Joy Huerta takes Broadway by storm with 'Real Women Have Curves'

For me, stepping into this world has been fascinating because it’s completely different from what I do with Jesse & Joy. They first reached out to me at the end of 2019, and my wife immediately started Googling them. She told me, “They seem legit, like they actually do this for real,” because, you know, sometimes you get all kinds of strange proposals.

So, I met with Sergio Trujillo, our director, along with Jack Noseworthy, Barry Weissler, and Alecia Parker, our producers. They explained the concept to me, and what was supposed to be a short meeting turned into an eight-hour conversation. We talked about life, the play, Broadway, and everything in between.

I think this is one of those moments where the phrase “ignorance is bliss” really applies—because I had no idea what I was getting myself into. If I had fully understood the scope and responsibility of this project from the start, I might have been too scared to take it on. But I was just excited for the challenge.

Looking at the silver lining of the pandemic, it actually gave me more time to dive deep into the characters and the story behind Josefina López’s play. I also watched the movie adaptation. At one point, I told the team, “Look, I’ve spent my entire life writing songs, but theater is a completely new world for me. I’d love to have a co-writer to guide me.” 

That’s how I got to work with Benjamín Vélez—who has basically become my work husband. We’ve built an incredible partnership. He’s been incredibly patient with me, and I’ve learned so much about theater over these past few years. It’s been an intense, interesting, and fun process—completely different from anything I’ve done before. And now, five years later, we’re just weeks away from opening.

Honestly, I still don’t think I fully grasp it. I compare it to the early days of Jesse & Joy, when we were nominated for our first Latin Grammy. At the time, I was just like, “Oh, cool, we got nominated!” But when we won in 2007, we had no idea how much our lives were about to change. With each nomination after that, the nerves grew stronger because we started to understand the weight of these moments.

I think that same kind of innocence is at play here. Not fully grasping the impact of this musical has actually worked in my favor—it allows me to create from a place of pure joy and authenticity.

It was a completely different experience. When you write pop music, you finish a song, release it, and that’s it—the audience takes it from there. But in theater, nothing is ever truly “finished” until opening night. I was constantly questioning whether the songs were actually done, and the team would say, “It’s not done until it’s on stage.” That was a huge shift for me.

I had to let go of a lot of my usual creative habits. At the same time, revisiting songs from different angles was incredibly enriching. Writing for a musical isn’t like writing an album—every little change affects the entire production, like a domino effect. You have to keep track of every adjustment because it can impact the rest of the songs.

I’ve loved this process because it feels like solving a massive puzzle. You have to understand how each piece fits together to create a cohesive story. As Jesse & Joy, my songwriting is deeply personal—our music comes from a very intimate place, and it’s recognized as “pop songs.” But writing for Real Women Have Curves allowed me to bring parts of myself into these characters. I connected with them as a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend, and I infused those emotions into their songs.

Absolutely, in every way. Even my approach to songwriting for Jesse & Joy has evolved. Before, I already felt a responsibility for the messages in my lyrics because they last forever. But now, as a mother, I strive to be even more intentional and authentic in what I write. Interestingly, learning to write for this musical has also enriched how I write for Jesse & Joy.

I relied a lot on the people around me. Since the story is set in 1987, I had to do a lot of research and fact-checking. I wanted to make sure nothing felt out of place.

For example, I was dying to include a reference to Selena in one of the songs. We had the perfect lyric with a little nod to her, but we couldn’t use it because Real Women Have Curves takes place in 1987, and that song came out in 1989. But we found ways to sneak in other references!

Throughout the process, I leaned on my wife a lot, especially in the beginning when everything felt overwhelming. I think we all have moments of self-doubt where we need reassurance, like, “This sounds good in my head, but does it actually make sense?” I always share my work with the people closest to me—it’s just part of my creative process.

It was phenomenal. Every part of this journey has felt both brand-new and strangely familiar at the same time.

You’re just now seeing the results of our work, but behind the scenes, we’ve built such a strong family with the producers, musicians, and creative team. So anytime we get the chance to share this music, it’s like, “Just tell me when and where,” because we’re eager to bring these songs to life.

To be completely honest, I don’t think I fully understood the magnitude of what I was taking on. This is a huge responsibility.

None of us imagined that the show would premiere at such a politically charged time. Real Women Have Curves is about immigration and family, and while it takes place in 1987, many of the issues it explores have only worsened since then.

As an artist, that’s a big challenge. As a person, it’s even bigger. My brother and I have always been outspoken about these topics. Being a dual citizen, I feel a double responsibility to use my platform to tell this story. My hope is that when people see the musical, they understand that the message comes from the same place we’ve always spoken from: the belief that we are all human beings first, beyond borders and stereotypes.

I can’t believe it. I really can’t, I swear. Whether in my life with Jesse & Joy or in this process, I have no idea where the past five years went. I can’t believe we wrote 17 or 18 songs for this play. Yesterday, we had our first reading with the entire company, and wow—it felt like watching a movie. I didn’t want it to end.

I looked around at everyone and thought, “We’re really here. When did we even do all this?” And it’s been so rewarding that, every now and then, I still find myself saying, “No, I just can’t believe it.”

I have a wonderful wife who has always been my rock. There are definitely some harder moments. They knew… well, I don’t know if they fully understood, since my little ones are only five and three. For example, I’ve been here for stretches of three or four days at a time, then I have to fly out for shows and come back. So, during Christmas and New Year’s, I tried to hold them as much as I could.

When they heard I had to leave again, I explained at the beginning of the year that it was going to be a bit more intense, but I promised that we would make time for just us. And I think they understand because they told me, “Well, after New York, it’s our turn to go somewhere, just us,” and I said, “Yes.” That gives me peace—knowing that they feel secure in the fact that we always have our time together.

It’s surreal. A part of me still can’t believe it. Sometimes I call my wife from New York and ask, “Is this really happening?”

I’ve been fortunate to achieve incredible things in the music industry with Jesse & Joy. But this is the pinnacle of theater—and I’m stepping into it in a big way, with an amazing team that represents who we are, our people, and our culture.

This journey doesn’t end in April! There are a lot of things tied to the musical, and from now until summer, we’re incredibly busy. After that, we have a Latin American and U.S. tour—so, basically, 2025 is fully booked!