#PerseveranciaLatina Spotlight Series: Meet Julian Silva!

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we recognize the integrity and strength that characterizes the Latino community through #PerseveranciaLatina: a digital and social campaign.

#PerseveranciaLatina features uplifting stories from Intuit customers who overcame challenges and accomplished their goals as a result of their determination and perseverance.

TurboTax is proud to join this year’s celebration by elevating inspirational Latino voices that empower others to succeed despite the adversities they face.

Meet Julian Silva

Julian Silva is a musician who uses his passion and talent to unite the Hispanic community to the sound of salsa. From Cali, Colombia, he and his family migrated at a young age to the United States looking for new opportunities and a brighter future.

Once settled in Louisiana, it was important for the entire family to remain close to their roots. Many traditions remained the same as Julian grew up, such as listening to the same music, and eating the same food. Though, like many other immigrants, Julian had a hard time transitioning and communicating in a language other than his own. This is where music played a big role in his story.

“It wasn’t until I discovered music that I felt I fit in. My accent didn’t matter, we all spoke the same language, the language of music,” said Julian.

As he grew up, he started to become more interested in the genre of salsa. He knew that for him to pursue his dreams and make a real impact on salsa, he would have to get out of his comfort zone. So, after he graduated college, Julian and some friends packed their bags and drove all the way up to New York. The first months in the Big Apple were some of the hardest of his life. Just a couple of months in and with a signed deal to record an album, 9/11 took place. There was also greater competition between two other popular genres: reggaeton and bachata. The record label was more inclined to bring in artists that fell into those two, and as consequence, their deal was dropped.

“At the time, it was devastating for us. We thought we had a chance to make a big impact and elevate salsa. Now looking back at it, it was a blessing. It pushed us to reinvent ourselves and to work harder. It pushed us to write new music and to create what we are now,” said Julian.

Then in 2005, his band ‘La Excelencia’ was born. They were able to add their own personal touch, write original material, and create an entire new path for salsa. Over the following years, Julian kept focusing on writing, creating new lyrics, and finding a new way to connect with people through music. He then became a music therapist and started playing in venues that many would consider unconventional, such as hospitals and psychiatric settings.

“It has always been my goal to help people through music–the way it helped me when I was a child. So, having the opportunity to use music to help others, not only through my band, La Excelencia, but as a music therapist is something that’s very important,” Julian highlighted with emotion. “As a music therapist and working with children in a hospital setting, I use music to help them express themselves and empower them.”

Often, musicians overlook their finances. Fortunately, this is not Julian’s case. He thinks it is crucial for any artist to be aware of their work’s worth and not only focus on the creative part of their business. He shared that one of things that really impacted the band was to keep track of the finances, identifying their expenses, and tracking their investments. Julian credits TurboTax as the tool that helped him the most to organize his finances accordingly. Additionally, Julian said the best part is that it transforms a “complicated task” into a fairly easy one.

Intuit customers like Julian rely on key tools to stay on track with their finances, grow their business, and file their taxes. Don’t forget to check out our Intuit products that can help you achieve your financial goals:

• TurboTax Self-Employed: helps you easily uncover tax deductions specific to your industry. If you have questions as you are filing your taxes or questions related to estimated taxes during the year, you can connect live via one-way video to a TurboTax Live Self-Employed tax expert to get your questions answered. TurboTax Live Self-Employed tax experts are available year-round in Spanish and English and can also review, sign, and file your taxes or you can fully hand them over to a TurboTax Live expert from the comfort of your home.
• QuickBooks Self-Employed: helps you easily track your business income, expenses, mileage, and capture receipts with a snap of a picture year-round. You can then transfer your business information to your TurboTax Self-Employed tax return which makes filing your taxes a breeze.
• Mint: provides you with a more complete picture of your financial life – from what you earn to what you spend, owe, and save – to help alleviate the daily stress associated with managing your financial life.