JON SECADA : Coming Out of the Dark Through Estefan Connection

Pop singer Jon Secada, a budding star thanks to the recent Top 10 single “Just Another Day,” is sometimes referred to by detractors as Jon Estefan.

That’s a snide reference to the career boost he’s received from working as a featured soloist in superstar Gloria Estefan’s show.

“Without that connection I’d probably be still banging on doors looking for a record deal or trying to sell my songs,” Secada conceded. “That exposure launched me. The sarcastic comments about me come with the territory.”

Secada, with his charisma and rich voice, has capitalized on that exposure. He’s also an established songwriter, having composed most of the material on his first album, “Jon Secada,” and co-writing two No. 1 singles for Estefan, “Coming Out of the Dark” and “Can’t Forget You.”

“Some people may resent the break Gloria has given me, thinking I’m riding her coattails,” he said. “I’d feel funny about it too if I didn’t know I was a decent singer and songwriter. But it’s just an opportunity she’s given me. I could have flopped. I could have been ignored in her show or written some bad songs. But I was lucky enough to get the most out of the opportunity.”

Some credit for his success also goes to Estefan’s husband-manager, Emilio, who discovered Secada and is now his manager.

“When I came along, he was looking to manage some new Hispanic singer who would be marketed both in America and Latin countries--just like Gloria,” explained Secada, 28, whose album includes two Spanish songs and is now breaking in Latin America as well.

Secada shares something else with Estefan. Both are Cuban exiles who can’t return to their homeland.

“I left when I was 8 with my parents and moved to Miami,” he said. “I still have family there that I haven’t seen. I’d love to play in Cuba, but it would be dangerous for me to enter the country.”