Diego Raya is originally from Puerta del Monte, Salvatierra, Guanajuato. He is a 31-year-old father, husband, brother and son who is trying to break into the entertainment industry by showing off his talent at a Spanish language talent show.
He might be competing in a talent show now, but the entertainment industry was not exactly a dream he had growing up in the Quad Cities. Mr. Raya came to the Quad Cities with his mother and brother when he was only 12 years old.
“I went to John Deere Middle School. Graduated from Moline High School, after that I did a little bit of landscaping, worked on the railroad,” he shared about himself.
Currently he is working on apprenticeship with 25 plumbers and fitters.
While Raya grew up watching his mother participate in bailables folkloricos, he himself did not feel like the stage was for him, in fact, he dreamed of being a professional soccer player.
“I did a few tryouts, but it was hard economically for my mom since she raised my brother and I on her own” Raya explained why he decided to give up on that dream.
Giving up on soccer was probably a blessing in disguise because it allowed Raya to explore more his sentimental side and he started writing poems.
“I started writing poems when I was in High School,” he remembers how he discovered something he loved and enjoyed doing even more than soccer. “I just read them to my friend one day. One of my friends told Juan Vasquez, who was already making rap music and had a microphone and studio. He asked me if I wanted to go record and I agreed. We recorded the first and it just went everywhere. People loved it and since then I haven’t stopped making music. It’s been 15 years.”
Raya never thought about participating in any talent show until his brother, Daniel Raya, sent him a screenshot of the tv show with information about auditions.
“My brother believing in me gave me the motivation and I decided to try it out,” Raya shared.
Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento is a program similar to America’s Got Talent show. It is a Spanish language program that has four judges that are well known personalities in the entertainment industry.
Raya. Encouraged by his brother, auditioned by Skype and 2 weeks later he received a phone call telling him that he passed the audition and he was invited to come to LA for the next round of auditions.
“I was in shock,” Raya remembered how surprised he was. “I had to cancel the first time because my wife was [about to have a baby] the same week, but 2 weeks later they called me again so I was so happy about that.”
Raya shared that he started living out his dream as soon as he landed in LA.
“They booked all my tickets and hotel and I started living my dream,” he said. “At the airport a driver picked me up and there were some other participants, one of them was a well known youtuber and also a lot of participants that came from different parts of Mexico.”
He continued saying that once they arrived to their destination they were treated as professional artists. Raya had to record his biography, got his makeup done and even did some modeling.
“I can’t describe it as any different then a dream to me,” Raya gushed about his experience.
After receiving the treatment of a star, he got a chance to look around him and realized that quite a few participants are already known to the public through social media and everyone was very talented. Although competition might be stiff, he is not the one to break down. Raya also knows his family gives him full support while he is trying to fight for his dream in the entertainment industry.
The song he presented to judges during the recording is called “Para ti Mama”.
“It’s a rap/hip hop style, I wrote the song for my mom and my friend Juan Vasquez the instrumental,” Raya said. “When I went on stage I was beyond nervous. One of the reasons it’s because I am a huge fan of one of the judges and behind the judges there are big screens where you can see the people watching you and the first person I saw was my mom, then my brother and my wife and kids. I wanted to cry so bad but I was able to block that emotion on time so I could perform well.”
Raya presented his song to the judges and he was chosen to continue on to the quarter finals.
“I feel so amazing like it’s a dream. I am so motivated and I am thankful, with all the support I’ve been getting” Raya said.
For his next performance he shared that he will be presenting a different song.
“I am doing a different song its about the times when I was a kid and all the dreams I had,” he said.
He also invited everyone to watch him and continue supporting him.
“I would really appreciate it if people can watch, share the video, and comment. The more votes, views and likes the better. I really appreciate every ounce of support, as I am representing the Quad Cities and my hometown in Guanajuato,” Raya stated.
Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento can be viewed on various social media platforms. Look for it on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and tiktok. Check out Raya’s music on his YouTube channel called Blue Malboro Official.
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