Today we Spotlight – Cmagic5. We got to sit down and have a chat recently about music inspirations. Check out the convo we had right here.
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What is your goal in music? What is the message or feeling you want any listener to walk away with?
Thank you so much for having me on Hidden Beats! Through the medium of the arts, music enables me to deliver simple yet positive and inspiring messages by reiterating self-worth through my own experiences of bullying during my early childhood. As we all know, music has the power to heal. By raising awareness and being a mental health ambassador by collaborating with platforms and campaigns that also champion the cause, I want to enhance awareness and reduce the negative stigma that is so often associated with mental illness.
I want to empower others to be unapologetically themselves, discover their innate strength, and feel good about themselves. I always love leaving some room for interpretation in my songs, but the goal is to make people feel inspired and transport them into their own universe for 3 minutes, where anything is possible. When people are vibing to it, I feel a sense of achievement. No matter what I choose to write about, I always aim to convey the message of self-empowerment through my music. It is incredibly important to spread love towards others, especially in this day and age. However, I believe that being kind towards others always starts with self-love and self-compassion.
In my music videos, I always ensure there is dancing, colors, and big energy! I love when they are filled with eye-catching visuals and graphics that represent my unique fashion style. I try to represent my artist brand in a way that takes the uplifting and empowering messages from my music and channel that energy through a vibrant and exuberant visual style.
What have been the leading factors in your decision to pursue a music career? Who were the biggest supporters of your ambitions?
I truly believe music chose me. My passion for singing, dancing, and acting manifested itself when I was very little with me performing to a living room audience at the age of 5. My parents have been my biggest supporters since day one. At a young age, they helped me pursue my dream and supported my passion by providing me with a strong foundation in the creative arts including dance, drama, and music. I was able to harness and develop my acting skills further and played lead roles in yearly summer Broadway performances. They also keep me grounded, which I am incredibly grateful for.
The inspiration for writing songs was all around me and I had already started writing melodies at the age of 6 and began performing to a larger audience. I captured anything around me that inspired me at that age such as colors and animals and put it into a song. By the age of 10, my articulation developed as my thoughts and emotions matured, and I had written and composed my very first original song along with an EP in just a few days titled “Destiny’s Calling”.
The lyrics were very raw, pure, and straight from the heart. My elementary school years were a challenging time for me, being bullied. It was during this time, music became my sole companion and opened a plethora of avenues. I grabbed my acoustic guitar and dived deep into songwriting. This was the defining moment in my life when I knew that I wanted to pursue music for the rest of my life. Most importantly, I wanted to give back by inspiring others to feel the same magic that I experience through music. “Destiny’s Calling” was a basement recording that led to my future professional studio recordings. There has been no looking back ever since. I released my Debut Album “Ready to Run”, which was created and released during the pandemic. And here I am with the first single of my next EP – “Dancing On My Heart”!
You have listed Nina Simone, Toni Braxton, Miley Cyrus, BonJovi, and Christina Aguilera as some of your biggest inspirations. If you could pick one of them to collab with who would it be and why?
My dream collaboration would be with Miley Cyrus. She’s totally my spirit animal lol. Her voice, style of music, and work ethic have all inspired me to be the greatest musician I can be. ‘Prisoner’ by Miley Cyrus is a killer track! It’s a great one to work out to, or even to have a dance party. I always feel like a total Rockstar when listening to this song!
Your voice is super unique. A couple of tones deeper than what we are used to hearing in female-pop music. This makes you really pop amongst the crowd. You have experience in vocal training but how long did it take you to perfect your own style and really own your voice?
Thank you so much! Being a self-managed artist and a high school student was challenging, no doubt. Just like any education out there, music education has provided me with a strong and valuable foundation and enhanced my personal growth. It has not only shaped me as an artist but also as an individual. Having been classically trained, I can sing in Italian, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, and of course English. Being a musician, I feel it is important to explore different styles, genres, and languages.
As English is my first and only language, studying and performing different vocal pieces in various languages has not only enhanced my abilities as a musician but has also educated me and expanded my horizons on diverse cultures. Vocally, classical studies have strengthened my technique and shaped my soulful voice. Music history and theory have enriched me as I am able to use this knowledge when it comes to my songwriting and composing. While I would like my music to be fun and enjoyable, I also want it to be musically respected.
Let’s talk about your latest single, “Dancing on my Heart.” A super catchy/dance track. What was your goal with this song and now that it’s been out for a few months, did the public receive it in the way you expected?
I am so grateful and blessed that “Dancing On My Heart” has been well received by the audience. It resonated with my listeners and the feedback has just been tremendous and much beyond my expectation. So thankful really! “Dancing On My Heart” is a riveting party anthem inspired by the universally relatable struggle of moving on after a breakup when your ex-lover finds an opportunity to let themselves back into your life. I wanted to create something fun and playful, but also empowering and impactful. I wanted to write something upbeat that would inspire energy and confidence in my listeners. I think the track’s infectious tune showcases my abilities as a vocalist through its range and emphasizes my soulful vocals through the melodic structure. I absolutely thrive on powerful beats and catchy melodies that are accompanied by my energetic delivery.
This track emphasizes the ‘moving on’ part after falling out of a relationship and the frustration that develops when you’re avoiding falling in love with the same person all over again, knowing they’re not the one for you (but hey, it happens!). It’s all about how my EX dances on my heart like it’s his stage and steals the spotlight. This has been summed up in my lyrics “I keep giving in and that’s my crime.”
2021 was a big year for you. You released your first official album! What surprised you in the album creation process? What did you learn?
Yes!! With 2020-2021 being torpedoed by the virus, I took it in my stride to utilize the time I had effectively and efficiently and began to write and release my singles and finally release my much-awaited Debut Album “Ready To Run”, rendering positive messages of self-empowerment and self-love, especially today when it is needed the most. This quarantine creation was unlike anything I have done before and is pop with flavors of rock, R&B, and reggaeton. With every single self-written, self-composed and co-produced, every track is reflective of the four seasons which we can all resonate with and feel inspired as we go through a plethora of moods in our own lives. I learned the power of resilience and how people can come together and rise up against a common cause. We may live different lives but are all one through this journey of life!
I was super stoked to release my debut Album, a quarantine creation, on May 05th – my birthday which made it extra special. It was a gift I gave myself. I felt blessed and grateful that I was able to finally release it despite all the challenges during the pandemic. It was absolutely a surreal experience to finally share an entire body of work with the world, especially during the pandemic. Releasing this debut album has been one of my greatest accomplishments thus far, and I am incredibly grateful to be able to share this milestone with my listeners who have so warmly received it.
Is there anything you would change if you could do it differently? Or are you more excited to channel your lessons into your next album?
While the genre of my music is pop, the uniqueness of my sound is created by fusing other sub-genres into my songs. Being a lover of many genres of music, each song has its own creative journey and tells a different story exploring diverse songwriting styles. In other words, I don’t want my music to be too predictable. Listeners will definitely know what to expect, but I always love spicing things up and having musical surprises in there sometimes. When it comes to my original music, I like to give every song a different vibe with its own identity through my vocal delivery and songwriting style. My writing style is vivid and direct to my listeners, conveying a message to channel your highest energy, feel empowered, and prioritize yourself in order to spread love to others. I try to make my lyrics as sincere as possible and universally relatable.
My music has been greatly inspired by real-life experiences and is a blend of reality and my vivid imagination. When it comes to my original music, I always try to ensure that the instrumental music and song melody alone, are powerful enough to tell a story. My sound is all about a meaningful narrative wrapped up in an infectious beat and singable melody.
In your recent interview with Vanility, you were surrounded by puppies and you never seemed happier. Do you have pets of your own?
Yes, you are absolutely right! It was so much fun collaborating with Vanility and The Furry Beauties! The founder of Vanility invited me to do an interview at Vanility Studios to talk about my latest single “Dancing On My Heart”. Although I do not have pets of my own yet, little did I know that she was going to bring along some cute little furry friends! It was such a cute surprise! The Furry Beauties were incredibly well-behaved throughout the entire interview which almost lasted an entire day! They became my new best friends that day and I love them so much! It was definitely a blast chatting about my new single with the cutest puppies and certainly one of my highlights of the year! I don’t have any pets right now, but hoping to get a dog someday!
Along with singing and dancing, you are also a social media connoisseur and Instagram model. Really a quadruple threat. What do you think about the current music industry? A big portion of success is credited to social media presence, especially Tiktok which you have seemed to master.
As the live music and grassroots in-person performances are diminished right now, it has opened up a plethora of online avenues and live streams, reaching a geographically wider and diverse audience which I think is truly amazing in the midst of the pandemic! Social media especially during these times is important as many resorts to the media to relax, de-stress and have fun. Hence it is very important to put up feel-good and encouraging content out there. I try to ensure that I am portraying myself authentically so I can build a close connection with my fans. My followers are from different parts of the world so they interact with me from different time zones which is super fun and I love answering their questions as they want to know more about me as an artist and as a person. “Dancing On My Heart” particularly has been a very humbling experience to see my followers being so creative and making their own personalized videos to it and what is even more amazing is to see different demographics from ages 03-90 years vibe to it.
The music industry is expanding and diversifying at a rapid rate. There has been a shift reducing the dependency on labels and A&R companies. Independent artists who want to be heard can expand their reach and be discovered swiftly, especially with trending platforms like TikTok! With this shift in gear, everyone is on the fast track and it is becoming increasingly accessible and competitive. And now as the world is gradually opening up after the pandemic, the music industry is bound to flourish with 2022 getting ready for more live performances and shows. The fans couldn’t be happier!!
Are you still based out of Toronto? What do you think of the music scene in Ontario’s capital?
You bet! Today for a relatively small country, it’s highly commendable to see the immense contribution to music out there, is homegrown right here in Canada and it certainly makes me a happy and proud Canadian. From bonafide legends such as Leonard Cohen to Bryan Adams to Justin Bieber, the list is iconic and endless. Among 100 plus, one of the greatest Canadian musical influences in my life has been Celine Dion. I also feel like Toronto provides a lot of opportunities for emerging and independent Canadian Artists to get heard, which is amazing! There’s definitely a lot of diversity around here, from the food to the people to the music, which is one of my favorite parts about being a Torontonian.
Since we are in Jan 2022, what are your goals for the year / what content can we expect from you?
Though these are unprecedented times, I am most excited about doing live performances and impacting and inspiring a wider audience through my music. I hope to tour and travel more, hoping it would be safe enough to do so soon. I am also working on my EP which I will release this year and look forward to sharing my new music with an audience in a live setting soon! I am also preparing for some international collaborations with major artists, songwriters, and producers. You can also expect more music videos and remixes too! Stay tuned and connect with me through my socials below.
Thank you for joining us today, before you go what is one fun fact about yourself you want the fans to know?
Thank you so much for having me. It was so much fun being here and I look forward to connecting with you sometime in the future. The fun fact is that I am a total movie buff. I love to watch every new movie as soon as it hits the theaters, especially now with a gradual return to normalcy. For those who are reading this, I’d love to know what your favorite movie is! Feel free to connect with me through my socials and let me know 🙂
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