Nathan Acosta Interview
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Exactly one year ago today, life looked completely different for the 18-year-old standout Nathan Acosta, an impressive accordionist/vocalist who recently signed with Freddie Records and just released his debut single, “Solo,” to radio stations for airplay.
Plagued by intense feelings of heartache and loneliness, Acosta, a sensitive and musically gifted teen, decided he couldn’t take it anymore.
“One day, I got tired,” Acosta said. “I had a very impulsive moment.”
Leaving his phone and all of his belongings behind, Acosta just got up and walked away from his life. Panicked by his sudden disappearance, Acosta’s family and friends distributed flyers, including on Facebook where you can still see them, with captions that plead for the public’s help to locate the young man.
Acosta recalls how he felt devastated at the time as he dealt with “teenage things,” but thankfully, he didn’t let the painful emotions overcome him. “I was just walking until I came to a realization, like, ‘What am I doing?'” Acosta said. “There’s more to life than being sad over a girl, for sure.”
Acosta returned home safely, but his story attracted attention as he was already getting recognized for his musical talents.
Nathan Acosta performs at the Tejano Music Awards Fan Fair 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. | Photo: Isaac Castillo / Sweetlife Photography
Fast forward several months, and Acosta, a mostly self-taught accordionist, who learned his way around the tricky instrument using YouTube on his phone, decided to record a video of one of his favorite groups, Siggno, and specifically, accordionist and vocalist Jesse Turner. He performed “Esta Lloviendo” by Siggno.
“I posted the song,” Acosta said. “I tagged him. Whatever.”
Acosta hoped that maybe Turner would invite him on stage to play with Siggno, but he never expected what actually happened.
The next day, Acosta, feeling bored at home, gets a call from Yvette Cantu, Siggno’s manager, who invited him to the group’s concert in San Antonio that weekend. After the concert, Turner met with Acosta and asked him specifically about the incident months before when he went missing.
“I was so caught off guard,” Acosta said. “That was like the first question he had for me. I was nervous to tell him, but he made me feel not so bad about it. He made me feel like there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
The two shared a cry, Acosta said, as they each told their story.
A day or two after that meeting, Turner surprised Acosta when he contacted him to say he had written a song inspired by Acosta’s experience. “He just started singing it, and I was like, ‘Woah!'” Acosta said. “It was like if he knew exactly everything that I was feeling in that moment.”
The song was, “Solo,” Acosta’s debut single set for a global release on April 19 on all digital platforms. Written and produced by Turner, the song features a “dreamlike” intro and outro, a contagious rhythm, and a catchy chorus. “Solo” shows off both Acosta’s skilled accordion playing and his emotive voice that lets you hear his heartbreak.
Now, Acosta, exclusively represented by Turner’s management and booking agency, JT Entertainment, works closely with someone he once admired from afar.
“It’s still so surreal and hard to believe,” Acosta said. “Because, like I said, I’ve looked up to Siggno and Jesse since I was…I remember being 8 or 9 years old and that Siggno ‘En Vivo’ album had just came out, and I would just play that in the truck over and over.”
Acosta said he had never heard a sound like the one Siggno created. “It was mind-blowing, how a Norteno band could sound so like a rock band,” Acosta said. “You know they sounded like a mega group.”
Other accordionists whom Acosta admires include Ricky Munoz of Intocable, Esteban “Steve” Jordan, and Ramon Ayala.
With just two months left until he graduates from McCollum High School in San Antonio, Acosta is ready for the responsibilities of his music career, which has been his dream since childhood. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to handle,” Acosta said. “Since I was a little kid, I’ve looked up to all this stuff. But, it’s definitely, now that I’m having to do it. It’s different. There’s a lot of pressure, nerves, all of the above. But, I’m loving it.”
The JT Entertainment staff definitely watches out for their youngest and newest artist, as do members of Grupo Siggno. He’s known as “El Consentido.”
During our interview, at the JT Entertainment offices in San Antonio, Acosta talks about his future as a full-time recording artist, his grandfather who inspired him to pursue music, and what it’s like to share the stage with Turner and Jennifer Pena, two of the biggest names in Tejano music. Acosta is poised and mature for his young age and he is in good hands with the strong team from Freddie Records and JT Entertainment who guide him as he starts his professional musical journey.
Watch the complete Tejano Nation interview with Acosta, listen to his debut single, “Solo,” for yourself, and get ready for this refreshing, young talent to share his music with the world.
Follow Acosta on Instagram and Facebook at nathanacosta_24. For booking information, contact JT Entertainment at 210-941-7469.
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