Hotstar: The Duality Of Sech, Latin America’s Rising Urbano Star

The 25-year-old, whose real name is Carlos Isaías Morales Williams, was born in Panama and spent his adolescent years moving between schools in his home country, New York and Florida. Sech’s multi-cultural upbringing is clear in his music, which is a versatile fusion of reggaeton, urbano and R&B with an American work-hard, play-hard attitude. 

Sech told Pollstar the duality of growing up in Panama and the U.S. is what defines his sound. 

“When I was going to school in America I began listening to a lot of R&B music and all the great American music. But the reggaeton music, urbano, that music is what really inspired me. Now I do R&B and I do reggaeton. That’s what my music is about, mixing everything up and working hard,” Sech said.

Sech skyrocketed on to the Latin urbano and reggaeton scene in 2017 after his song “Miss Lonely” went viral and got the attention of Panamanian music producer Dimelo Flow. But before that, Sech was just someone else you’d meet on the street. He found work wherever he could, including jobs in construction and street vending. 

But his priorities were always straight.

“Back at that moment, I was working, but really I was waiting,” Sech says. “Everything is a process. I was working to save up money and buy the things I needed to be a musician. That time taught me that I had to put all of me into my work. To die in my work.”

After the success of “Miss Lonely,” father-and-son duo Richard and Josh Mendez signed Sech to their label, Rich Music. Rich and Josh have managed the singer since. 

“My team is like my family, everything they do to support me makes me so happy. We can have fun but we always work hard together,” Sech said of the Mendezes. “At first I was a little scared because it was something new to me. At that time, all I knew was doing the music, I just knew singing and playing, I didn’t see music as a business or company thing. But they helped show me the way.”

Sech dropped his debut album under Rich Music, The Sensation, in 2018. Earlier this year, Sech stepped into the global spotlight when his sophomore album Sueños topped Latin charts. This year he’s nominated for three Latin Grammys and has logged more than 380 million Spotify streams of the song “Otro Trago” alone.

Sech is capitalizing on his new worldwide fame with the “Sueños Tour” which begins Feb. 28 at Music Hall At Fair Park in Dallas. The trek hits Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando, Fla., Miami and Chicago before wrapping March 14 at the United Palace in New York. The trek is promoted by Cardenas Marketing Network, which signed Sech to an exclusive touring deal in October. 

“Working with Sech is pretty easy,” co-manager Rich Mendez says. “I would say almost a privilege because having an artist that can do all those things and knows what he wants and puts out amazing music, it’s hard to find.

“For 2020, what we really want to do is position him, hopefully, as a superstar. Internationally, worldwide, and make sure that we make the right decisions, and have everything in place to be able to do that. Starting with music, and getting him out there in different countries, and promoting his music in those countries, and bringing him to those countries.”

Sech, a confessed workaholic, plans on exploring other avenues as well, including the possibility of becoming a bigger player behind the scenes in the music industry. He told Pollstar it was almost impossible to gain attention when he was first starting off in Panama, and that his goal is to help kick start a music industry in his home country.
 

“One of my biggest goals is to bring music back to Panama and that Panama is recognized for its music,” he said. “Here in Panama, it does not matter how good you are, how well you sing, because no one sees it. No one knows, no one listens. You can work your hardest here and still not get noticed. Maybe it’s by singing about Panama in my music, or getting to know the industry better, but I will make sure Panama is noticed.” 

Even after his meteoric rise, Sech maintains he is still the same person, albeit with a renewed hope to help his home country. 

“Nothing has changed, I’m still the same person,” he said. “The only thing that has changed about me is that I have hope for my people, my family, and I’m doing things I have always wanted to do. I’m always working hard.”