Nieves: Latin Music’s Next Emilio Estefan?

He’s only 18-years-old, but Jesus Manuel Nieves is one of the most promising musicians in Latin music.

The Puerto Rican composer-producer, known as Jhay El Superdotado, picked up his first Latin Grammy for contributing to Tito El Bambino’s award-winning album “Invencible” during this year’s telecast.

Nieves wrote and produced five songs, including the hit single “Llama al Sol,” on the album, which won top honors in the Best Contemporary Tropical Album category.

And Latin music’s rising star is already taking on his next projects. He’s currently writing, composing and producing for the likes of Ricky Martin, Ednita Nazario, Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias.

Despite his growing success in the music business, Nieves isn’t let the fame and recognition go to his head.

“All this has taught me to be fairly unassuming and always the same,” says Nieves in a recent interview with EFE. “Because I may be enjoying success today but tomorrow might be a different story.”

Even though he’s only 18, Nieves could be considered a seasoned pro. After all, he entered the music industry at age 11 when he joined Hednokers Music Inc. He started by singing and composing a song here and there, but his curiosity and eagerness for musical experimentation led him into production, sound engineering and arranging.

“If it’s music, I want to learn it and do it all; it’s what I love and I can’t imagine doing anything different,” says Nieves. “From the start I’ve given 100 percent to my music.”