2010s. With a firm base as a video creator and public figure, Pantoja used his substantial following to realize his musical ambitions, debuting in July 2017 with the glassy Latin pop of "Dile Mentiras." Under his new alias of JD Pantoja, the aspiring musician embraced the electronically laced reggaeton and Latin pop of the mid-decade: 2018's "Me Fascina," "No Ha Podido," and "Tu Novio Reclama" offered breezy yet sultry anthems, while "Juan de Roast Yourself" turned Pantoja toward social media-inspired trap. After closing out the year with the runaway success of KHEA collaboration "Se Motiva," Pantoja used 2019 to embark on an ambitious run of singles, releasing 11 further tracks to consolidate his artistic persona. Among them were the smooth trap anthem "Recuerdo," the upbeat Elvis de Yongol collabs "KATUNGA" and "Welcome to the Maza," and the sultry "Aroma," a joint work with Dayme y El High and Rauw Alejandro. 2020 provided an equally prolific release period: among the year's early highlights were the Noriel-assisted pop of "Mi Plan," the fragile, impassioned "Error," and the breezy, lovestruck "Hagamos las Paces." A tribute to his daughter, "12.19," surfaced in July, with a further run of successes, including "Santa Paloma," "Grupo Firme," and "Otra Noche," serving to close out the year. In March 2021, Pantoja released his debut mixtape, Tiempos: Compiling his hits thus far with a plethora of new material, the project primarily focused on the emotive Latin pop, reggaeton, and trap of his work thus far, while venturing into singer/songwriter territory and incorporating greater influences from wider Latin genres. ~ David Crone