These days, Connecticut native, singer/songwriter, and inaugural season winner of NBC's The Voice Javier Colon says he's blessed to be able to make a living and take care of his family with his musical talents. Colon called in for a chat with The Newtown Bee a couple of weeks before an April 15 release of his latest project Gravity, and a home state concert he's playing at The Ridgefield Playhouse on April 28.The Voice.The Voice for allowing me to be myself in front of tens of millions of people," Colon stated in a recent release. "It was the greatest thing that could have happened to me, and the experience gave me the confidence to fight to be my real self musically."The Bee that he is more than thrilled to be supported at that gig and on his latest tour by Nashville singer/songwriter Ernie Halter, whose song "Come Home To Me" was covered by Justin Bieber.Gravity marks a turning point in a musical journey that's taken Colon to a lot of interesting places. The son of a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother, he emerged as a musical prodigy early in life.Gravity's release enjoying some overseas travel including a run of shows in Japan with renowned jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, and a series of concerts in Mexico and South America with Maroon 5, whose front man Adam Levine was Javier's coach on The Voice.The Bee caught up with Colon, the conversation flashed back to his recent appearance at the 2016 Grammy Awards with Greene, a longtime friend and former Hartt School classmate.Newtown Bee: Before we talk about Gravity, let's flash back to your recent trip to the Grammys with Newtown's own Jimmy Greene.Javier Colon: Jimmy! It was an awesome time. We had some fun and I was so hoping he was going to win. I'd never been in a position before, sitting at an awards show and rooting for someone - and it wasn't going the way we all had wanted it to. Jimmy took it very well - but I so wanted it for him. He's such an amazing guy and his album is so amazing. I was just honored to be on it at all - and to be part of such a beautiful song that he wrote for his daughter... But afterwards, he took me aside and put it into perspective. He said, look, 80 percent of the people in every single category do not win. And I thought that was the most important point.Bee: He certainly stood among giants in his industry as a nominee.Colon: I know Jimmy was very, very honored to be among those artists. He was so grateful for that opportunity, and was gracious through the entire thing. I hope more opportunities like that will come his way.Bee: So you have this new album coming out - does that mean you're finally ready to give up your golfing career?Colon: (laughing) It is definitely eclipsing my golf career. I'm still doing celebrity golf tournaments, but they don't pay the bills. Performing at those golf events, like performing in general, is what I do to pay the bills. It's a great way to have fun, play some golf, do some music. Golf and music kind of go together because these events usually have entertainment - so I usually end up getting in some golf and being the entertainment.Bee: And maybe you get paired with a pro who can show you a thing or two to improve your game.Colon: That's a good point. I just did three tournaments in Florida all in a row - Tim Tebow's tournament that helps kids with special needs. And I got to go play for Arnold Palmer at the Bay Hill Invitational. So I was at the awards dinner at the head table with Arnold Palmer sitting right there looking at me. So we got to talk a little bit. That was really something.Bee: So the first thing I'm going to do April 15 after mailing out my taxes is pick up a copy of your new album Gravity - I heard a sample of the title track that really showcases that plaintive singing style that's one of your trademarks. Tell me about how that song came together.Colon:  I co-wrote that song "Gravity" with Harvey Mason, Brittany, Andrew Haig and Jay Q - we all got together in Los Angeles and a couple months in to working on songs. So I always love working with Harvey. He wrote a few songs on my first record in 2002. They had the piano chords kind of looping in the room when I got there, and we're all sitting around with our computers on our laps working on lyrics. It was a great experience getting to write with those guys. I had never written with Brittany and Jay Q before.Bee: The song "Never Know" sounds like a pretty upbeat arrangement - very different than "Gravity."Colon: That one was fun - I wrote that with Carlos and NightStar - a producer from the UK. Carlos is in the duo Jackie Boyz who are artists and are producers as well. We got connected by mutual friends and wrote that whole song via Skype. It was the first song I ever wrote via Skype. NightStar would send me the production, I imported it into my home studio, sang my harmonies, laid down my guitar parts, and sent it back; he gave it to Carlos and bang, it was a wrap. I never had to leave my house during that whole song creation process.Bee: How are you approaching promoting the release of the new album?Colon: The plan is to be really busy - rolling it out to radio to see if we can get it on folks' radar; get it to satellite radio and get it as far as we can go. We're getting TV appearances together as well.The Voice on April 13 to do a little cameo and talk with Carson [Daly] and the new album, which as you said will be out April 15. It will put me in front of a lot of people who know me and support me. And the label is looking for all kinds of opportunities. We'd love to do Fallon and Kimmel. So I'll be out playing.Bee: I see you're bringing along an opener.Colon: My friend Ernie Halter will be playing on six of the first seven shows of the tour. I'm super excited to have him along because he's one of the most talented guys I know. I mean, he inspires me every time I get to hear him. So it's gonna be really fun. He was out with me on my last tour four years ago - and it's exciting to have him back with me.Bee: You've worked and played with a lot of interesting people. Who was one of the people who really helped mentor you early on in your career?Colon: Touring with Derek was the first job I ever had in the music business right out of college. I spent two years before I got a solo deal with Capital Records. I learned so much from him on a musical level. And to be able to soak it in as a 21-year-old.Bee: You've been so gracious to come here to Newtown twice to play for our Relays For Life, and you got known playing so many small intimate shows. Now that you're more of an internationally known talent, is it getting harder to make the kind of times that your growing fan base demands?Javier Colon: I don't think I've changed the way I interact with fans - even globally. The volume has changed obviously, especially after The Voice -I had so many new fans sending messages and words of encouragement. So I try to stay connected and let them know I'm seeing the things they're writing - especially using social networking.For tickets to Colon's Ridgefield Playhouse show ($38), call the box office at 203-438-5795, or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.Check out Javier Colon's new video of the title track from his new album Gravity which will be released April 15.Mindi Abair joins Javier Colon duet on Bonnie Raitt's classic "I Can't Make You Love Me" from a show in February 2016.

Gifted with a soulful voice, songwriting talent to match, a charismatic personality and a commanding stage presence, Colon has already won over an international fan base that's embraced his acoustic-textured blend of pop, rock and R&B, an effortlessly distinctive style that he's dubbed "acoustic soul," according to a release.

He captured the early interest of hundreds of Newtowners after being the featured performer at two local Relay For Life events, in 2009 and 2010. But one year later he was introduced millions of TV viewers on

Since that global 2011 exposure, during which he won a recording contract and $100,000, Colon has taken full control of his recording career with his new album - including writing or co-writing all but three songs - a creative milestone for the artist.

"I'm grateful to

Colon said he was happy with the album he made for Universal - for the most part.

"It was kind of an arranged marriage and it didn't work out. But that's OK," he said. "I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. Now I'm in situation with Concord where I can make the music that I've always wanted to make."

After a number of appearances including an audience rousing opening set for Indigo Girls in 2009, Colon returns to The Ridgefield Playhouse on Thursday, April 28, for an 8 pm show.

Colon told

Recorded in Brooklyn, Nashville, Los Angeles and Utah, as well as here in his Connecticut home studio,

According to his bio, while at Connecticut's Hartt School, he formed an a cappella R&B quintet that performed at Harlem's Apollo Theater, and soon after graduating from Hartt with a degree in music education, Colon became lead singer of the neo-funk group EmCQ.

When EmCQ opened for funk-jazz luminaries Soulive, Javier's talents drew the attention of Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, whose recommendation led to him becoming lead singer of the Derek Trucks Band. That marked a turning point in his career.

Colon spent time ahead of

Most recently, Colon was honored to sing lead on Newtown resident, saxophone player, songwriter and arranger Jimmy Greene's Grammy-nominated song, "Home." When

I was invited back to

We'll do a few gigs with a full band, but it will mostly be myself and one other. We're toying with doing a full band show in New York - because, you know, it's New York. I love doing shows acoustic, but I can't recreate the music on the album without the band. I can still do acoustic sort of interludes - but I can't make it sound like a full band if I'm on my own.

I learned a lot and grew a lot - how to live on the road, how to tour, and the kind of camaraderie he had with his band mates is how I want it to be with my band as well. It was my first experience in the business and I didn't have anything to compare it to - but I knew it was something special.

It does get harder, but it gets more exciting. Last year I got to go to South Africa and Tokyo with my friend Dave Koz. It was my first time in Tokyo, and I had dozens of people who came to meet me and they had ALL my albums and wanted me to sign them all. It really floored me to know I had fans in Japan even way back then.

And there's a long way to go. I hope there's a lot of time left to do the things I do. I said it from the very beginning - if I can live a good life, and my family can have everything they need - I'm blessed. If I can make music right in my living room, and tour and share my work with millions of people, I am a very lucky and happy man!

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