ET has an exclusive clip of the upcoming episode of 'Face to Face With Becky G' with the 'In the Heights' star.
Anthony Ramos doesn't like to be put in a box.
The In the Heights star sits down with Becky G in the upcoming episode of Face to Face With Becky G, where he shares why it’s hurtful to hear that he would be more marketable in the music industry if he leaned into Latin music.
"You make the record of your life. You're like, 'Yo, I cannot write a better group of songs than this,'" Ramos begins in ET's exclusive clip. "And the steaming platform says, or somebody working at some company, is like, 'But he's Latin. Why he don't make Latin music?' And you're like, 'What?!' 'Or if he did that, we would lean into him more.'"
"I've heard this," he continues. "It hurts, you know, because you're like, 'This is the best stuff I've ever written.' But then you got an executive here, this person there, telling you that if you leaned this way more you'd be more marketable."
"But this is what I'm doing," Ramos passionately expresses. "This is coming from my heart, this is what's pouring out from me when I step into the studio. So you want me to just write whatever is more marketable but you don't want me to say what's inside of me?"
The Hamilton star continues that oftentimes people will tell him "this is what you need to be doing because this is where we see you," he says while making a square shape. "This is the box you're in."
Aside from acting, Ramos has released one EP, The Freedom EP (2018), and two studio albums -- The Good & the Bad (2019) and Love and Lies (2021) -- both of which leaned into a more R&B, hip-hop, pop feel.
"The vibe is all the things I grew up on," Ramos told ET in 2019 ahead of his debut album's release. "It's that New York vibe, that hip-hop mixed with pop. Every song is lyric-driven. The words come first and then the music. The music supports the story, even the transitions...and it's one of those albums where you want to throw on the headphones and just take it in. I want people to treat this album like they are reading a book."
He also shared some advice for any young hopeful Latinx, expressing them to, "Tell your story."
"Your story is unique and your story is amazing. Don't be afraid to tell it," Ramos stated. "Don't think about who's gonna pay for it, don't think about how it's going to get out there, just tell the story. Put the words on the paper and be honest, and it will find its way to the hands that it needs to and it will find its way to the heart that it's supposed to find its way to. Just tell your story, write, write, write and don't be ashamed. Be proud of where you come from and who you are."
Ramos touches more on how music has changed his life in the upcoming Face to Face episode. He and Becky also explore their personal connections to the power of using music and their artistry as an escape and a form of therapy.
The new Face to Face With Becky G episode airs Thursday, Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch.
RELATED CONTENT:
