(NAVFAC) Marianas U.S. Naval Base Guam Public Works Department Performance Assessment Representative Kevin Cruz finds solace through song.
Though Cruz splits his time between his office and working in the field assessing contracts for NAVFAC Marianas, music never leaves his mind and plays a key role in his daily life.
“I play music and sing along when I’m in the office doing reports, when I’m driving to and from my jobsites,” he said. “Singing helps me relax when I’m having a stressful day, it helps me to focus on the good things going on around me and let go of the petty things that mean little or nothing in the end.”
Cruz started singing when he was 9 years old, hiding in the shadows of other students in his school’s choir before finding his role in the spotlight.
“I was in elementary school…and hated the school Christmas pageant,” he said. “Next thing you know, I was performing three solos (in) that pageant and didn’t even realize I had a talent until that point.”
Though Cruz’s singing career started out with an expressed dislike for attention, he said music has always been a part of his life.
“My grandfather and his siblings were musicians, my father and his siblings are musicians and now in my generation, there’s me and my sister and a bunch of my first cousins… following in the footsteps of the previous generations,” he said. “Music gives me a sense of freedom to express myself. If you put a (microphone) in my hand (and) play some music, I become a totally different person.”
Today, Cruz performs up to 10 times per year with his band MOJO for a variety of events and
celebrations.
“I am the most recent member of the group,” he said. “They’ve been around probably over 10 years. I started with them about four years ago by accident…I was pretty much inherited by the group.”
Cruz said when he performs he feels the pull of being the center of attraction, like a ‘king of the world.’
“When I feel down, music picks me up,” he said. “When I’m in a good mood it keeps me on top of the world. Music–singing–is my medicine.”
