Jose Javier Pérez Ramirez, better known by his stage name Javier Monthiel, is a Honduran singer and composer and one of the most outstanding artists in the country. Among his original works are Así es mi tierra, Mujeres Latinas, Amiga and Más allá del Corazón, songs that among others have allowed him to reach international stages and to be currently one of the most important figures of Honduran music.
Biography
Javier Monthiel was born on April 11, 1967 in Ocotepeque, son of Antonio Leiva and Tereza de Jesús Ramirez. Javier inherited his musical aptitude from his father, who was a Honduran saxophonist and musician by profession. However, Javier did not meet his father until he was twelve years old and never spent much time with him. More influential in his life was his stepfather Valentín Pérez, a railway worker, whom Javier credits with having taught him honesty, humility and the value of hard work. Javier began to sing at the school, initially at Soledad Fernández Cruz and then at the Dionisio de Herrera institute in San Pedro Sula, where in 1984 he won the Summer Song Festival championship in Tela, Atlántida in 1984. After Javier finished school in 1985, he worked at the national telecommunications company, Hondutel. During this time he performed at the amateur level and matured as a composer. In 1990, Javier Monthiel also entered the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, where he obtained a degree in Business administration in 1998. In 1990 he also launched his professional career with the release of his first album produced in the Republic of El Salvador. This album included two original works, Tus Ojos Son and Culpables Rápido. These songs quickly became known within the romantic genre in Honduras. Recognized in Honduras by 1992, Javier Monthiel signed an artistic contract with a soft drinkbottling company to perform in a series of concerts together with other artists from Latin America. During this tour, Javier shared the stage acting alternately with the puertorriqueñoChayanne in soccer stadiums in Honduras and Guatemala. After these successful performances, Javier Monthiel opened the concerts of the Mexican Yuri, the Argentinian Enanitos Verdes and Soda Stereo and the Venezuelan Ricardo Montaner among others. He subsequently alternated concerts with other international artists and opened presentations at important artistic and cultural events in Honduras, such as beauty pageants and the OTI Festival. In 1995 Javier Monthiel began presentations that would propel him to become one of the best-known artists in the country. That year he was invited to sing the Honduran National Anthemat the opening of the World Cup competitions in San Pedro Sula. This was followed by presentations at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the Miami Orange Bowl at Miami, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium at Washington DC, Estadio Revolución in the city of Panama and Estadio Cuscatlán in El Salvador among others. Then, a year later, he was called to sing the National Anthem of Honduras for games of the Honduran national team when it played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Today Javier Monthiel has 15 album productions, a wide variety of video musical clips produced in national and international stages, and a whole range of promotional material of international quality. These are representative of the discography and videography of this Central American artist, and documentaries in which he has participated.
Recognitions and awards
Original compositions
Javier Monthiel's compositions include romantic and merengue songs, and the fusion of both genres.
The albums by Javier Monthiel recall the flavor of the land of Honduras and the cultural wealth of its people. Javier Monthiel's entire discography is original work by the artist. His compositions range in genres from romantic ballad, through merengue, cumbia, rock ballad, and bachata.
