Meia Santiago, an illustrious singer-songwriter originally hailing from Barcelona, Spain, graces the Musicians Reveal with Joe Kelley podcast in this compelling episode. Having forged impactful collaborations with renowned musicians Morris Hayes, Shelby J and Kip Blackshire from the legendary Prince and The New Power Generation, Meia shares insights into her latest musical endeavors, particularly her new single, "Love is Like a Rose." The discussion provides a profound exploration of the challenges and intricacies of promoting music in today's digital landscape, underscoring the importance of teamwork and strategic marketing. Meia's journey, marked by resilience and creativity, serves as an inspiring narrative about pursuing artistic excellence amidst the complexities of the modern music industry. Join us as we delve into her artistic vision and the collaborative spirit that fuels her work.

Takeaways:

• Meia Santiago shares her journey from Barcelona to New York City, highlighting her aspirations as a singer-songwriter.
• The collaborative efforts with Morris Hayes and Kip Blackshire have significantly influenced Meia's latest music projects.
• Meia discusses the challenges of promoting music in today's digital landscape, particularly through social media platforms.
• The importance of teamwork in the music industry is emphasized, as Meia acknowledges the support she receives from her marketing team.
• Meia's new single 'Love is Like a Rose' showcases her unique blend of musical influences and is available on multiple platforms.
• Through her experiences, Meia reflects on the therapeutic nature of songwriting and its role in her creative process.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Prince
• Sony Music
• The Orchard
• Morris Hayes
• Kip Blackshire
• Shelby J
• David Pastor
• Malcolm Joseph
• Grace Jones
• Brian Jackson
• Nublu
• Coque Maya
• Mishima
• Aphrodite Film Awards

Hi everybody, I'm Meia Santiago and you are watching Musicians Reveal with Joe Kelly.

My next guest is a tremendous singer, songwriter, composer, actress, award winning in a lot of categories.

She's originally from Barcelona, Spain.

She has made home in New York City for quite a number of years.

She's worked with our friends from the Minneapolis Crew, Prince of the New Power Generation.

She's worked with Morris Hayes and also Kip Blackshire.

We welcome Maia Santiago.

How you doing?

Hi Joe.

I'm doing great and I'm very happy to be here with you and I'm very honored to, to, to have this, this moment to share my projects and yeah.

Chat about anything.

Yeah, it's, it's cool that I was talking to you via text or email that, you know, you, you're right in there promoting your music and, and make, you know, Instagram.

I wish I had a handle on Instagram like you.

You're, you're, you're getting the word out.

How are you?

The new single Love is Like a Rose.

Tell us about your strategy.

Yeah, I mean, I appreciate that you say that because, because I have some people helping me.

I'm not the only one that is doing all this promo stuff.

So I have a friend of mine who is an actor but also is great in marketing and is helping me with the, with the marketing campaign.

And that's why you see a lot of posts, because we've been working, you know, in, in everything.

The aesthetics, what, the message, what we wanted to share each day a different concept, a different part of the song that we wanted to highlight.

And yeah, so far I think we've done a good job and people can have like some more insight, you know, of what is the song about and who wrote the song, who were the collaborators.

And I'm really grateful because as you said, it's a tough work, is hard to put the word out there and.

Yeah.

And keep it constant and you know.

Exactly.

Yeah, it's difficult especially because I'm sometimes I'm distracted, you know, and, and I sometimes like more focused on my creative work, you know, than, than on post and.

But today we have so many platforms, you know, like Instagram and Facebook and now Tik Tok.

Yeah.

And if you take a few days off for a few weeks, people are like, okay, who's next?

Yes.

And it's what happened to me.

Yeah.

Because we went to Vegas mid March, my wife and I, to visit my dad.

He lives out there.

And I think I took a week off from actually having new interviews and you could tell Right away, the viewership, just like a week, you know, we had older interviews, but that's the way people are.

Yeah.

And also that's the, that's how the algorithm works.

I mean.

Yeah, I think, you know, so it's a way to keep people engaged.

So, you know, if you, if you stop for three days, the algorithm somehow, like, like, I don't know, it's a small punishment, but it is.

Yeah, it's pretty unfair, but it's how it is.

So, yeah, I'll take it more like as a game, so.

Right.

But and as a resource to know people, to share my work with people, you know, with new people.

That's, that's a great opportunity that the social media offers to, to artists.

But I don't take it too, too, too seriously, you know, otherwise I could be trying to be an influencer or something like that, and I'm not.

Right, right.

Yeah, that, you know, my wife said, are you.

She asked me the other day, are you an influencer?

I said, I don't think so.

I couldn't even define it, to be honest with you.

Yeah.

At least I don't.

It's not in my plans, you know, if I become an influencer, it's not going to be because it was my goal.

Because my goal is to be an artist, a good artist, and I'm just, you know, I'm just, I'm here in New York because of that, you know, to work on my music career to improve everything I can, you know, to give to my audience and to my followers the best version of what I have to share with my art and my.

In my music.

Speaking of the latest single, Love is a Rose, for our viewers and listeners on the other audio outlets, it's available pretty much everywhere for digital download if, if they want to purchase it.

Yes, yes, yes.

You can purchase it on Apple Music, on.

Well, of course on Spotify, on.

You can download it or like what, watch it, listen to it on YouTube.

Everywhere.

Everywhere.

I think it's everywhere.

Yeah.

Because I have this company, the Orchard, that they are a Sony Music affiliate.

So the distribution.

The distribution this time is pretty covered.

It's pretty awesome.

I mean, it's big.

And yeah, this is thanks to 484suit Music, that is a music productions company that I start.

I just started working with them with Love is a Rose.

Oh, okay.

Yes.

You got the team together, which is good.

Yes, yes, it's a team.

So.

And they are the ones that, you know, like upload the song to the Orchard, the, the, the Orchard and everything.

So I'm.

I'm really happy because as I told you, this is.

Nowadays, the.

To write music is always something.

You know, it's like for me, it's like therapy and it's keeps me alive and it's what I need, you know, it's like a deep need that I have.

So it keeps me alive.

But to put the music out is another thing, you know, it's like.

Yeah, more consuming and you need a team to do this and that, you know, for the distribution, for the.

For the promotion, for.

For everything.

Because it's too much, you know, for the social media, for the press.

It's a little bit too much for an artist and the do it yourself.

I don't think it works.

You know, some part of the process you can do it yourself, but.

But not all.

It's too much.

Yeah.

Like you mentioned, you'd get burned out and you would, you'd be.

You wouldn't be focusing on your singing and acting.

You'd be focusing on.

You'd be on the computer all day.

Yeah, exactly.

And even with having.

Even with the.

These teams that I have, I.

I sometimes have to spend anyway a lot of hours on the computer and I.

I have people helping me.

So imagine without people helping me.

That could be crazy.

Yeah.

Well, fortunately, you've got some.

Some good friends you've been working with lately.

And actually I think this is the third time we just had Morris Hayes on the show.

But the third time you've worked on a.

A song with him, right?

Yes, yes, with Take us.

Take us back to your first introduction to Morris and also Kip Blackshire, another.

Another great friend of ours.

So with Marius, we.

We start talking.

I think that three years ago, something like that.

And Aaron Casterly, who is, well, who was my manager that time, but at that time.

And he lives in, in uk, but he worked for Morris as an assistant, personal assistant for a while, like maybe seven, 10 years ago.

And well, he introduced me to Maurice.

He said, look, I'm working with these artists and I think that you should know each other guys.

And, and, and Morris was okay if Aaron is like, you know, introducing me to this artist.

So I will give it a try.

I will give this, this person, these artists a chance.

So we started like on a Zoom call, the three of us, and then I started sending songs to, to, to.

To Maurice.

We chose one of the songs, I Can't Stay Away from you.

And then I.

It was pandemic.

It was, it was pandemic.

So it was very Difficult to like, really meet or doing any kind of personal meeting.

It was not.

Not doable.

So we had to wait, I think, like at least one more.

One year, more or less.

Okay.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Because it was.

Even the vaccination moment, it was like kind of one of the.

I would say tough, Toughest moments of.

Of.

Of the pandemic.

So.

So.

Yeah.

But at least we kept the.

The relation, like, relationship alive via these crafts, you know, like, back and forth.

We were sending music over and demos, and finally one year after we met, I went to his studio and we started recording.

You were down in Arkansas?

In Arkansas, yeah.

We already recorded it during this year demos.

You know, was never traveling because it was too scary to travel was still scary.

So we wait.

We waited because it was too scary.

And.

And then I went there, I recorded the song and.

And it went great.

It was.

It was for me, like fabless.

It was.

Oh, wow.

It was a dream come true.

I'm finally here and I'm finally recording with Maurice and this song is going to.

I already knew that this song is going to be great, but it took us like.

I don't know if it was like six, seven more months or something like that to finish it because the same thing, we had to send the music over to other musicians that couldn't travel or work because the.

The world was still a bit.

It was a reconstruction of.

Yeah.

Was unsettled and rebuilding.

Yeah.

Building.

Yeah.

Was the rebuild.

So.

So everyone was trying to figure out what to do.

Everything was slower.

But finally we.

We released the song.

I think it was on the following summer.

And.

And it went great.

I had.

I had the honor of having Shelby's backing vocals.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, we know Shelby.

Yeah, yeah.

So great.

She's nice.

Yeah.

That was fabulous.

I remember her email.

She was like, oh, my God, this song could be written by me, you know, like.

Like that.

She loved the song.

And I was like, oh, that's.

That's so nice, you know, to read.

Yeah.

Message like that, like.

Like it's written by me.

It means that there's a connection.

Right.

That really speaks to her.

And that is something that you can tell in.

In her vacuum vocals, backing vocals, because our very.

I could say that she put a lot of herself there.

Her soul, her.

You know, I can.

It's not.

She did a special work.

I.

With this.

Is what I'm trying to say that I.

I think that Shelby.

What she did.

I'm still grateful because it added a lot to the song.

And then I had the chance Also to have.

And the privilege.

But I.

This was not the first time.

It maybe was the third.

Third time to have David Pastor, who is a Jack.

Yeah.

Just trumpeter, you know, that is a jazz trumpet player.

That.

He's awesome.

And he is.

Well, he's one of the major jazz stars.

Jazz trumpet player stars in.

In.

In Spain and I would say even in Europe.

It's very, very, very, very well known.

He's.

He's amazing.

He's a virtuoso.

And he just did us a short.

Like a short solo there, you know, but so beautiful.

It sounds very.

Miles is what I like.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Miles vibes that I love.

And.

And yeah, and then I have my brother there and I.

I had Malcolm Joseph also there.

Malcolm Joseph is the.

He has his own.

His own work.

He has his own project in which I also.

I also been.

I also collaborated with him in.

In his project.

I collaborate.

What I don't remember now.

Oh, my God.

Because I don't remember the name of.

Of his album.

Ground.

Ground.

Yes, Ground by Malcolm Joseph.

And I played a song called the City of Last Things.

And yeah, the.

The lyrics are mine and we built the heart.

The.

The melody together.

And it.

It's in Spanish and English, so.

So it's very cool.

And.

And.

Oh, in the same song.

Yeah.

Oh, okay, cool.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

We.

We.

We decided to mix Spanish and English in the same song.

Okay, nice.

Yeah, yeah, that.

That.

That was great.

And.

And after I was saying this because, yeah, because I had Malcolm that were asked me to go to collaborate in his album, then I told.

Then I told him, say, Malcolm, I'm working with Marius.

Do you want to collaborate with our.

Our song?

And he said, yeah, yeah, we'll be so, so happy.

So I had him playing the bass also in the song.

And Malcolm also plays with.

With.

Oh my gosh.

Now I'm like, it's early in the morning.

Well, not early, no, but.

But I'm just kidding.

Grace Jones.

Oh, okay.

Wow.

Yeah.

So.

So he also plays with.

With Grace Jones, like on.

On tour.

He's always touring with her.

Yeah.

We met Kurt Kip Blackshire, who's been on our show as well a couple times and he's on the.

The latest single guitar as well as sing.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Keep with.

Yeah.

Kip.

Yeah.

The collaboration didn't start until Love is a Rose because on I Can't Stay Away from you, that is the first song that I was.

Now I mentioned all the musicians that played in I Can't Stay Away from you, like Shelby, of course, Maurice, my brother David Pastor and Malcolm Joseph.

But this was the first production.

Then it came Sex Appeal.

That has another.

Like other musicians that.

The only, the only ones that are still the same are Maurice and my brother.

But the rest are a Spanish bass player, Sergio de Finizio, who is awesome.

And, and the, and the, and, and I don't remember now the name of the arranger.

The, the.

The brass arranger.

I don't remember now because it's a friend of Mari's and he chose.

He is someone amazing.

But I.

This is one thing that, that I will text him to know.

Oh, somebody in the, the Prince organization?

I think so, you know, maybe Phil Lasseter.

No.

Maybe, Maybe.

Yeah, but I, I think no, because Phil Lassiter, I could remember I just.

Had Lynn Grissett on.

He's a trumpet player from the MPG Horns.

But yeah, Morris, you better talk to him.

Yeah.

Because Marty's knows so many people, you know.

And also sometimes he, he mentioned Phil.

That's why I remember.

But, but Phil was busy by that time or something like that, that we should have had to wait like months or something like that, or more time than what I wanted because I wanted to release it in summer.

It's a reggae song.

And you know, there was something related to the timing.

So that's why we didn't reach out to him.

But I will let you know who, who, who, who, who is the arranger?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You're having a lot of fun on that record.

And people should check out.

Go to May's website on.

Check it out on YouTube for sex appeal.

Tell us about making the video.

Oh, yeah, the video.

The video was.

Well, I, I was like, okay, this song is so, so like festive and it has this sensual, sensual, sensual vibe.

I want to dance.

You know, I'm.

I'm not a dancer, but I started.

It's not that like, oh, out of the blue.

I'm not a dancer, but I've been always studying dance and I've been always rehearsing and go and going to classes since I was 6 years old.

I mean, I.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I did ballet, contemporary dance, tap dance.

I've.

I've done everything, almost everything.

Not break dance.

Hey, you're still young.

You could do it.

I can still try, I guess.

You know, but.

And not.

And I, I haven't tried pole dance.

But it, it looks fun.

It looks fun.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, you could tell from your videos.

I was like, oh, you took some classes.

Because some of the moves I Mean, I.

My wife used to be a ballroom dance champ.

I.

I'm not the dancer she.

She was before she met me, but I could tell like the.

Some of the moves you're making in there.

So.

Yeah, you definitely were in class dance.

I also studied ballroom dance for three years.

Oh, wow.

So you can talk with her.

It's so beautiful.

Oh my gosh.

And it's so difficult, you know.

Wow.

Yeah, she.

Her and her ex used to have a.

A school too, so they competed and had seven days a week at the school.

She says, I'm retired, I'm never going back to it.

Yeah, no, I know it's very tough.

Yeah.

And of dance, like the.

You.

It's.

It's a discipline.

It's very difficult.

And you have to be there like eight hours and practicing and.

Right.

Well, I say it eight hours and sometimes it's more a day, you know, I, I had so many friends that are dancers.

I know it's very.

It's a.

And also it's something.

It's a.

It's a.

It's a.

It's an art that also.

It's demanding as far as, you know, you have to rest well, you have to eat well.

You.

It.

There's a lot, there's a lot going on.

There's a.

So I really, I have a huge respect for dancers, a huge risk.

I.

Some point in my life I could have decided to be a dancer, you know, when I was like 20 or something like that.

But I thought, no, maybe it's a bit too late because I had friends that started with 15 years old, already went to Amsterdam to study, you know, in a conservatory.

So I was like, I might be a bit late.

And I also like, you know, acting and I also love my music, so.

And I also saw more future, you know, in music.

And I thought that I could like stay longer active, you know, I thought if I start now a dance career, maybe I.

In when I'm 30, I will have to stop.

And then I'm already late.

That's why I said that's what I was thinking.

Maybe I'm already late because I'm 20 and.

And maybe at 30 I will have to stop.

So.

But I don't know why it went to this.

We started talking about this.

I'm the one, I started it.

I.

I brought up my wife.

Passions in life, you know.

Right.

One of my passions.

That's why it was not something that I did like randomly like, oh, wow, now she's dancing.

It's because it's One of my passions and, and well, I, I have this cool dancer with me that he's a Spanish dancer and he's studying choreography and he had some also some fresh ideas.

Very, very fresh.

Everything was and fun and, and finally it, I think that it worked out well.

It's a mix of choreography and like a kind of underground set up and.

Yeah.

And, and I think that also my acting there in front of the camera though I'm not doing a great thing, but still also works.

So it's, I think it's fun to watch and if people want to, you know, to watch and give me their feedback.

We'Ll have the link in our description here on, on both YouTube and, and Spotify and all Apple they can click and just go through, you know, you got, you got an hour sit down and watch, watch all the videos.

Oh yes.

And sign up for her channel.

Wow.

That, that, yeah, that, that could mean a lot.

Yeah, yeah.

So you mentioned.

We, we talked in the beginning about moving from Barcelona, Spain.

Growing up in Spain, you made a huge jump and right before the pandemic you, you didn't know what was going to happen.

None of us did.

But what went into your decision to come across and move from Spain all the way to the big, big city, New York City, right?

Yeah.

So it was because I, I was awarded, I was awarded for one of my songs, Be Gentle My Love that was a part of Nipi that I recorded in, in Spain with a music music producer called Danny Bega.

Danny Bega is a pretty, is pretty well known in Spain more as a guitar player.

Guitar player because he is the guitar player of Mishima.

Mishima is a pop rock band, a Catalan pop rock band.

And it's very famous in Catalonia.

Is very famous.

Right.

In Spain like they are well known but in Catalonia they are a big thing and well, so he liked my, my songs and he said, yeah, let's work together.

This is, you know, this material, it resonates in me too.

So, so we, he start working with, with these songs and one of the songs, Be Gentle My Love was awarded by Aphrodite Film Awards here in New York City.

Aphrodite Film Awards is a film festival, but also they have, they have the music section, the music category and they chose Be Gentle My Love.

I was like very surprised.

So I was like talking to the email.

Yeah, talking via email, like emailing the director of the festival.

And I was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing.

Thank you so much.

And she was telling me, oh, you know what?

I really loved your music.

And I also.

I usually go in summer to.

To Spain, she said, I think to Mallorca, that she.

She usually usually goes on vacation to Mallorca.

And we were talking about Mallorca and how great are the beaches there and everything, and.

But I was like, oh, my God, look, I'm talking with these people there, and they appreciate my music and.

And they seem so welcoming and.

And friendly that I.

I said, you know what?

I'm gonna.

I'm gonna.

I'm gonna book a flight and I'm gonna go there just to meet them and to do some contacts, you know, to.

To.

To start.

To start something.

To start this conversation, but in real life, you know, And.

Yeah, and that's why I like trying to build some connections here.

And then finally I moved, like, more with the.

Moved in more with.

With this goal of, like, working on my music career, to find a music producer here to play as much as I could.

And that's what I've been basically doing all these years.

Like, I've been playing as much as I could, and I.

I've been trying to contact, you know, musicians and single song writers here to work with them to.

To make music.

So, yeah, I have never stopped.

And.

Yeah, you're just building on the connection, building on your career.

Yeah.

Multifaceted.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But it was all because of an award, because of being a word, you know, so these things, honestly, is.

They can.

They can sometimes have this positive outcome suddenly, you know, of changing the.

The course of a life, you know, the changing the direction of.

Of.

Of.

Of your.

Maybe it was my destiny.

I don't know.

It was.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I.

I'm not sure, but it was very special.

It was very special.

Yeah.

When we used to do the show at WVOF down in Fairfield, Connecticut, it was.

We had the.

The folks from the Brooklyn Film Festival come to the studio.

I don't know if.

Are they still doing it?

I'm not sure, but, yeah, we had some.

It was a good time.

Yeah, me neither.

I know that there are many film festivals still that support independent filmmakers and independent musicians, and that's awesome.

You know, that's one thing that you can find here in New York that I think is awesome.

This.

This independent scene, not only in the film industry, but also the music industry.

That.

That I think is.

It's.

It's great and it's huge.

There's always a new music venue.

There's always a new film festival.

There's always.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We used to, like.

I was Telling you off air, we were like an hour away from New York City.

Would every weekend or every other weekend would take the train down to Grand Central and we go in the Village somebody clubs a Bitter End and.

Bitter End.

Yeah yeah, yeah.

Seen a lot of great shows over there.

But yeah, you just have to seek the places out.

Yeah.

You know, you know that I was lucky enough to play in Rugood.

You know Rwood Music Hall.

Yeah.

Right.

I haven't been there but I've heard.

I know it's well established.

Close.

Oh it closed.

Okay.

They close forever because now, now the, the, the venue has another name.

But I was lucky enough because Rockgood is like so, it was so, I mean I think that it was so well known, so significant, like meaningful in, in the dependent scene, you know Blade Rockwood was like.

Yeah.

And I had the chance and I was lucky enough to play in on.

Yeah.

Stage one, stage three and stage two.

All the stages, all the robo music.

All the stages I played, I played on them and I'm very happy because.

Well it, it doesn't exist anymore.

So that's why I'm very happy.

So.

Yeah.

But it's nice to have it in your bio.

All these.

Yeah.

Places.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Now it, it's part of my memories and it's very, it's beautiful.

And also I've played in the blue.

I love new blue.

Black emoji.

Right.

You, yeah.

Where I met Black emoji and also where I met Idal.

Sure.

And we wrote that song Angels in New York City.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Maybe people maybe don't know but this song worked really well.

And it's electro pop track and, and I wrote this lyrics asking like for guidance or asking for angels in New York City.

And coincidentally, you know, I, I, I was releasing, I was about to release that song at the end of March when just started Pandemic.

So it wasn't like a very strange coincidence because words resonated so much, you know, in a very weird way, you know.

But, but at the same time I think that's why people loved it because it was like everybody could feel that.

I don't know that, that, that, that the song was a part of them, you know, a part of this prayer for help, for you know, for something to help us because we were like.

We were living in terror.

Yeah.

So what was it?

I haven't been to New York City in a while, especially since we moved up here.

But were the streets so quiet at the beginning of the pandemic?

Well, was without the cars without the cars in New York City.

It was so quiet.

Was so quiet.

But the ambulances, you know, the, the, the.

Oh yeah.

Right.

Where all the time like passing by.

So you know, it's all the time.

You can hear this, you know, like.

People were getting sick.

Yeah.

I would say the sound of this, you know, because you knew that it was not something less than that.

Because everybody.

I know everybody, but I could say the 90 of people in my building by that time they died.

Oh really?

Wow.

Yeah.

Because they were all people.

They were.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Their immune systems.

Yeah.

Wow.

You know, it was very.

It was, it was a nightmare to live that.

Yeah.

Times here.

It was a nightmare.

Do you get co.

When it was out back then.

And this song.

It's always relates me to that because it was released then and it was the soundtrack for me.

It was my soundtrack there.

I need some angels.

Angels in New York City.

It was my.

Oh my gosh.

And I couldn't even go back to Spain, you know.

My, my mom was in urgent care, you know, so.

Because he got, because she got it and I, and I could not even like book a flight because I was clo.

It was everything clothed and, and I was like.

I, I, I don't know.

I, I, I.

It's still for me to still difficult to talk about that time because it was.

Did your, did your mom recover from.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Oh, that's good.

Yeah.

So yeah, but it was super tough.

Yeah, I can, I can imagine.

Well, switch switching gears right now.

A great musician guy who was on our show a couple weeks ago, Brian Jackson.

You, you're affiliate with Brian, right?

I didn't even know that connection.

That was great.

Yeah.

Because Brian is one of the musicians that I also met in New Blue because in Nublu, the manager, the manager is Ilhan.

He's Turkish.

Turkish American.

And, and he offered me a residency there.

A single residency there.

And I was singing in the studio one 151 that.

It's just upstairs.

It's New Blues Studio.

Like kind of.

It's a smaller like as far as capacity, a smaller venue like kind of venue because she.

He has three venues.

New Blue Studio 151 and.

And new Blue.

Another number.

I don't know.

Right.

Three of them.

Okay.

And, and all of them, they have different capacities.

So as I was just arrived in New York City, it was amazing to have a place like Studio 151 to build my, my audience, you know, because I could play there every week and build more and more people that.

Oh yeah, Maya is here and.

Oh, yes, I heard.

Did you hear.

Did you hear me last week?

Oh, yeah, you have to.

It was a great part of that community, you know, and I'm always grateful to.

And I will always be grateful to Ilhan for that opportunity that he gave me.

And he's an awesome jazz saxophonist, is amazing.

His music is great and he has so all these musicians like Brian Jackson that are part of the New Blues and New Blues community, New Blues Family and however you want to call it.

I think it's more a family.

And, and.

And yeah, and Brian.

I met Brian like, I don't know, like, several times we.

We had conversations and we even had a conversation once in which we were talking about collaborating with it, you know, like.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I remember.

I think that one of the last conversations we had was about like a possible collaboration, but we never moved.

The conversation never moved forward because I.

I don't know, I was already, I think already working with Morris.

It was something we were.

It.

I don't know.

It's something that is still maybe a possibility.

I don't know.

I, I love Ryan Jackson and I went to some of his concerts there in, In.

In the Blue, and he's amazing.

And I love the, The.

The album.

This album that he put out now there.

Oh, yeah.

A lot of Latin record, right?

Yeah.

Latin jazz.

Yes.

How is it called?

I'm not sure the title.

Yeah, but I mean, we talked about it.

Yeah, but it's the one that is the one because I heard like, I was listening to Ponta Ponta and it's all about Milton Nasmentos songs.

Right.

That sounds familiar.

Yeah.

At least this is the, the album that I was listening to lately from him and, And I love some of the arrangements that.

That he did for these songs, these Milton Nasmento songs, because I love.

I love Brazilian music.

You know, I.

And.

And this is one thing also that is very.

That I think that people that play in at New Blue are like Cher, because Ilhan.

Ilhan has a lot of.

Well, he's.

He is married with.

With a Brazilian woman.

And, and he, he brings there like Caetano Velozo.

I mean, he brings all the Brazilian stars.

So.

And he's always trying to.

To, you know, to.

To have.

To have the Brazilian music, to give the Brazilian music a.

A spotlight, you know, so.

And I love bossa nova.

But this is one thing also that we share with Marius Hayes, because Marius loves Astro Gilberto.

Okay.

Yes, He.

He.

He loves all the bossa nova.

He loves Bossa nova.

But for real, I, we, we.

We've been listening to songs that I didn't even know.

And thanks to him, I know.

So he's.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Talented musician.

And you, you've got.

We mentioned before his songwriting partner and keyboard tandem partner with Prince and the mpg, both from Arkansas, Kip Blackshire.

When you first met Kep, what did he contribute to your record?

Yes.

So thanks to Marius, I met Kip and, and Marius told me, look for Love is a Rose.

We are going to have Kip helping us with the vocal production.

And I said, okay, okay.

I thought, well, you know, I've been always very happy with the vocal production with Maurice, but I trust in Maurice.

You know, when he says something, I know it's going to be for the better and it's going to like, improve everything.

I mean, he's so wise.

Really, really is someone you can tell that not only, not only is a huge, talented artisan musician, but also this, I guess that this, this the work and the, and his experience with Prince and like his work as a music, as a music director.

And I think that, that he, he sees, he can see what you need.

You know, it's like he's, he, he can see what you need even before, you know, or he can see or, yeah, see what, what the song needs before that you even realize, you know, and suddenly after you, you, you think, oh, my God.

But it's this thing that we did with Keep with Greek because this song with all these vocal harmonies that this has.

Take this, this, this, this has taken this, this, this song to another level, you know, and, and this is what the song really needed, you know.

And well, Mari sees that, you know, he, he has a, like a huge intuition, I guess, you know.

Yeah.

They both, they both have that church foundation and, and Kip, him and his brothers are, you know, great singers together as well.

So.

Yeah, yeah, you're with, you're right.

You're right.

With the, with the cool people.

The people we love too.

So.

Oh, yes, they.

And also they are amazing and it's, it's so fun to work with them.

Yeah.

They are always joking and if you feel blocked or something, they make a joke and.

Right.

They're laughing and.

Oh, it's so fun.

You know, sometimes I'm, I, I, the only thing is that sometimes I, I miss like, some of the jokes because I still don't get all the slang kind of from the south because when.

They are Right, right.

I had, I interviewed Cyndi Lauper few years back.

And we were talking off air and she was making a joke with me, and I just was quiet.

And she weighed in.

She goes, that was a joke.

That's the Queen's English because she's from Queens.

So it went over my head.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sometimes it's, it's.

It's difficult because you.

You don't have to know all the background, you know, the people's background.

But imagine, like with me, it's even more challenging because.

More difficult because I'm.

I'm from another country, from another culture.

So.

Wow.

Spanish, your first language.

Right?

So, yeah, Spanish is my first language and I've been here for almost seven years, but I still feel.

I.

I still feel that I don't know anything, you know, because every stage is different.

The, The.

The accents, everything.

Everything, you know, that the.

How about.

How about yourself singing in Spanish and English?

Does your voice.

Total different change?

Yeah, tell us about the change.

That's a good question.

I could say.

I mean, the Spanish is more open, you know, I think that is.

More.

Is a.

Is a language that allows you to, you know, to maybe project your voice more or.

But naturally, I mean, then you can do that in any language.

I mean, but naturally, naturally, if you don't have technique.

If you don't have any vocal technique, just because of how it works as far as sound for the.

For the vowels, it's easier because the vowels are very open.

Right, right.

But the English has a very groovy characteristic quality, a very groovy quality because it's very staccato.

That's why we.

I always love it to sing pop or funky because it's very staccato, you know, and it's, it's the.

As far as.

There are so many occlusives, you know, and the.

And the vowels are not very open, you know.

So, okay, if I speak in Spanish and you see that.

That suddenly I have to open a bit more my mouth, you know, to make it happen to.

To really sound natural, you know?

Right.

So they're always.

It's very interesting.

I studied translation in the uni university.

So, yeah, I did.

I did an undergraduate degree.

So it's very interesting.

And I studied.

I studied English and Portuguese and it's so interesting because each language has its own musicality, you know, so of course the voice quality changes a bit, but it's not like a hundred percent.

It's a bit.

Because you are adapting to the language musicality, the language musicality itself.

Right.

But I wouldn't say that it doesn't change the timbre or the tone.

It doesn't change that, you know, it doesn't change the tone of your voice or thing like major.

It's just the nuances, these little nuances, you know, regarding the, the lang.

That every language musicality.

That the.

Every language has its own musicality, you know, that's why I.

Languages.

Because it's like music, really.

Right.

Yeah.

And I love.

It's very challenging because you feel that you are always vulnerable because every language is a new music, you know, so it's very challenging, you know, but still it's the same.

It keeps me fresh and alive and I'm always trying to learn languages.

Yeah.

And you're, you're open to a lot of new experiences and you have the, you know, the multilingual.

So that, That's a bonus.

Yeah.

And for instance, when I write songs, I always like to have a co writer or someone or no, but someone who I can check the lyrics, but I feel more confident because to write is easier than to speak, you know.

And when I sing, I also feel confident because I know the lyrics.

I've rehearsed the pronunciation.

So just work, you know, talking, you know, talking another language, speaking another language is the.

This is what is like challenging.

And also sometimes you feel a bit vulnerable because.

Yeah, you are, you are sometimes usually translating in a very super light at a very high speed.

You know, you are Translating from 1, 1, your original, your own language to the, to the foreign language.

So it's like.

Right.

It's like, it's a lot of work.

It's a lot of brain work.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

Have you ever been on the phone with your family back in Spain and forget a phrase in Spanish because you've been living here so long?

Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely right, Absolutely.

And.

And sometimes, like, I cannot find the word in Spanish.

I, I only have the word in English.

I don't know.

Or sometimes in, in English I cannot find the word, but I don't even remember the word in Spanish.

That's weird.

Yeah.

Right, Right.

Hey, what was it like performing up in the legendary Apollo theater up in Harlem?

That must have been a great experience.

I saw the rehearsal on YouTube.

For yourself?

Yes.

Yes.

That was amazing.

I mean, just to be selected to, to be a part of the Apollo amateur night, that was crazy for, for a Spaniard.

I, I just, I, I went there because a friend of mine was there and she convinced me, like, come, come.

And I said, but I don't like this Italian shows.

I, I don't really kind of like this talent shows.

Ne.

I never like, because I'm very like, I don't know.

I, I, I feel that I'm very focused on my singer songwriter career.

So I've never like, really, I've never had the interest, I never had the interest to, to, to, to go to talent shows.

But this is another, this is a different talent show kind of, you know, it's more like cultural institution, you know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So.

And my friend was very engaging and, and I was there and I was doing the line and I was like waiting and I did my thing.

I, I sung I can't stay away from you.

And they were fight all the, all the contestants, they were fabulous.

And then I left and I said, well, this is, I don't, I'm not gonna think about it anymore, you know, So I, and like two weeks later I, I got that email.

Congratulations.

And it's a, like the email is great.

Your, your, your path to stardom or something like that has just started, you know, because it's an institution, it's a cultural institution.

So they had so many famous singers.

Like, yeah, you walk in the hallway, you see on the walls all the pictures.

Yeah.

But even as essence, as, as they had, like who they said, oh yes.

Luther Van Rus.

Yeah, yeah.

And more people that I don't remember, but only if you Google it, you will be like, wow, Her.

Her also.

Yeah, yeah, here.

H E R.

Yeah, guitar.

Yeah, she, she also was there as a, in the contest.

In the contest.

And, and I don't remember who else, but many, many stars.

So yeah, it was fabulous and it was great to rub the, the, the tree and.

Oh yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

And to be in front of that audience and I, I have another chance now in May, so I'm happy that I'm still, you know, part of the contest, but it, Right, but that, but the same.

It's just one thing that I appreciate that they, they, Right.

They chose me, but I'm not, it's not my path.

I don't, yeah, it's not your priority.

My priority, you know.

Yeah.

We won't see you on America's best singers trying to compete.

Right.

Or whatever.

That's got talent.

Yeah.

It has never been mine.

It has been something that, that I, I, I didn't feel, I didn't know.

And I didn't have the call, you know, the calling.

Not, not even in Spain.

In Spain.

I want, I won a contest, a vocalist contest, a singer's contest, but it was something a little bit different.

We have this guy is called Coque Maya.

People can google him.

So Coque Maya is a singer, songwriter, is famous in Spain and pretty famous also in Latin America because he had a group, popular group called Lonaldos that they had like huge hits right in, in the eight late 80s, 90s.

And, and well, he now is just doing a solo career.

His solo career.

And he recorded a.

An album with all female singers.

So he has this album called Mujeres Women and it's recorded with very famous Spanish singers.

And he said, you know what?

I'm going to make a contest and in each city that I go, I will open this contest and the singers that live there or around, they can send me a video with the, with a cover with one of his songs and, And I will choose.

And he chose me in Barcelona for Barcelona.

And then of course I sang with him on stage.

That was pretty huge because he's huge there.

So.

And we.

And the.

In the concert was at Luz de Gas, which is a great music venue.

And I mean, but that made sense, some sense because I, I already know his songs.

He's a singer songwriter.

I'm a singer songwriter.

I'm always interested in listening to singer songwriters, you know, and learning their songs.

I already knew some of his songs.

So it was not, it's.

It was very natural.

It was a natural contest for me to win, you know, because it was not like trying to, I don't know, to be someone that I'm not, you know, I've always liked to be who I am.

Yeah.

Staying true to yourself.

Yeah.

And.

And that's why I'm.

I'm telling you that I never went to the Voice or the American or I would never go to the American talent because in Spain we have the Voice as well.

Oh.

And I never went there.

And now you never go here because it's, it.

I, I spend more of my time, most of my time doing songs and singing, like to, to singing to.

For my songs, you know, And I like to do covers.

I like to do covers.

But some, some covers I'm not.

Right.

But that doesn't mean that I'm a lazy singer.

No.

I have my degree in modern music and jazz.

That's right.

Yeah.

It was a lot of like at least 10 years of studying vocal technique.

So.

And, and, and I, I never stop.

I always do something.

You know, I like to try this teacher, that teacher to, to incorporate new things.

And I'm always, always.

Now I have this kind of.

It's crazy, but I, I started with this Singing straw.

That is cool.

Something new.

What is that?

This is.

Oh, that's something new.

Yeah, well, new.

Relatively new.

It has.

Okay.

Three, four years or five.

Oh, okay.

So is a.

Is a straw and work on your, on your breath, you know, so.

Oh, so gotcha.

So you are working.

But also on.

It works also to relax the jaws.

It has a tones of like good positive.

I.

I think for.

At least for me, what I'm discovering positive effects, you know, benefits.

But I don't want to.

To sound like I'm selling this because I'm not the owner of this idea.

That's right.

Hey, they got some free publicity.

So it's just that.

It's just to tell people that I'm always like, you know, like I'm always checking what's new, you know, as far.

But if they want to contact me for.

For endorsement, send the money to me.

Exactly, right.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Yeah.

So listen, May I gotta thank you for.

For joining us for the last hour.

And we want to encourage our viewers, our listeners, the best places to find you are.

You tell us.

Well, the best places, I could say Spotify.

Spotify and YouTube and then my social media.

I am usually more active on Instagram and on Facebook.

Okay.

And we'll have the links like I said before, right.

In our description.

You can go there, click on them and discover continuing great music.

You're.

You're very young and you still got.

We look forward to all the great music coming out of you and, and feature films too, right?

Yes, yes.

Yeah.

So.

And I also worked as an act.

Apart from.

Yeah, my, My music career.

I also have been working as an actress in some independent films here in New York.

So.

Yeah, I'm happy about that.

And I have to tell you that.

Yeah.

Regarding projects, I'm.

I'm working right now again with Marius and, And keep with.

With new music.

So what?

We're working on new music and.

Yeah.

Yes.

And I'm always, you know, like, I'm always, if, if I'm not working on new music, I'm thinking how to put out the music or something like that.

Yeah, that's great.

Like working on a.

Part of the process.

Right.

So you got to come by, you know, again, you know, the door is open.

We'd love to have you back.

Yes, I would love to, to.

To come back with more.

More music, more songs and maybe.

Maybe a whole EP or an album that I hope I have time and resources to do so because music.

Right enough.

You know, so.

That's right.

So thanks, Mayor.

Mayor Santiago.

Thank you.

Thank you, Joe.

It's been a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

Okay.