Jesús Bujanda knew immediately that his friend was meant for something bigger.
“I know that he’s going to become someone someday,” he said of his friend, Eduardo Darían Estrada, who goes by Darían Morán on stage.
Morán, an Amphitheater High School junior, was the winner of a music video appearancand one of the 15 finalists in a talent show put on by Estrella TV, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States.
The program is called “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento,” which loosely translates to “I’ve got talent, a lot of talent.” Contestants range from singers and dancers to gymnasts.
The Tucson teen’s talent is singing, and his goal has always been to win. Though the $100,000 grand prize, which was decided by the public’s votes, went to a dog and her owner, Morán will now have a chance to star in his own music video courtesy of MetroPCS, a wireless provider sponsoring the show.
Morán said he started singing when he was just 6 years old.
“I liked a lot of music,” he said.
His grandparents exposed him to Mexican music and taught him how to sing, he said. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
Singing is natural to the Tucson teen. He breaks out into song whenever he can, his mother, Karina Morán, said.
“All day he sings,” she said.
Morán also competed in La Voz Kids, a talent show on another Spanish TV network. And though he did not win, he made it to the second round. He won a number of other singing contests and awards, including one in Premios de la Calle, a street-musicians festival in Rosarito, Baja California.
He also travels around the United States and in Mexico to perform, whether it’s at a quinceañera or opening for big artists who come into town.
“I try my best to go to all the shows,” he said.
His goal in life is “to be someone big,” he said. “Be heard by a lot of people.”
Morán’s friends, Gustavo Montiel and Bujanda, are his de facto managers, promoters and assistants. Another friend, David Lopez, plays the accordion alongside him at shows. Lopez’s accordion recording was actually used as background music in “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento,” the friends said.
Bujanda said he often drives Morán around to get to shows.
He accompanied the singer on two out of three trips to Los Angeles to film the talent show.
“I really want to travel with him, drive him around and be a part of the team,” he said. And when Morán gets that big record deal that he dreams of, Bujanda will be there.
Karina Morán said it can get hard helping her son reach his dream, especially because she has to take care of her other children, too.
“I support everything for him,” she said. In a recent interview before Morán left for Los Angeles for the final round of the show, she said, “He’s going to be the winner.”
But all of this performing, traveling and competing would not be possible without the support of his family and friends, he said. He’s got a network of fans who support him on social media, too.
“Without them, I’m nobody,” Morán said.
