Former Owego resident finds success in music industry

The music industry’s “biggest night,” the GRAMMY awards, traditionally held in February each year, is an honor for all involved in the recording arts and sciences. For professional sound engineers like former Owego, N.Y. resident, Juan Pena, the GRAMMY, what is often called the industry’s most prestigious award, is a goal to shoot for.

Pena has made significant strides within the highly technical field of sound engineering in the last five years, marking a path toward that GRAMMY goal. In 2015, Pena received a certificate from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences for his participation as an assistant engineer on the GRAMMY nominated recording of “He Is,” in the category Best Traditional R&B Performance, a song recorded by R&B superstar, Faith Evans.

Pena, a 2006 graduate of Owego Free Academy, holds a degree from SUNY-Broome’s music program as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in music and studio production from SUNY-Purchase. An internship during his time at Purchase, along with work in the sound engineering lab at Broome, proved to be stepping stones that ultimately led him to employment in New York City at Bad Boy Entertainment and Area 51 NYC Recording Studios.

Today, Pena lives in West New York, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from the Big Apple, and works at Downtown Music Studios in New York’s hip SoHo district.

A notable perk of the recording business is the client list, which allows collaboration between Pena and other music professionals, as well as the artists. In addition to Faith Evans, Pena has worked on projects for the likes of Sam Smith, Meghan Trainor, Machine Gun Kelly, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Justin Bieber and Ashanti, to name a few.

Outside of the Downtown Music studio, Pena also freelances, where taking on additional projects builds on his experience and reputation.

Pena commented that he rarely turns down a new gig and thoroughly enjoys the constant learning process. He has become used to the hours, for the most part, where sessions may start at 9 p.m. and go to 5 a.m. or later.

Pena explained, “The more I do, the more versatile I am and then the more work I find.”

Regarding the hours, Pena said, “A ‘radio-ready’ song takes many hours. It’s amazing how much time some artists commit to their work.”

The passion for Pena’s line of work actually started in Owego, where he moved with his family from Colombia in 1997. Fine-tuning his English was the first priority for the then fourth-grader, and soon he followed his music interests by playing trombone for a brief time, and then the tuba.

Pena’s ear for music continued throughout middle and high school, where Pena played bass, too, and performed in the concert and jazz bands. He credits teachers Joe Bloomer and Daniel Fabricius for inspiring him.

And about that tuba, Pena shared a memory, “I was a tuba player in the marching band at the Owego Strawberry Festival.”

Pena’s musical interests broadened with a stint in a punk band and he also played drums in a rock band called Freaks of the Forest. Based out of Binghamton, Pena was able to experiment recording Freaks music while at SUNY-Broome, basically learning as he went along.

“At the time, it was a cool way to record the band,” Pena said.

Pena’s skill in playing multiple instruments has paid off, too, which he finds extremely helpful in the studio today. The knowledge and ability to cover a wide range of music genres is critical in Pena’s business.

Pena said, “I really enjoy working with orchestral arrangements, or full bands,” and continued, “Extra set-up, like piecing together the cello, violin and viola, for instance, is challenging and fun.”

Another project he worked on for Machine Gun Kelly captured a mix of rap, hip-hop and rock, and Pena explained that Kelly’s collaboration on a song with artist Kid Rock gave it an extra element, a country vibe, which was a unique challenge for Pena to pull together.

Although Pena spends a majority of his time in New York City, one of three “music hubs” in the United States, he hasn’t disconnected from his small-town roots, and is thankful for the encouraging environment he had while growing up in Owego.

When asked if he had a message to share with young people or anyone aspiring to achieve success, Pena commented, “Whatever it is you want to do, don’t think it’s impossible; believe it is possible.”