Carlos Villanueva has always been a soccer player. He loved it until an injury made him second guess competing again; then music came along.

For years, Villanueva just wanted to play soccer. The defender loved the game until, at age 16, he broke his leg. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, and his love for it faded. Music wasn't at the forefront of his brain, although he always enjoyed singing. His cousin was a singer for a band, and sometimes Villanueva would tag along. When this cousin decided to move on, he recommended Villanueva to take his place.

"I like to sing, but when I was younger I played soccer and sang in the bathroom. I wouldn't talk, so how could I take a mic and sing?" Villanueva said. "I was really shy and never thought I'd sing in front of people. If you asked me when I was six or seven, I'd say, 'No way.'"

Ultimately, he joined Los de La Isla because most of the members are based in Blue Island, including Villanueva (La Isla means the island in Spanish). The group performs Mexican regional music, which encompasses genres from different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.

"I like to sing, and I knew the only way was to get out of my way and do it. My cousin encouraged me. He always knew I could sing, but I was shy. I slowly sang more," Villanueva said. "I was really scared what people thought, but I stepped out to grow and am getting out of my comfort zone. Now, I'm confident in my singing, it just took me a while to believe it."

The group includes brothers Cesar and Adrian Barajas and Jose Rodriguez, with Villanueva on lead vocals. Over the last few years, the group has practiced and gelled. They even dropped an album – Complac1endo Vol. 1 – and some music videos on YouTube. Villanueva has written a couple songs, but is still working on producing them. For now, Rodriguez writes some pieces, but in the meantime the group performs beloved covers throughout the area and occasionally nearby states. Listen to an original song, "Mija."

"Through music, people can connect and feel it," Villanueva noted. "For me, I have a hard time expressing how I feel. But I feel the lyrics and express myself when singing."

Villanueva joined the Cyclones men's soccer team in 2021 and rediscovered his love of soccer. He had to build back his strength but put in the work to contribute to the team.

"It was hard to balance everything during the season. We'd get up at 7 a.m. to run with coach after a late night rehearsal until 4 a.m.," he said.

"From the start of his freshman year, Carlos showed himself to be a very responsible and reliable player and teammate. On the field, he earned a starting role on our back line, and even more impressive was becoming known as the player on the team who could be counted on to help teammates with schoolwork and administrative tasks," said Head Coach Chris Koloffon. "Carlos is a model of consistency over his two years in the program, and it's no surprise that he was able to juggle being a leading member of the soccer team and also be a professional musician. What an impressive young man!"

Although playing soccer at Moraine Valley renewed his love of the game, Villanueva isn't sure if he'll continue when he transfers to Saint Xavier University this fall.

"I know I'm still capable of playing soccer, but I want to focus on my degree and see where music takes me," Villanueva explained. "We're working to get to the big leagues, and we have plans to create more albums and get our name out there."

Hear Villanueva belt out some tunes on the Los de La Isla YouTube page- @losdelaisla9998, Facebook- @losdelaislaoficial or Instagram- @losdelaislaoficial.