Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I was born and raised in central Florida. My dad is Puerto Rican and my mom is 3rd generation Polish-American. I move to Nashville, Tennessee with my husband 8 years ago a month after we were married so I could finish my Bachelors of Music at Belmont University. I knew I wanted a career in music since I was in elementary school. I always loved to sing and make up songs and when I was 10 I took up flute in the school band. Music was always the silver lining to an unconventional childhood and composing is something I could never stop doing so I felt called to share my creativity with the world.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Maverick City, NF, and Camilo!
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: My first influences for music were the artists my parents would play. My mom listened to a lot of Motown – The Spinners in particular we’re on repeat and played a major influence on my singing. I was also very influenced by the symphonic and jazz music I played in band. Those made a great impact on my songwriting.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Mercy’. Is there a story behind it?
A: The idea for my latest single “Mercy” began in the early pandemic days when stress and fear were at an all time high in my soul as I sure it was for many. There were so many unanswerable questions surrounding the virus and the shutdowns that all I could do to keep the peace in my heart was to pray and meditate in scripture. I had the chorus written for a long time and felt a little stuck on how I wanted the verses to accompany it. Then a close friend of mine (who I never knew to have anxious day in her life) expressed the terrible amount of anxiety that was overwhelming her amidst the isolation in quarantining and again, not knowing the outcome of a worldwide epidemic. Knowing the naturally optimistic and joyful person she is being all of the sudden burdened by anxiety and fear broke my heart. I wanted this song to connect to anyone and everyone who has experienced that burdening amount of anxiety. To hear “Mercy” and remember that although the storms are troublesome they are not the final outcome of the journey.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or an album from you in the near future?
A: Yes! “Mercy” is the 4th single I have released part of the album collection I call ‘Sacred’ which will be releasing in March 2023.
Q: What is the message of your music?
A: Every project I release comes from a different story or experience that runs as the theme through the collection, but I hope all of my music inspires hope within the listener.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I always hope that listeners will resonate with the lyrics in my music and I aim to capture the emotional experience in production. I like to describe my style as a dreamy soul-pop but it varies song to song.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: My inner critic can always find something that needs improvement in my writing or production but I do feel a sigh of relief in my soul every time I release a song. It’s such a great feeling when I can share the music that spends so much time in my brain with those who find connection with my music.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: My creative process is unique to every song but I tend to compose melody ideas before the lyrics. I feel less tied down in my songwriting when I don’t have to worry about finding space for all the consonants and pronunciations of the text and can fully focus on the emotion I want to be felt in the music before lyrics are written. When I feel the melody has a good foundation I will then write lyrics and alter the melody to the text if necessary.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: The most difficult experience in my life was my grandma passing away. I spent almost every day of my life with her until she died when I was 18. She (alongside my mom) raised me and losing her was like losing a parent. The grief comes back during every beautiful life experience I have. She was only 67 when she passed.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: I recently became a mother and to be honest, parenthood was never something I thought I would be so proud of because it is such a common thing. However, meeting my child and getting to be his mom has been the greatest privilege of my life. I get it now. I am so humbled and so proud to raise a little human and extremely blessed that he was born into a beautiful love story. I was never proud to be a woman the way I am now after pregnancy and the birth of my son. I want all the cliche moments with him and I know he will alter my music because I didn’t know joy like this before having a child. My baby is the greatest creation God has blessed with and I am so thankful for the gift of a child and the gift of motherhood. It is unmatched.
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