In an exclusive interview, Angie and visual artist Ilsse Peredo delve into art, spirituality, and music’s healing power
Step into the vibrant world of Miami musician Angie, where her latest Spanglish single, “Algo Natural,” glides effortlessly over a simmering R&B production. It’s a mere teaser of the magic awaiting you in her upcoming release, “La Conexión.”
In this exclusive Artist on Artist Interview, Angie engages in a soulful conversation with visual artist Ilsse Peredo, known for her captivating work in photography, ceramics, and installations. Together, they delve into Angie’s artistic journey, exploring her songwriting process, early musical influences, and the profound connection to spirituality that shapes her work.
Angie emphasizes the role of music as a transformative and healing communication medium. As Angie unveils her upcoming reggaeton experiment, “La Conexión,” she invites you to immerse yourself in its sultry vibes—whether you’re in the shower, getting ready for a night out, or cruising with friends.
Save the date for December 8th as Angie releases a track designed to make you feel comfortable in your own skin and radiate confidence from within.
Artist on Artist Interview
Ilsse Peredo is a visual artist from Xalapa, Mexico based in Miami, FL. She focuses ok photography, ceramics and installations, together with her team s.lab.
We met through mutual friends during college and bonded over spirituality and passion for our craft, and has been an essential collaborator in bringing the visual aspect of my art to life.
Ilsse: How does it feel to go from making art as an experiment to being within the industry and having to consider how your work is perceived?
Angie: Personally, it feels like an evergoing process of committing to my craft and remembering my purpose.
It can be scary to share your art and committing fully to it, because it carries a lot of risk and instability, and it’s easy to get lost in what all of that encompasses.
I believe it’s important to maintain and incorporate that sense of experimentation, adventure and play to everything that I do, because that’s where the core and the soul of my art lives.
To think about how our work can be perceived does entail more pressure and self-doubt because if we get lost on all that external noise, it becomes muddy and hard to hear our own inner voice.
So for me, it’s been a process of quieting that noise out and centering in myself.
Ilsse: What is your favorite and the most challenging part of the process when making a song?
Angie: I love writing. It’s kinda like a jigsaw puzzle for me. I’m trying to find the right sounds, combination of words to fit a melody and it’s such a fun and pure process. The practice of writing songs can be enlightening and open up so many doors within you.
Some songs take longer than others. Some songs need more time to come to light and I think the most challenging part for me is being patient about it.
One of the last songs I wrote took me about 6 months to finish. I wrote, then I took breaks to let the song breathe, and then I came back to it.
I think it’s important to treat your art with compassion and respect and simply trust the process.
Ilsse: What were the first things you wrote?
Angie: The first thing I wrote was some kind of jingle I came up with when I was about 5 about love, it was very silly.
I also loved making short songs for my dogs and how much I loved them, and continue to do so.
In school, I would write fun songs with my friends about the most random things.
My friend and I wrote a song in honor of one of our classmates and we still remember it and laugh about it, it was actually a very sweet song but it made no sense at all, we wrote it in our chemistry class, trying to pass time and make the most absurd song ever.
Ilsse: What is an era in music you didn’t live through that draws you in and why?
Angie:Motown. I had a class on Modern American Music in college and it was my favorite part of the semester.
The music just has so much heart and soul, it’s entrancing. I loved the arrangements and use of horns, the melodic lines, singing style, the lyrics and the fashion too.
Ilsse: What is your relationship with spirituality like and how does that influence your music?
Angie: I’m a very spiritual and spacey person. I feel a deep connection with everything and everyone around me.
Many things happened in my life that led me to who I am today and live the way I do. Through music, this connection has grown even deeper.
I believe that through music we can communicate matters in such a profound and healing way. Music is our direct link with the divine.
To me, I’m simply a messenger and everything that I write or sing comes from a genuine place in my heart.
It’s such a beautiful thing to share with others and to me that’s the purpose of music. To promote connection, community, a sense of belonging. I aspire to bring that soul to everything that I do and music is part of that ritual.
Ilsse: How does nature inspire you?
Angie: Nature grounds me. As an overthinker, I can get very lost in my head. When I’m in nature I feel a great sense of peace. It reminds me of the beauty of simplicity.
The marvel of simply being. The other day I was driving and saw this beautiful sunset, clouds were moving, flock of birds dancing in the sky, and in that moment I felt overjoyed.
It’s easy to forget how blessed we are and dismiss the beauty around us, in the rush of life. Joy is in the little things and natures brings us back to the core of everything.
Ilsse: How do you escape that mental trap?
Angie: When this happens to me I try to do other things that inspire me. If I’m having a hard time writing, I’ll go on a walk, or go to the beach.
Maybe meet with a friend I haven’t seen in a while, call someone I care about.
Going back to other hobbies helps me a lot: painting, dancing, reading is great, or just a nice session of free writing without minding what comes out.
I think it’s good to look for other ways to nourish our creativity, we might find inspiration in unexpected places.
Ilsse: What is your advice for young women who hope to work in the music industry?
Angie: Trust yourself and take the leap. Something that’s been sinking in along the way is that we have to be the number one believers in ourselves, our own advocates.
That our intuition is our guide and we should follow it. You know what’s best for yourself. It’s important to remember that. Always be true to who you are.
The energy and love we put into our craft and our real connections are all that matters.
Ilsse: Tell me about your next release and the ideal scenario to listen to it.
Angie: La Conexión is my next single! It’s my experiment with reggaeton and it’s coming out on December 8th.
It’s my first try at this genre and it was so much fun making it. It started with mumbles and then the words flowed right in.
It’s the first song I’ve made with Dosia and it was cool to play with a different sound.
You can listen to La Conexión when you’re in the shower, getting ready for a night out or driving around with your friends, to set some sexy vibes.
It’s a track that brings you to feel comfortable in your skin, embrace that and radiate it from within.
Stay tuned for Angies forthcoming release La Conexión below:
