Lourdes Valentin: Miami Wedding Singer Doesn’t Understand The Backlash Over Bon Jovi Duet
Lourdes Valentin says she doesn’t understand the negative backlash over her impromptu wedding duet with Jon Bon Jovi last week. The Miami wedding singer told the Miami Herald that the Bon Jovi frontman seemed to have a good time when he joined her onstage to perform a jazz version of his band’s 1986 hit song “Livin’ on a Prayer” while he was a guest at a private wedding.
Video posted online of the event shows Valentin starting to sing the Bon Jovi anthem “Livin’ on a Prayer” as the rock singer sat with his wife as a guest at a wedding in Key Biscayne. Lourdes made headlines after she grabbed the rock superstar out of the audience for an unplanned duet.
Jon appeared to be reluctant at first, but after Valentin urged him with a playful “C’mon, Jon!” about one minute into the song, he grabbed the microphone out of her hand and joined her jazz quartet to finish out the famous song.
While many comments on the video, which landed on YouTube, noted that Jon Bon Jovi seemed annoyed, pressured, and “put on the spot” by his sudden solo, Valentin said he was anything but. In fact, Lourdes said she discussed the possibility of a duet with the Bon Jovi frontman before the reception, and while he didn’t jump at the idea right away, he told her he would consider it if he was in the mood.
Lourdes Valentin explained that after she asked Jon Bon Jovi beforehand if he would be interested in performing with her, he said he would see how he felt.
“He told me, ‘I don’t think I’m gonna sing, but let’s see how the night goes,'” Valentin revealed.
After Bon Jovi eventually got up from his seat at the reception and sang with Lourdes, he even gave the professional wedding singer a hug and a kiss before he sat back down.
Bon Jovi graces wedding reception with surprise performancehttps://t.co/z2HvI5WIQ0 pic.twitter.com/XOpiw2zvcF
— Mashable (@mashable) July 7, 2016
“It was such a great, beautiful moment,” Valentin said of the duet. “I was surprised by how much criticism it received.”
Now, Lourdes Valentin is upset that internet trolls have criticized what she considered a beautiful moment for everyone at the wedding.
“I really didn’t want to upset anyone,” Valentin told the Herald. “I thought people would enjoy it, but I guess I was wrong.”
According to the Associated Press, Lourdes Valentin knew that Jon Bon Jovi would be a guest at the wedding, so she prepared the jazz rendition of his iconic band’s 1986 song specifically for him. But because the rock star didn’t initially agree to sing the song with her, Lourdes said even she was “very surprised” when he ultimately gave in and joined her to perform the song he first made famous 30 years ago.
The classic song brought Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album to No. 1 status three decades ago, but the rocker probably never expected to sing a jazz rendition of it at a wedding.
As for Lourdes Valentin, her official website describes her music as a cross between jazz blues, swing, classical, Latin, and pop. For her Bon Jovi duet, Lourdes didn’t have the benefit of Richie Sambora’s searing guitar, so she subbed a trumpet solo instead.
Jon Bon Jovi hasn’t commented on the now-viral wedding video, but his fans certainly have. Lourdes Valentin is obviously disappointed by the reaction, but if nothing else, at least her and her jazz band have now gotten some recognition outside of the Miami area.
Take a look at the video below to see Lourdes Valentin and Jon Bon Jovi singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” at the Miami wedding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2QutKNfAPc
[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]
