By KATIE BOTELHO & JAY KENNEY

Jordan Paiva, of Dartmouth, Mass., is a 21-year-old musician and DJ who is living the dream. Since he was 11, he has been singing and teaching himself to sing in different languages. For many years, his idol was Josh Groban who he listened to for inspiration. In November 2011, he had the opportunity of a lifetime when Groban asked Paiva to come on stage with him and sing “You Raise Me Up” in front of thousands of people at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. He also runs a successful DJ business called Music of Our Lives. We recently caught up with Pavia who was gracious enough to answer our questions.

Limelight Magazine (LM): Please introduce yourself to our readers. Where did you grow up and when did you decide to get involved in the music business?

Jordan Paiva (JP): My Name is Jordan Paiva. I’m 21 years old. I was born in the Azores, which means I am 100% Portuguese. I have always been an entertainer ever since I was a little boy, but I started to grow into classical music and opera when I was just 11 years old. Classical music is now one of my biggest genres of music that I sing.

LM: On your last CD, you have a song that you sung in Italian, how many languages do you speak?

JP: On my first album called AMOR I sing in Italian and Latin as well as English, but I only speak English. I enjoy learning different languages when singing and that is one of my biggest hobbies. I am proud to say that I can sing in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin.

LM: You also won an award last year at the Portuguese Music Awards that were held in New Bedford. What award did you receive? How did you feel after receiving it?

JP: Back in February winning the award for BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC was absolutely SHOCKING! I never thought that in front of the whole Portuguese community around the globe that I would have won that award! It was such an honor and I cannot wait for next year! It made my Portuguese family proud that someone with NEW TALENT would take the award for such a beautiful song in Italian!

LM: According to your Facebook page, your next studio album is coming out in 2014. Have you begun recording the album yet? What can we expect?

JP: The next album that I will be releasing in 2014 is called International. This album is going to be my biggest challenge yet. I will begin recording in October. Facing the challenge of squeezing six languages (English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin) and the right songs to be “internationally” known for singing in the most popular languages so that I can one day perform them for different cultures.

LM: Do you plan to record the songs for your new album with a band?

JP: The music that each track comes from is beautifully made through different orchestras recorded then I sing to the music. I hope to one day get to record with an actual orchestra in the studio.

LM: Although it’s been covered already by local news outlets, you had the opportunity of a lifetime when you were asked by Josh Groban to come on stage and sing “You Raise Me Up” with him at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI, in November 2011. How did you get that chance? What was that experience like? Was that the largest crowd you ever sang in front of?

JP: Back in November of 2011, I attended a Josh Groban concert who is one of my BIGGEST IDOLS!! They had a Q&A section where you could ask Josh any question you wanted. So, at 19 years old, I told myself that I wanted to SING with my idol Josh Groban. Shortly after the last question out of 50,000 people, my question was answered with a YES!! The experience was more than overwhelming. I couldn’t stop smiling for the longest time. My DREAM had come true and to sing in front of all those people was my biggest audience yet and the crowd went WILD! I wasn’t nervous I was extremely happy! Hope to do it again at his next concert in October 2013 at the TD Garden in Boston.

LM: Other than Josh Groban, what other artists do you listen to for inspiration?

JP: Other than Josh Groban I enjoy singing classical music from Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole and so much more to go on!

LM: You also run a DJ business and have quite a following. How did you get involved with that? What do you enjoy about that type of work?

JP: Being a DJ is a fun job. When people book their parties with me, they don’t just get a DJ that stands behind his table and presses play…they get an entertainer!! I get out there and I dance with the crowd, teach them some new dances and get everyone active and playing games and making it a never ending party of FUN! So if anyone ever needs a fun and outgoing DJ they can always visit us at  www.musicofourlives.us. 

LM: Where would you like to see yourself in the next five years?

JP: In the next five years I hope to have the world know my story and how much passion I have in my music and my singing!

LM: How can our readers reach out to you?

JP: I can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JordanPaiva247 or as a DJ by going to www.musicofourlives.us. People can also go to www.reverbanation.com and search “Jordan Paiva” where they can buy my album. If they get bored one day, they can go to YouTube and key in “Jordan Paiva” and they’ll have over 400 videos to watch.