"Piano playing, especially when I'm in a creative zone, gives me an alternate identity that i treasure and few within my circle know about."
I’m what you’d consider a late bloomer. While i did have a background in music, i actually started taking lessons at about 15.
Through out my 20’s is was really on an off venture until late on, having bought my upright to fit into a small apt, i started hitting the keys with much more determination. I was lucky enough to land a gig playing in small lounge of a Major NY hotel. An experience which i’ll always treasure though short lived. I mostly played Chopin preludes and some romance standard like Romeo & Juliet , Love story and Cavatina.
Yet at that time i had not found my niche as far as finding film music treasure to bring them out of obscurity lol. Soon afterwards i had to depart from playing in public as there were other aspects of life that were predominant, such as greater focus at finding a stable career path.
Upon entering the world of corporate banking, it allowed me to establish solid ground for a better planned future. Then i met my spouse, soon two lovely children followed, and a move into the suburbs. As simplified as that may sound, when you become enthralled in a life towards building for your family, there is little else left of you for a side passion. However, the piano was exactly that, a lingering passion that i had to return to some day. So after going 12 years plus without really playing, including a few years of major house projects having been completed, i made it point to remove the cover from my tucked away piano. I always had a deliberate direction of returning to playing in the Hotel lounge scene. But i did not plan on having an internet presence, and was under the impression that most musicians still went to professional studios to produce. So enter my younger brother. I was not too knowledgeable on the modern music creation outlets such as making your own recordings with mixing & mastering on an actual professional level.
Having dabbled in music himself, he was familiar with DAW’s, VST’s and the like and was able to guide me in the basics. Although it’s a field where you’re constantly learning. So in the beginning, the recording part was easy cause i already kind of had a small repertoire that i recalled from my hotel lounge days. After that, i was more than eager to create and record more content which included ideas for my own compositions.
The result was my first album in 2022, Dark Piano Liaison. Although i still hold a prestigious position in the bank i work for, i’m able to spend enough time at the piano and definitely have plans on making more albums and singles. I intend for my third album, (after Dark Piano Transcendence) to be romance focused, of which I plan a new take on some classic themes, and several of my own originals.
Exclusive Interview
Artist On The Rise Staff: What made you decide to pursue a career in music?
Manuel Peguero: As a youngster in my mid 20’s, i didn’t really think of it as pursuing a career, but more like an interesting but earnest hobby. The most I’d done was a brief stint playing at a well known hotel’s lounge. Then after many years of establishing myself in the corporate world, I returned to playing yet on a more serious level. It was now more about creating a strong second identity. I thought to my self, i work at a regular 9 to 5, but Piano playing, especially when I’m in a creative zone, gives me an alternate identity that i treasure and few within my circle know about. Even those close to me don’t know the extent of this other part of me. So there was a decision to pursue it , and it became more about expanding on that wonderful second persona to one day make a modest entrance as a new pianist on the scene.
Artist On The Rise Staff: What inspires you to be in the music industry?
Manuel Peguero:Industry has such as vast meaning. As to what inspires me to pursue Piano playing as a serious endeavor, first and foremost is my desire to reveal beautiful music. I have an instinctive need to “show and tell’ especially when it comes to beautiful music. It’s like, “if you haven’t heard this before, here it is and I’m glad you’re discovering it !” When I played at the hotel lounge many years ago, every now and then someone would come up to me and ask “what is that you’re playing?” Which is a point of pride for me because I’m revealing this sound to that individual for the first time. And mind you these are not necessarily new melodies, just less known ones yet done in my own interpretation.
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