It all began with a Carlos Santana concert.
Chula Vista resident, Michael Guerrero, 18, discovered his passion for music when he was 10 years old. His father and uncle had taken him to a concert that opened his eyes to music.
“In 10 years I see myself being famous and touring, either that or producing; I want to be the opening act for a group, I’d actually like that more than being famous,” Guerrero said.
Along the way some people have discouraged him from pursuing his dream, but he always finds a way to overcome them.
“Especially in the music industry, people like my cousins, and my friends say that ‘You’re not going to make it’ and that it’s a tough industry, but I stay positive, I always try to not be negative,” said Guerrero.
Guerrero not only plays the guitar, he also plays the piano and sings as well. He has played with musicians and groups including Mariachi Vargas, Belanova, and Passion.
“It was really cool, Belanova is my cousin, and she inspired me to play. Mariachi Vargas actually play for Vicente Fernandez, and I played with them when I was in the Mariachi for Bonita Vista High School, we got to play with Mariachis from San Diego and in Arizona, it was an honor to play with them,” Guerrero said.
“Passion is pretty famous, I got invited to play in a Valentines show, I got to play with him and get to know him.”
Guerrero is a self-taught musician who plays by ear.
“I learned to play by ear, my grandmother was the one who encouraged that method and I always found it easy. I am all self-taught and I learned a lot on the Internet,” said Guerrero.
But just in case his music career doesn’t take off, Guerrero has a back up plan. A student at Cuyamaca college, he is studying business finance. He also keeps himself busy with martial arts and has a black belt in karate, taekwondo, and hapkido.
“I try not to waste time, I don’t feel stressed I love what I’m doing,” Guerrero said.
