Mar Fayos Visits Section 36!

Photo by Luís Zavaleta

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Mar Fayos is an incredible singer that I really enjoy listening to. I was so glad that she agreed to visit with us and discuss her upcoming music, her past experiences and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Mar Fayos visits Section 36!

You’re currently working on your debut EP. What can you tell me about it??

For many years I have been working actively on finding my identity as a human-being and as a musician, developing my sound, improving my musicianship skills and writing and performing actively, both in Spain and in the US, and soon throughout Europe. The last few months of quarantine became a great opportunity for me to connect with my inner self and to find this identity I was looking for - I think that I couldn't have done it otherwise - and, although it was pretty hard, I feel I understood and accepted who I am and what I have to say right now through music and I tried to turn it all into an album that will be composed of eight original songs in Spanish and English. To me, releasing this music album has always been one of my biggest dreams, and it is both exciting and scary, as I suppose that may happen to many artists when they are releasing their opera prima independently, coming from zero and being completely unknown, but for many reasons I feel that now it is the right time for me to take this big step and put myself out there with the biggest respect for the audience and for music, which results in exposing myself through my lyrics, melodies and harmonies with the utmost honesty and transparency I am capable of.

You’re a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What is the most important thing that has done for your career?

Photo by Luís Zavaleta

Berklee has been a life changing experience to me. Although I can't deny that it has been really hard sometimes, I also had the time of my life there, I learned so many lessons from the experience of completing my undergraduate music studies at Berklee and living abroad, and I will always be thankful to the institution and its members, as well as to my family and friends that always supported me, for it. If I should pick only one thing that Berklee has done for my career, it would be that becoming aware of what makes you unique matters the most, as well as to keep working hard even when it doesn't come up as expected, to understand your career in music as a lifetime learning process and to never underestimate the importance of having respect for yourself and the work you do, as well as keeping the same level of respect for the work and identity of everybody that you get in touch with, both personally and professionally. Believing in being authentic and genuine as a norm, as well as becoming your greatest supporter, are also valuable lessons that Berklee taught me.

Your YouTube channel has several wonderful recordings you made at Berklee Studios. What was it like to put those together?

Photo by José Arturo

Thank you so much, I am really glad you enjoyed them. To be honest, putting together a music video implies a great amount of work, but it has been an enormous honor and privilege to be able to be part of each of these projects, since it is a great opportunity that many artists don't get, unfortunately. I can't thank my amazingly talented friends enough for having been part of the team, either by arranging, playing, engineering, recording or editing these videos, because they were the ones that really made each of the recordings possible, in addition to the crowd from the Berklee Youtube Channel, that has been very supportive and they made all the work so much easier and really enjoyable.

What is your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

Photo by Toni López

Performing is a privilege and I am thankful for being able to do it often. To me, it has always been about establishing an open and honest communication channel between the musicians and the audience, or at least, between myself and each of the listeners. I always try to connect with what the music and the lyrics are making me feel and think, in order to explain those stories, to transmit emotions, to make the audience feel, reflect and become an active part of the communicative experience. That was the reason I first started listening to music, because it made me feel and discover new universes and realities far from my own, and it was always a powerful transforming experience, and that really brought me to start learning music, and later on, to decide I wanted to commit my life to it.

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

Being very honest with you, my biggest challenge to overcome, both personally and professionally, has always been my lack of security and trust in myself. I believe that the lack of self-confidence made me overthink, doubt, question myself and my work, and it made me want to quit and to not work hard enough to support myself and my projects as a result. When you don't work for your dreams, then nobody does it, and you can only become a supporter in making others' dreams come true, which is very nice and rewarding, but it shouldn't be our priority as artists and creators. 

When you learn to love and appreciate yourself as you are, as well as understanding the changes you face and what needs to be worked on, as well as really seeing every failure experience and difficulty as an opportunity for learning and keep growing, then you also start to appreciate more the ones you have in your life and everything that surrounds you, whatever it is. Then, in my opinion, music is no longer about you as a creator or performer, because you are not in the center of the experience anymore, it is about the audience and their experience, and when you really understand that, everything starts to flow easily, because the biggest challenge you face as a creator that tends to be your self-criticism and self-awareness, is no longer limiting you, but it becomes an empowering and liberating experience, and from there, things can only go better. It may sound a bit typical or utopic, but it is how I feel right now.

What are your immediate career goals?

Photo by Luís Zavaleta

Right now, I want to keep enjoying music, developing my music skills through a healthy combination of education and experience, and releasing my debut album, hoping it will be well-received. If I can feel accomplished, trying to make others feel and become a better version of themselves through my music, and being able to make a living out of my passion, I will be the happiest woman on earth. To me, art and creation should always come from an inner necessity to express, to communicate, to feel and to make others feel, to disrupt, to make the difference, and if I can keep this necessity alive, that would be my biggest professional accomplishment.

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I know I can’t wait for that album!

As always, I want to thank Mar for visiting, and for sending along the wonderful pictures to accompany the interview.

Speaking of her album, I’m sure Mar would appreciate your assistance. Please go check out her kickstarter and help as much as you can!

I know you’ll also want to follow along with her to see what she's up to. You should definitely visit her website to catch up on everything she has to offer. I also suggest you check out her Instagram,  Facebook, and YouTube accounts and give them a follow. They’re great ways to make sure you don't miss a thing.

You should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and samples of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Mar has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Mar, and good luck in reaching your goals!