I absolutely love your recent single, “Cherry Blossom”. What can you tell me about it?
Growing up I’d pray before sleep and in time my songwriting slowly began. Praying turned to writing which evolved to songwriting. I recall using different types of letters. Having that time before bed every night especially when I was young was a blessing because there was so much that I couldn’t verbalize nor control so having this deeply spiritual practice taught me how to find my calm.
I am touched by the amount of love and support my family members and friends have shown for this first release from my future album, ‘Door to The Cosmos’. It shows how such a simple yet powerful song can be to inspire so many.
Some of my favorite moments since ‘Cherry Blossoms’ has been out is watching my little cousins singing and dancing to it! My aunt told me how my mini me, Bella, puts on the song while she rides her bike acting as if she's in a music video. Then there's my beautiful, latina Marilyn Manroe, grandmother who told me how she plays it over and over again before bed b helps her sleep. I was moved to hear how my brother's very “macho” friend reacted to the song, telling him how it helped him feel his emotions for the first time in a long time.
Knowing how this song has the power to bring you to the present moment and have a sense of peace makes me feel emotional and fulfilled! My purpose for making music is just for this reason! This is my first release of my album yet I feel as if I have made it! I have already began helping the internal mental and spiritual battles of my listeners.
It was a mental battle coming to terms with which song from my future album, ‘Door to the Cosmos' should be released first. If you were to tell me that Cherry Blossoms would have been it that whole time I would’ve laughed! This song is the outlier of the album! It is giving Joni Mitchell energy when most of my albums are very Florence and the Machine and Adele like. It all lands on the question I ask myself…What is the right choice? Based on the criteria of today’s music industry it would have been “smart” to come in with a bang and share my powerhouse vocals or to share the song that had the catchiest of lyrics and melody. Cherry Blossoms is the tip-top of the iceberg in terms of musicality…the rest of the album has an array of timeless cinematic soundscapes full of genres ranging from soul, pop, and rock. Although what Cherry Blossoms is full of is my essence. It was and is important to me as I continue to grow and establish myself as an artist to be sure everyone knows who I am and where my heart is. Seeing this song you will always remember the girl that turned her dreams into her reality by going through the fire with grace and unique perspectives.
Cherry Blossoms' was written a couple months after I had gone through a battle with a breakup and heart failure. The lessons that grew from such a dark place led me to go through a sort of rebirth, there were so many unanswered questions about myself I had no answer to - as though I was a blank canvas just beginning to see the array of colors to play with on my journey.
The music video for the song is also outstanding. What was it like putting that together?
After arriving in Boston I was ready more than ever. I was living alone for the first time and had a routine which consisted of going to Healthworks (all women's gyms in Boston 10/10 recommend) There I went every day going from barely lifting 5 pound weights to feeling as strong as I do today. My mindset when it came to friends had also changed.
I'm going to get a tiny bit astrological for a second. So, my zodiac is Cancer, meaning I am an empath as well as a healer with a love language being acts of service. I have always had tendencies to be of service to others to help them along their journey. Also, growing up with a critically ill brother I was his nurse growing up. This made me want to become a nurse for sometime but in time I found that music is my form of reiki to the listeners.
The trouble was at this time of life I had no energy to give. I needed to fill my cup before anyone else's. This meant that I took my time with myself - I was a college student that no longer was over-caffeinated, anxiety-full, malnourished, and working on a healthy sleep schedule. There were times I didn’t do work because I prioritized my health which is something I had never done before.
With health as a priority it then led me to creating boundaries with those who were in my life. I had such clarity after the circumstance that I knew when I was uncomfortable in the slightest. The thing was that my mind knew that I was given this second chance of life and I wasn’t going to not listen to my inner voice or intuition from then on. It felt as if I was being selfish in the beginning because if there were people that I left drained I no longer saw them again unless in passing. As terrible as that sounds I was putting myself first for once and it was a feeling I had to practice.
This was the time when I met my producer, Somesh Das and talented artist and guitarist, Matthew Prompatanapak.
It was the beginning of Spring when Matthew was playing this melody on his guitar outside on a porch. I went and took in the beauty in the warmth of the sun, the park, and the cherry blossom tree in the distance. I felt something coming and pressed record on my voice memos and then in one take ‘Cherry Blossoms’ was created. It felt as if God gifted me with this song.
The clean slate/rebirth was refreshing in a way but also led me to not be able to recognize who I was. I remember reading my journal diary and not recognizing the girl I was. There was a moment when I remember looking in the mirror and just not recognizing my reflection. I was crying and then stopped, forced a smile, and went into the SuperWoman pose as I was told to do so by Bailey from Grey's Anatomy. I was so frustrated and afraid that I had lost so much of myself. After singing this song I was mentally and spiritually fed. It was as if the universe told me to “invite change as beautifully as the seasons do, to understand that every moment I must be present and open to continue changing and evolving to my highest self.
You’re a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What is the biggest thing Berklee did for your career?
Besides shaping and mastering my craft of music the environment of Berklee itself is the magic of the university. There are so many creatives that I got to meet from all over the world. The cultural diversity, the business classes while at a school of artists is interesting with so many out of the box thinkers. Most of all it is heartwarming to know that I can go to Berklee anytime and use their resources although I am an alumni.
Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?
My biggest musical inspirations are The Beach Boys, Whitney Houston, and Adele. hThere are tons more but if I could choose the top three these are them. Growing up I was an old soul so listening to these timeless musicians really inspired me and my growth knowing I wanted to be a musician one day. Their beautiful voices, lyrics, and auras as a whole capture everything and more that I wish to become one day.
What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?
Perfectionism. I am working on it!! It's hard, all I want to do is give my 100% but its quite impossible since I am not the best at all of the skills it takes to create my visions into a reality. In time I hope to have a team to help capture what I see but until then I am what feels like a nerdy octopus spiraling everyday. I make sure to calm down and understand that with passion and grace all will be well.
What are your immediate music goals?
My immediate music goals are to finish up these final snippets of the music for my album “Door to the Cosmos” and then to send them off to get mixed and mastered!
Other goals entail production so I can create demos of all of the songs I have and to practice the guitar and piano daily. So far so good.
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Those are great goals. I'm definitely excited for that album!
As always, I want to thank Priscilla for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.
I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram, and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. And, be sure to listen to "Cherry Blossoms" wherever you usually find your music.
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