Living a Telenovela Kind of Life

Make it stand out

My newest record, Telenovela, is my baby. I’ve nurtured, invested and overall gave my heart and soul to this project.  Collectively, it has taken me about two years to write this record. Originally, the title of the EP was going to be called “Pollen” (like the 5th track on the project) with a mostly different track list, but it overall didn’t grab me the way I envisioned it would. And, one night, the word Telenovela came to me in a dream; and from that point on I knew what direction was calling me. My producer, Bryan Cardenas and I, scrapped most of the tracks and started from scratch. 

Beginning with such an attractive name such as Telenovela, the inspiration flowed through me like water. I had the color red in mind when writing my melodies and lyrics. Passion and lust are amongst my favorite things in life, so I like to have my music embody what the color red makes me feel like. To me, the story of Telenovela is a coming of age one, where metamorphosis prevails. 

For a little reference about me, I’ve been singing and writing music since the moment I got my hands on a guitar when I was 10 years old. I drew inspiration from singers such as Selena, Shakira, and Nancy Sinatra. Even today, I still draw my inspiration from these women.They inspired the music and aesthetic that is who I am today. Writing Telenovela only enabled me to develop as a songwriter; and I knew that I wanted Telenovela to be a Spanglish record, to pay homage to both cultures I’ve grown up with. 

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

I have evolved so much as a woman and learned quite a bit throughout the process of creating this EP. My favorite lyrics are in the title track, Telenovela, where the chorus goes “they say I live a telenovela kind of life- well maybe that’s the way I like it”. I wrote that song when I was going through a lot, facing ridicule from people in life, and just overall having to deal with attempts at tearing me down; so Telenovela is kind of like a ‘fuck off, I love who I am and who I am becoming’ to those who don’t trust the process. “Telenovela kind of life” really just means you’re living your life for you, whether people agree with it or not. It’s a play on the notion of novela’s on TV that I grew up watching- how the actors and actresses are glamorous and dramatic; because what’s life without a little allure and melodrama? 

Words: Andria Rose