music
Joey Montana
Joey Montana is viewed by the music world as a worthy ambassador of the reggaeton movement in Panama--a land known for being a leader in Latin urban music.
Montana’s relationship with music was as “the result of destiny." Edgardo Antonio Miranda Beiro (real name) hails from the province of Chiriqui, a gulf that lies to the west on the Caribbean coast of the Central American country.
Thinking back, Montana notes that in 1993, he was a devoted fan of the Puerto Rican rapper, Vico C. Montana recalls collecting the artist’s cassettes so he could learn and perform the lyrics at school with friends as a hobby.
One day, Montana realized that through the power of music, he could express his many emotions and began to imagine himself as an artist who could make a difference with his music as artists he admired have done in the past.
Feeling a sense of impatience, he stayed focused in his career. The result was reaching the recording studio faster than he could have imagined. "One afternoon as I passed through a station, I noticed that they had an open audition for a new musical project. I signed up and was selected from a large group of seasoned artists for a group who would later become known as La Factoria (The Factory)---one of the groups to break out in a major way throughout Latin America," he explains.
The first release from this project had great impact in many Latin markets; however, only the best among the vocalists were invited to participate in a tour in 2000 with the first date starting with Colombia. Among those lucky enough to participate was "MC Joey,” as Montana was known at that time.
"I received the invitation and I accepted immediately. It was a surprise. But what we did in Colombia was almost a phenomenon. There were 36 concerts and a string of hits on the radio. Every single turned out to be a hit," says Montana.
As a result of the many positive experiences from the tour, the group embarked on a major promotion tour with visits in countries like Mexico, the United States and Ecuador. Other highlights include participating in major events such as "Premios Oye,” and sharing the stage as the opening act for A-List artists, including Paulina Rubio and Alejandro Fernandez.
By 2004, Montana felt it was necessary to make a change and decided to leave the group to begin a solo career. "The Factory was my school, and I appreciate the opportunity the producers of the project gave me because this lead to me discovering my talents and my true aspirations as a musician," says singer / songwriter emphatically.