I am Juan Diego Barbosa, a musician from Bogotá, Colombia. I am 24 years old and started playing the guitar at 10, so guitar (and music in general) has been a huge part of my life and has meant everything to me while growing up. When I started, I listened to a lot of rock (especially Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, and Metallica), and developed my musicality, technique, and taste while playing their tunes. Also, since I was a kid/teenager, and not very much into sports at first, I had a ton (and I mean a ton) of free time, so I started recording covers and uploading them to YouTube and SoundCloud for fun, which unconsciously helped me improving exponentially since recording helps developing attention to detail and gives you an external view of what you are playing. I constantly tell myself that if I had kept consistency with my YouTube channel, I’d be a big guitar youtuber by now :) Also, by this time I started to make my first compositions (without having any idea of how to do it) because I found it fun, and felt the need to create my music.

Over my teenage years, I started listening to other music styles, and around when I started college (I studied a music program with an emphasis on Jazz Guitar and Popular Music) I was listening to a lot of jazz, Latin American folk music, R&B, pop, electronic music, and many others. By this time I focused on studying and creating music with some of my high school friends in an alternative rock band called Rucus, with whom I co-produced and recorded two studio albums (Mercurio, released in 2018, and ¿A Dónde Fue El Tiempo?, released in 2024), and played several shows in our city. With the experience I gained by playing our music in studio and live performance settings, and by identifying what I like, I started developing a personal and characteristic sound, which I feel I’m still just getting a grasp of.

When finishing college I was invited to play in a Colombian and Latin American music band called Macuira. The band’s music is influenced by rhythms such as salsa, porro, bullerengue, cumbia, samba, and many others. Since then we have released an EP called Candela En La Capital and several live sessions and singles, and we’re about to perform at a big local music festival called Colombia Al Parque (playing in big festivals has been a dream of mine since I started playing, so this is literally a dream coming true for me).

Also, in my college thesis, I wanted to explore my musical identity, so I wrote a series of songs and released them in an album called Aurora. These compositions were based on some of my musical influences at the moment. However, I did not want to imitate them, but just understand how they have shaped and defined my sound over time. This album has been accompanied by a video clip for Aurora, the title song, as well as a series of live sessions from the album’s tracks. I’m currently working on growing an audience and positioning this project in the local scene.

Also, I sometimes get invited to play in my friends’ music, so I am progressively growing my discography. Apart from all of this, I also like beat-making and film scoring, so I’m constantly working on these other disciplines on the side.

On a more personal tone, while music has been a defining aspect of my life, and I consider myself extremely fortunate for being able to do this every day with like-minded people I deeply care for, this journey has not been easy by any means, and I have been close to giving up on various occasions, because making a living through music is an enormous challenge, especially in my country.
Right after college, I started teaching at a local music academy, but the pay was not so good, so I had to leave that job and work for 5 months in a call center to be able to record Aurora. However, being away from music for a while just ends up bringing me back and re-igniting that flame that keeps me expressing myself through this beautiful art. After that job, I got hired at another local music academy, and with hard work and a ton of luck I have been able to get more students and freelance projects, so I’m slowly being able to do this for a living. I’m even paying off my student loans, and I’m about to get a motorcycle, which has me very excited.

I have been teaching for 6 years. It started as a way to just get by and afford studio recordings (and some beers with my friends along the way). However, over time I have developed a deep love and respect for teaching since I find it rewarding to be able to share my knowledge with people of all ages and parts of the world, and I like to think I make a meaningful contribution to their lives, no matter how minuscule or big it may seem.

Apart from making, playing and listening to music, I like working out in the gym, playing videogames (especially Rocket League and FPS games), watching movies and TV shows (I am a huge Star Wars nerd, and just started watching Breaking Bad), and spending quality time with my parents, my partner, and my friends.

Thanks for reading my story, and I can’t wait to know about yours!