Meet Johnny Burgos

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Johnny Burgos. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Johnny, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I’m not exactly sure but I think I get my resilience from my upbringing. I was raised around a lot of adversity and began to face it myself early in life so I have never been a stranger to fighting for the things that I want in life. As a creative professional, it’s a fine line between pulling from my past because it often triggers a lot of scarcity mindset but I’ve done a lot of work around acceptance of who I needed to be to survive in certain circumstances and trying to repurpose and reapply the traits that created resilience then, in the present. I also think failure has helped me become resilient because the more I fail, the more I realize how little it needs to affect my confidence and how much I learn by continuing to move forward in the face of it. Allowing mistakes to be lessons has allowed me to stay in a growth mindset, which seems synonymous with resilience.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. My brand of future soul embodies a raw uncompromising sound revealing beauty from pain, hope from despair, and the will to keep fighting. Primarily influenced by my uncle and world-class percussionist, Andre Martinez, I grew a fascination with the percussive rhythms of salsa and soul music, which eventually manifested into a devoted passion for Hip Hop by way of a sample-based production style using an Akai MPC 2000. With influences from Michael Jackson, OutKast, J Dilla, Lauryn Hill, and D’Angelo, my music draws upon the core principles of R&B, while encompassing elements of Hip Hop, Funk, Pop, Salsa, and Reggae.
Cutting my teeth as a hungry session engineer based out of Flux Studios in NYC’s East Village, I refined my ears and skillset working under Grammy Award-winning engineers and producers such as Fabrice Dupont, Ryan West, Damon Whittemore, Daniel Sanint, and Ben Lindell. Since then, I’ve worked as an engineer with Q-Tip, Wu Tang Clan, Frank Dukes, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beats, and many more.
As an artist and producer, I’ve collaborated with DJ Skizz, for Hip Hop luminaries such as Mobb Deep and M.O.P., Marco Polo, Frans Mernick, Liza Colby (The Gold Setting), Spencer Ludwig, Bria Lee, Travis Mendes, and led the band Bridge City Hustle, with whom I toured nationally. As a solo artist, I debuted with back-to-back brand endorsements from French’s Mustard and Samsung US, which he used as a platform to launch his 2018 EP ‘Love Through it All.’ My debut solo album ‘Gone Into The Grey‘ was released to critical acclaim in March of 2021 and has since been added to several official editorial playlists by Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal, creating exponential growth in the digital streaming arena. In 2022, my song ‘Wild About You’ was heard as the soundtrack to Neiman Marcus’ “It’s Your Moment” ad campaign. I’m currently touring and promoting my most recent album with Jeremy Page and LRK Records titled, ‘All I Ever Wonder’, which has received critical acclaim and editorial support from media outlets, radio tastemakers, and DSP’s worldwide. I also just signed with NuTone Recordings for a follow-up record coming int he spring of 2025.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think the 3 most important qualities or skills of my journey so far have been humility, curiosity, and purpose.
I think humility is so important because it prevents ego from getting in the way, which it often does if you don’t understand what triggers yours. I think ego has no place in creativity, but it’s usually not useful in life either as it keeps you reacting and thinking from a place of fear and scarcity, as opposed to a place of confidence and abundance. It also allows gratitude to flourish which is damn near a superpower in life in general. It’s always a plus in relationships and helps to identify the ones that are right for you and not waste time and energy on the wrong ones.
This leads me to curiosity because I believe ego also prevents it from flourishing. Curiosity is the foundation of every idea, even some of the most powerful ones, such as faith. Curiosity of what could be, for example, in regards to our future, is so essential for things like creativity and even faith in ourselves to continue on our journey towards our dreams, It’s essential to even have a dream! Curiosity also keeps me excited about the possibility of every new day, as corny as that may sound, it’s a huge part of my drive and helps me figure things out and crack codes effectively and efficiently.
Lastly, I think that purpose enhances it all. Purpose gives you a reason to get up every day, and find the humility and curiosity in yourself to tackle the mundane and even inspiring parts of the day. It also allows me to stay present and be grateful for this life and the opportunity I have in every day that I’m healthy and happy to be on this journey.
Also, in moments of adversity, my purpose has become a powerful force of direction, almost like a compass that points me in the direction of what means the most to me and usually what ends up feeling like the best decision. Purpose helps me stay grounded when the external world feels chaotic and uncertain, which as an artist, can be crucial to mental and emotional well-being. It also allows me to shed the superficial aspects of my industry and really focus on what I’m trying to offer humanity in my creativity and why.
I think all three together are a solid force to be reckoned with.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

There have been a few books that have played an integral role in my development both personally and professionally.
The three are ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron, ‘Q’ the autobiography of Quincy Jones and ‘The How’ by Yrsa Daley Ward.
The former and the latter are both workbooks for life, especially as a creative, but they break down life as an overall spiritual journey, with amazing steps to keep you grounded, vigilant and motivated towards freeing yourself of the societal pressures of the status quo. They were instrumental in helping me build the practices that I still use to this day to keep me focused on the things that mean the most to me, and not stray from the path of purpose, even when external forces push me to what seems like my limits. They’re both incredibly inspiring and beautifully written.
The Q autobiography was maybe the most inspiring story of a life in the arts that I’ve ever come across. He faced extreme emotional adversity as a child and went on to persevere and become one of the most successful producers of our time, and still lives to create from a place of purpose. He is a testament to what perseverance can yield if the focus and purpose is there too.
I would add a small note about therapy and my therapist. I think finding that resource for myself may have been the most significant thing I’ve done that has helped me transform into the person capable of being on the journey I am today. I hope everyone finds a form of that for themselves.

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Photo by Ginette Slaughter @takenbygs

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