Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up in a home where music was an every day topic, due to my parents loving to sing and make music together. They used to do music in our local church back then. My dad played piano or guitar all the time at home and literally every where else. He loved to sing for people and get them to join and sing along. That part really impacted me the most, because I loved seeing how music made everybody happy. My musical direction was very much back and forth tho, due to many different influences. I grew up in church with church music, but listened to Hip Hop and Rap, then I started recording my vocals for EDM music while secretly writing for Pop, so I guess touching on so many different genres made me end up where I am now.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Laura Brizuela”?
A: Growing a fanbase is the biggest and hardest thing for a musician nowadays. Of course we’re running with social media and playlisting, but I personally love going live and plan to do that more in the future. I want people who meet me or my music to feel like there’s more in life for them and to start embracing themselves. I want them to feel loved. That’s what I’m all about because with my music I’m sharing stories and thoughts that helped me overcome a lot of trauma, pain and insecurities. I want to encourage people and make them feel like they’re not alone, and I believe that’s done best in person.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I’m currently listening a lot to NewJeans and XG. They’re both super different from one another but I find very cool elements in they’re music that inspires my current songwriting. I also like to listen to smooth jazz and instrumental music. Not having vocals gives my brain space to think and come up with new melodies. I find most of my musical inspiration in the music I listen to actually. But when it comes to lyrics, I’m honestly most inspired by my everyday life, my thoughts, the conversations I have with others and things I’m observing in society and community.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Right Cheek.”?
A: Right Cheek was such an easy project! The idea literally just popped up in my brain when I heard my producer Matheo play some keys. I always wanted to write a song like that. I used to view many things from a negative perspective and Right Cheek is the absolute opposite. It’s about freeing yourself from opinions and expectations of other people and embrace who you are even if it means that people might not like you. I wanted it to be playful, celebrating and easy to sing along. My journey wasn’t always easy, I often felt like I wasn’t fitting in or that I was too much. I know that it can be rough to feel like you’re not enough just the way you are and that’s why I wanted to
write a song that celebrates uniqueness.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Depending on the song: viby or moody 🙂
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Right Cheek”?
A: Not really actually. It was very easy in general. The only little challenge was while writing I got stuck with like 4-6 lines but thanks to my friend Linda, that problem was solved in half an hour. What also took us a bit back and forth while producing, was deciding what pitch to settle for. Since I tend to write in higher pitch and this one is
lower than my usual. But I think it came out great 🙂
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: As said above, my personal message and goal is to encourage people to love themselves and to embrace who they really are. I wanna see more traumas healed and more people finding they’re true value. As an artist, that’s something I just dream to see happening through music. There’s so much good music out there but often times the lyrics wouldn’t be the healthiest if put in a literal every day life kind of context. I want my songs to be full of good declarations that if people sing along they’re shifting the way they think, start to dig deeper into who they are and begin to heal 🙂 I believe that music has way more power than we think, and we only just scratched the surface.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Justin Bieber! His freedom project is my favorite! I’d also love to be a vocal feature for Andy Mineo one day.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
Be aware that music as a career includes music as a business. Learn to be a business person but also how to keep that apart from your creativity. Be strong in times where things aren’t going well. That’s normal and doesn’t mean that you suck. Never ever (!) blame your art and creativity for bad days. Don’t forget that you’re a human and you need rest too. Sleep well and work smart. And never ever ever quit dreaming and believing in yourself!
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Laura, you have everything it takes already within you. Live! Start writing those songs and put yourself out there! People will love you for it even if you feel like they won’t. You’re feelings aren’t the truth. Let go now and heal. The process really isn’t as scary as you think and it’s so worth it! You got this babygirl 🙂
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