singer, rapper, voiceover

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Last year I was asked to sing a duet with Lisa Lisa for her latest single "Rain". Not only did I grow up on her music but the very first song I ever sang in public was her hit, All Cried Out, on which I dueted with my older sister for a school talent show. It's amazing how things come full circle.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Between chasing a one year old around the house, I'm humming melodies into my voice app and trying to come up with song ideas for the new record

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Michael Inge is a fantastic singer and human. Highly recommend!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital for recording because it's made things so easy, BUT analog for listening. I'm a vinyl enthusiast and have a '70s era hifi set up at home. I have banned all streaming music in the house. Physical copies only. I'm determined to keep the romance in my relationship with music! :)

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise to do everything in my power to get your song as close as possibe to how you're hearing it in your head, while leaving room for opportunities to take it even higher. You'll love what we end up with.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being creative! Every aspect of what we do takes nuance and expertise: from delivering a lead vocal to stacking harmonies. It's a blessing to be able to do what you love for a living and I am very grateful.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: The questions vary but the constant is that the clients I work with are almost always super personable and relatable. They ask about me and my background and we chat it up a bit before getting started. I tend to come away from these sessions feeling like I've made a friend.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That it's all fun & games. It can often be lots of fun, but it took years of work and preparation to get to this level and we take our craft very seriously.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What's the inspiration for the song? Plans for the recording?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Don't just hire a provider *like* me. Hire ME! ;)

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: A guitar, laptop, mic, headphones and apogee duet is all I need!

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been singing as long as I could talk. I come from a musical family and grew up singing with my siblings. We ended up starting a family band called Live Society, that released three albums together before disbanding. I now record under my nickname B-Ski (stylized as "BSKi") and through my years on the NYC scene, have become an in-demand session and live singer. I've worked with Shawn Mendes, The Roots, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Elle King, Andy Grammer, Lisa Lisa, Ice Cube, Robbie Robertson, and many others, and have appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Good Morning America, and more.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Soulful R&B stylings with a bright Pop voice. I was raised in NY but my parents are from Puerto Rico, which makes me a Nuyorican ;). I call my music "sancochofunk". (Sancocho's like a stew or gumbo)

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: D'Angelo would be a dream because he's the total package when it comes to singing, musicality, writing, production and performance chops. I'm a huge fan.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Be very clear on what you're looking for.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Like I said above, I do it all, but my main wheelhouse is typically R&B, Soul and Pop.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My versatility. I grew up with my ear glued to the radio and am equally at home doing rock or country as I am doing R&B and Pop even though that's typically what I get called for. I'm also a huge hip hop head and can give you legit rap stylings no problem. On top of that, I'm fluent in Spanish and able to deliver authentic latin pop, salsa, bolero, merengue, bachata, rap or reggaeton, whatever you need.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Professionalism, passion, soul, experience and a LOVE of harmony work.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: After going over particulars with the client via email and hearing the song over a couple of days, I'll have a phone conversation with them the day of the session for any last minute notes. Then I'll block out a 4 or 5 hour window to track and go through the notes/revisions process.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work in Logic Pro and use the Shure SM7B (we singers love the "thriller mic" lol) with Cloudlifter preamp and Apogee duet.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: SO many. I'm a Stevie Wonder fanatic. Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael, El DeBarge. El Gran Combo, Juan Luis Guerra, to name a few. I'm also a huge Hip Hop head so I love Outkast, a Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and others.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I'm most commonly hired by writers and producers to perform lead and backing vocals for their project