Born Angel Manuel Mota in the capital of the Dominican Republic on November 10, 1989, Engel Montaz's love for music was nurtured by his father's guitar and the rhythms of his island home. Music has always been a part of his life. Engel could sing before he could speak, and much of his childhood was spent on his father's lap listening to his old man sing to the melodic strummings of his guitar. Engel received musical training as a child as he learned to play the flute, but the opportunity to join the school's choir convinced him that there was no other instrument like his own voice. During his adolescence, he was not interested in training for sports or running the streets like much of the youths his age. Engel instead focused on training his voice, refusing to let himself be distracted by life in the capital.

In a city where the people survive on so little, Engel soon became aware of life's harsh realities.