Jayko

R&B singer Jayko is a triple threat in the new school sense: he sings, dances and produces his own beats. To reggaetón superstars Wisin y Yandel, the 27-year-old is also "El Prototipo" (The Prototype).

Born John Steve Correa Patiño in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Jayko grew up idolizing Michael Jackson and MC Hammer. At the age of 16, the Boricua was considering dance as a full-time career: "I always had an itch to become a singer, but once I got my first taste [of dancing] onstage, I couldn't get enough." In a few years, Jayko was getting gigs as a choreographer for artists like Ricky Martin and Puerto Rican merengue singer Melina León.

In 2007, Jayko dropped his first single, Vamo Allá, a pounding club track that wouldn't sound out of place on a Sean Paul album. That same year, he met Wisin y Yandel during a studio session and hit it off with el Duo Dinámico: "I was surprised that I caught their attention because I don't do reggaetón. [My style] is primarily Latin R&B." Jayko was invited to lend his voice to Wisin y Yandel's Los Vaqueros: Wild Wild Mixes compilation alongside acts like Don Omar, Hector "El Father" and Tony Dize. He appeared on three tracks: Perdido, Yo Te Quiero and the R. Kelly-influenced Persona a Persona.

Although he has yet to release his debut, Jayko has kept busy, guesting on albums by Tony Dize, Marcy Place and R.K.M and Ken-Y. Most recently, Jayko appears on DJ Nesty's La Mente Maestra, contributing three saucy songs – Sex, Desnudémonos and Más Me Pide – to the Wisin y Yandel-approved compilation. A die-hard fan even created a mix-tape, Marcando Territorio, to hold fans over until the release of Jayko's album.

The rising star says such efforts are not going unnoticed: "My fans take it upon themselves to promote my music and it's something that I am very grateful for."