Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story: Is Javi Based on a Real Person?

In Lifetime’s biographical drama film ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story,’ Lisa Lisa falls in love with Javi right after she forms Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Mike Hughes and Alex “Spanador” Moseley. It does not take long for the band to become an international phenomenon, which severely affects Lisa and Javi’s relationship. The latter grows tired of witnessing his partner’s rise as a sensational singer without being able to be a part of her glamorous life. Still, when he insists on marrying her, she agrees, paving the way for their wedding. The origin of Javi can be traced back to the life of the titular real-life singer!

Javi is a Fictionalized Version of Lisa Lisa’s First Husband

Javi can be seen as a fictionalized version of Lisa Lisa’s first husband, John Yulfo, whom she married at the young age of 21 in 1988. Soon after the wedding, the singer revealed that they were able to deal with the challenges caused by her obligations as a touring artist. “I fell in love with this guy the week after I met him. John and I are very compatible—both of us have learned how to deal with the demands of my career, especially when I have to tour,” Lisa told the Gavin Report in 1989. However, as the movie depicts, their marriage was severely tumultuous.

In a January 2025 interview, Lisa revealed that she chose to marry John for “all the wrong reasons,” especially due to her desire to be “loved by a man,” which she connected with her failed relationship with her father. She also added that she didn’t even know much about John before their wedding, which made their married life “pretty dark.” In the Lifetime biopic, Javi is an insecure partner who cannot stand Lisa spending her time with other men professionally. He even raises his voice against her under the unconfirmed impression that she lets men take advantage of her.

Lisa and John’s Marriage Was Short-Lived

According to Lisa, John was similarly insecure. When she was in a relationship with him, she was offered the part of Lisa in Eddie Murphy’s famed 1988 romantic comedy film ‘Coming to America.’ She was interested in playing a character who was seemingly named after, but her then-husband dissuaded her from accepting the same because he was aware of Murphy’s reported crush on his partner. “I said, ‘Look, this is what I want to do,’ and he [John] said, ‘No, you are not going to do that,’ because he knew about Eddie’s crush on me. So I said no. Can you believe it? Dummy,” Lisa told People in January 2025.

Lisa and John’s relationship didn’t survive this alleged insecurity long. According to reports, they finalized their divorce in 1991, possibly after a period of separation. In the same year, he married Jacqueline Panebianco. They seemingly went on to have four children, who are named John, Vinny, Frankie, and Anthony. John and Jacqueline’s married life lasted a little over two decades. They decided to part ways as a couple after a divorce in 2012. Since then, he has chosen to keep his personal life private, with no social media presence. John’s current whereabouts remain unknown, and it is evident that he moved away from the spotlight on his first wife decades ago.