Jay Wheeler Essentials

Sometimes hardship births the best artists. Puerto Rican singer Jay Wheeler was bullied as a kid, and he took refuge in music, first learning to play the piano and then producing beats. When a song he’d written about a tough breakup in 2015 went viral, he gained an influential fan in a reggaetón OG, DJ Nelson. With his vulnerable, emotional style, Wheeler’s appeal was assured. Nelson produced his 2019 debut, Platónico, whose success was amplified by an unplugged version that demonstrated that this kid could legitimately sing. His 2020 follow-up, Platónicos, kept up the vibe with hits like the steamy “La Curiosidad.”