Childhood & Early Life
Joel Pimentel was born on February 28, 1999, in California, US, into a Mexican family. His mother’s name is Patricia Pimentel. Although Spanish is his native language, Joel did not understand or speak Spanish until much later.
By the time he was 8 years old, he learned to speak and write Spanish but never became fluent in it. He drew inspiration from his grandfather, who was a musician back in his days. Joel has often stated that his grandfather had encouraged him to pursue music as a full-time career option.
This encouragement led him to start taking singing lessons when he was 8 years old. He was bullied in school due to his unconventional looks and Mexican heritage. He was called “potato.” This led to him to turn into a shy and introverted child.
By the time he was in middle school, he had also started doing theater and had started to develop an interest in acting. However, music remained his primary love.
In 2015, he auditioned for the reality show ‘La Banda’ and reached the finals. He was made a member of the five-member band that performed Spanish songs. Joel beat Alan Matheus, another talented singer, to make his place in the band. The band started operating in 2015, after their entry into the finale of ‘La Banda.’
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Career
Joel, as a member of the band ‘CNCO,’ became a heartthrob of the nation. The band was officially formed in December 2015, at the finale of ‘La Banda.’ The show was judged by industry stalwarts such as Ricky Martin, Alejandro Sanz, and Laura Pausini. The members of the band performed individually, too.
The band’s performance was highly appreciated by the judges and the audiences. Ricky Martin got tremendously influenced by the band and became their representative. ‘La Banda’ was a huge breakthrough for the band, and they were showered with prizes.
Apart from receiving a mentorship from Ricky Martin, the band also earned a five-year contract with ‘Sony Music Latin,’ which was geared toward promoting new talent in Latin music. Famous Puerto Rican rapper Wisin took charge of producing the band’s debut album.
‘CNCO’ began working with Ricky Martin soon after their win on ‘La Banda.’ They accompanied him on his ‘One World Tour.’ During their initial touring days, the band promoted their fresh singles, ‘Quisiera’ and ‘Tan Fácil.’
The tour was taken to venues such as San Juan, Florida, Puerto Rico, Chile, and Argentina. They started as opening acts before Ricky took over the stage. This was a great exposure for them and helped them in a great way to achieve some momentum before their debut album hit the markets.
In January 2016, the band released their debut single, ‘Tan Fácil,’ which debuted at the 25th spot on the ‘Billboard Latin Rhythm Airplay’ chart. This was a huge achievement for such young musicians. It debuted at the 23rd spot on the ‘Hot Latin Songs’ chart. Later that month, the band held their first individual concert in Miami.
In May 2016, the band released their second official single, ‘Quisiera,’ which debuted at the 29th spot on the ‘Billboard Hot Latin Songs’ chart.
The same month, the band was invited to sing the American national anthem at the ‘Yankee Stadium.’ The band launched their first-ever music video, which was for the song ‘Quisiera,’ in June 2016. The video broke many records and gained millions of “views” within just a few months. By now, the music video has been watched more than 560 million times on ‘YouTube.’
In August 2016, the band released their debut album, ‘Primera Cita,’ and in order to promote it, they launched a ‘Pokémon Go’-inspired game that required the fans to locate hotspots for the songs from their album.
Produced by rapper Wisin, the album consisted of 14 songs. It also released with the English title ‘First Date.’ The album was a mixture of different American cultures and languages. It also featured the remixed versions of the band’s earlier singles, ‘Quisiera’ and ‘Tan Fácil.’
The album’s launch was celebrated with a concert at the ‘Miami International Mall.’ The band also made sure to promote the album during their concerts with Ricky Martin. The album was released by ‘Sony Music Latin’ became an instant success. It won the ‘Pop/Rock Album of the Year’ award at the 29th ‘Premios Lo Nuestro’ awards ceremony.
The album debuted at the top spot on the ‘Billboard Top Latin Albums’ chart and sold 11 thousand copies within a week of its release in the US. It repeated its success story in many Latin American countries, and dozens of concerts were held all over the American subcontinent, making the album a big success.
This continued for the next two years. In early 2018, the band announced their next album, ‘CNCO.’ The album was released in April 2018 and consisted of 14 songs. It was another crucial success for the band and debuted at the top spot on the ‘Billboard Top Latin Albums’ chart.
