ICC&JALVA

Israel Cortes
His name is Israel Cortes but he is best recognized as “El ICC”. Israel was born on July 10, 1986 in Mexico. His great passion for music began at the young age of seven. That is when Israel involved himself in the music atmosphere along with his dad and brothers. He then began playing the drums and cymbals for a band in which his dad and brothers were a part of as well.
Five years later, Israel’s parents decided to split, causing him and his brothers to leave their native land and move with their Mother to the United States. After living in New York City for only a month, Israel and his brothers decided to join a music band. That is when “El ICC” learned to play piano and sing. He also began his first compositions and music arrangements.
After some time, ICC left the group and entered another band, already having a lot of music knowledge. He began proposing new ideas and putting them together while the group started recording their first CD. That's when ICC realized that he was actually producing beats and lyrics. Big excitement came from a lot of events such as The Cinco de Mayo festival in Flushing Meadow Park, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He also participated in the 5th Avenue parade with Telemundo 47. They were exposed on television programs like Telemundo 47, Univision 41, and many more programs on cablevision. After producing the first CD he began to compose lyrics and beats which he would then sell to keep an active status in the music.
Finally, when he reached the capability to move forward in the music industry, ICC decided to start his own music group. He decided to make his first solo CD letting him be recognized in Mexico and the United States, also receiving four other recognitions. He later came out with his second solo album, taking him to his last presentations in Mexico. In August 2010 Israel set his mind to create something different than anyone else. That's when he began composing reggeaton beats and adding something different to give it a soft and pop taste. Israel then united his talent with a friend named J-Alva whom he met. They both had the same goal in mind and were ready to move on. Israel then composed lyrics to the beats he had created which led him to his now New Album "ICC & J-ALVA" After recording his new Album called "Heart Breaker" it seemed as if it was exactly what he needed to let his self be known worldwide. Since the recording of the Album ICC & J-ALVA has been in radio stations such as 91.9Fm True Caribbean radio and DTF Radio the Online Blueprint.

Jose A. AlvarezJr.

Jose Alvarez formally known as "J-Alva" was born on June 14, 1989 in Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, New York He was born to a Guatemalan mother and Cuban father; raised in a traditional Hispanic household. As a child, Jose was always musically entertained. At the age of four, young Jose was already singing karaoke for his family and friends, taking on big songs that never failed to stun the audience; this is when his family concluded that music was a big part of their child’s life, and still to this day continues to be the same.
     Jose was known for always taking the lead role in musicals and working on music projects. He also enjoyed making home-made music videos and representing his church group "Jornadistas" by singing with the choir every Sunday. Jose has always been aware of his dream to become a musician, so he therefore took it upon himself to make his dream a reality. He began his journey of converting his dream to reality when he won first place in a singing competition for Subway restaurants. His prize was being recognized by a large audience and won a trip for two to Las Vegas, Nevada.
     Jose continues to strive for his big break when he auditions and competes in shows we all recognize like Objectivo fama, American idol, and X-factor. In these competitions Jose made it his objective to prove the world that music is his passion and he did so by putting in all his efforts and singing his heart out.
     J-Alva’s Latin roots have inspired him and his music so greatly that he has chosen to work with Spanish genres such as Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, and Cumbias. Although, J-Alva‘s greatest genre is Reggaeton, he enjoys it the most. He has worked as a background vocalist for several up-coming local bands, one of them being a Salsa group known as "Spanglish Carta".
     In December of 2010, J-Alva received his first highlight when he rocked the stage in the Machete concert at Madison Square Garden for Time Warner cable “ALCANZA LA FAMA”. There he stunned the crowd by singing the hit "Pobre Diabla" by Don Omar. After his outrageous performance he received his first standing ovation and was introduced as an up-coming Latin artist. J-Alva developed a devotion for Reggaeton music and explains it be talking about growing up with Spanish/English speaking friends and family. He feels grateful towards hi