Courtesy photo
Joe Ojeda, the talented keyboardist and former member of the iconic band Selena y Los Dinos, is back in the music scene with a brand-new single titled “Maldito Castigo.” This exciting release features the powerful vocals of Laredo-based singer Lorena Gomez. Ojeda recently spoke with Tejano Nation about his return to music, his journey as a devoted girl dad, and his plans for a book.
Ojeda expressed his joy in returning to his musical roots, saying, “It actually feels great to be doing what I love to do again, which is la pasión, la pasión que le tengo a la música. I’m very thankful because, I mean, after the Selena days, you know, which were my very awesome, exciting years with Selena y Los Dinos, being on the road, being in the studio, being all over the place, those were very exciting.”
After the tragic loss of Selena and his time with the Chris Perez Band, Ojeda took a step back from the music industry to focus on his family. “I’m happy to say I’m a girl dad. I got to spend a lot of time at home, you know, a lot of years at home with my daughters, watching them grow, like went to all their events throughout their school years. And now I’m alone again. And my wife is like, you know what, you need to get back on the road. You need to get back in the studio. You need to start recording some songs and go out there.”
“Maldito Castigo” is a vibrant cumbia track that showcases the chemistry between Ojeda, Gomez, and their team. Ojeda shared the creative process behind the song co-written by Ojeda and Gomez about her recent breakup, highlighting the collaboration with their beat maker and keyboard player, Lobo.
“We started with the arrangement now that we had the story. So, you know, the chemistry is very good between us three and, well, it’s four, with the sound guy, Jerry Rodriguez, and then of course Lorena Gomez on vocals. And then Lobo is the other keyboard player. He’s the one that triggers the beats and all that,” said Ojeda. “Maldito Castigo, it’s a cumbia and I’m very, very happy the way it turned out.”
Joe Ojeda — Maldito Castillo featuring Lorena Gomez
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In addition to his new music, Ojeda plans to pay tribute to Selena during his performances, featuring vocals from Gomez. “I want to actually do a Tributo a la Reina, you know, an original Dino that played those songs, doing a Tributo for her. And it’s kind of cool because I was very like into the doing a Tributo a la Reina because it kind of keeps me going. It’s elemental for my soul where I can like think about her when I’m playing her songs.”
Ojeda also revealed his plans to write a book, encouraged by his wife. “I told my wife, you know what, I’m going to write a book. And she said that’s an awesome idea. And she’s like, do it, do it. And the first thing she said, the fans would enjoy that. They want to hear your stories from the end, you know. Start with the ones that they don’t want to talk about. I think those are the ones that the fans are going to be like, oh my god, I can’t believe you, y’all did that.”
“Maldito Castigo” by Joe Ojeda featuring Lorena Gomez is available now on digital platforms. Look for their performances at upcoming events, including the Peanut Festival in Floresville, Texas, on October 12.
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