Roel Martinez is a veteran in the Tejano Music industry and the singer continues his more than 20-year career with the release of his new single and video “Rayito De Luz.”
“Growing up as a kid, I remember watching my dad playing at local gigs and learning every sound and infusing them together, making sure they all sounded good,” Martinez tells Tejano Nation. “One of my favorite things was watching the crowd, and seeing how happy they all were by these sounds.”
His father was Santiago Martinez and played requinto guitar as part of a trio in Laredo, Texas.
As Grupo Rodeo’s lead singer, and hailing from Laredo, Texas, he learned and traveled a lot. He has forever remained grateful for such a great opportunity, but it was due to health complications that made him step down as their frontman. And having come from many musical family members, such as his niece, Tejano singer Di Marie, who will be featured in a duet for the next release, and grandchildren, who are also musically inclined. Roel states how important it is for him and his family to continue the music tradition by sharing his knowledge with the next generation, “For they will be our future leaders in this industry and the ones to make sure that Tejano never dies,” he says.
He added, “It’s a funny story actually, digging through some boxes during the pandemic/ quarantine time, I found a beautiful song called ‘Rayito De Luz’ that was written by the legendary Tejano songwriter Beto Ramon, almost 20 years ago for me. I told myself, I must record this song now.”
The song has such a beautiful concept and the video was produced and directed by the award-winning director Ryan Bazan.
Roel Martinez — “Rayito De Luz” Official Music Video
Roel shared his thoughts on the Tejano music industry and where he would like to see it as it moves forward in the future. “I and many others noticed, that it was always the same big bands playing the same big shows, and it was time that all musical artists get the recognition they deserve for all their hard work,” he said. “I think it’s great there are so many supporters out there willing to keep the music alive, whether it be awarding the artists or supporting their shows. But all those awards don’t mean anything if you don’t have the love and support from the people. What good is it to play a big venue and it be empty?”
The singer also revealed what he most cherished during his journey. “One of the things I value the most is my family, taking care of them and showing them all I can about music so they can carry on the tradition and making sure I always put on the best show I possibly can by connecting with the people at every show. That to me is the most important aspect of Tejano and makes me very happy,” he said.
Follow Roel Martinez on every social media platform to keep up with all his latest music and performances on Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and the Red Room Recordz website.
Follow Tejano Nation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with everything Tejano. Listen to new Tejano music first with our playlists on Spotify and podcast on iHeartRadio.