Javiera Mena – I. ENTUSIASMO

By starrymag | July 27, 2021

By: Alejandra Gil M

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) My sound is a mix of a lot of things, but always pop. I have a lot of influence from romantic Latin music of the 70s and 80s like Juan Gabriel and folk from my country Chile like Violeta Parra and electronic music from Berlin and Europe like Daft Punk. I think this mix is my sound.

 

Q) Your music video for Chico Blanco collab “DIVA” was directed by David Heofs. How involved were you in developing the concept for it?

 

A) I’m always involved in the development of the idea and I think when an artist is involved it’s better. I talk with the director and I plan my idea and then we fix it because some ideas are impossible for the budget. “Diva” is about dancing, about the night, the disco, but in the pandemic so we went to a studio and had these different people alone. 

 

Q) The video was produced by Bandiz Studio. Is there anything in particular that attracted you to work with them?

 

A) I really liked and admired their minimal and fresh creative style and after seeing other videos they produced, I believed they’d be perfect for a dance song like “Diva.”

 

Q) The song is from your EP I. ENTUSIASMO,, which also features singles “Dos,” “Corazon Astral” and more. What has been your song writing process like for them? Did you have the lyrics or the music first?

 

A) I always do the music first because the music shows me the lyrics. It’s super crazy because I start with the beats and the beats tell me what to say, the mood of the song. I always do the music first, but sometimes I have a note in my cell phone with different concepts. Like the first song, “Flashback,” was born from a concept. I had the concept of flashback and it was like “I have to do a song about flashback.” 

 

Q) I heard the song and it really is just an anthem to techno/house music. Was that your goal?

 

A) I think a good song is always like an anthem. And “Diva” has a super catchy melody, it makes you want to sing it out loud and hypes you up. It’s like an ode to the night and the darkness of the night.

 

Q) My favorite part of the song is: “Sí siempre hay un precio mi amor para conseguir la satisfacción caminando hacia la oscura citación no tengo miedo, Entrégamelo.” What was your mindset like while writing it?

 

A) This part of the song is about the night. You can take alcohol and the darkness of different substances. It’s like a critical thing, but it’s like it’s the way it is. But the satisfaction always has a price and it’s like an exchange. It’s about hedonism or the idea of the pursuit of pleasure, but then there’s always a price for that pleasure or self-indulgence.

 

Q) Have you gotten any specific feedback about the song that has stood out?

 

A) A lot of people told me that the song is addictive for the kind of people who like dance music and it gives you a lot of energy.

 

Q) This follows your Latin Grammy nominated LP Otra Era, which is amazing by the way. Did you feel any pressure releasing I.ENTUSIASMO after the nomination?

 

A) Yeah, the pressure is: “How [do I get] another nomination?” That is a pressure. We have to have  another Grammy nomination. But for me it’s not a pressure because I think that when you don’t focus on the Grammys, and you don’t actively look for them, the Grammys might come to you. Otra Era happened like that. I didn’t lobby or anything to have this nomination. So, the pressure is the excellence to always be in a good position with your music, but this is not for the Grammys – this is for everything. For your art, for your work.

 

Q) I. ENTUSIASMO was produced by Pablo Stipicic who has worked with artists like Jose Vasconcellos, We Are The Grand and many more. How did you come to work with him?

 

A) I started to work with him because I am a producer too and I can’t work alone. I like to work with other producers and with Pablo we are from the same generation, we love the 80s sound, the Blade Runner soundtrack and we became friends. For me it is very important that the people who I work with, especially a producer, has to be someone that knows me and that has been involved in my life for a period of time. Pablo understands my ideas very fast and he understands that I’m very detail oriented. This is very important for me to make music, especially with a producer. So, we co-produced these songs. And we want to produce for other people together.

 

Q) The EP covers a wide range of thoughts and feelings from eroticism to pain and passion. The songs are emotional expressions of various types of enthusiasm. What do you hope people take away from it?

 

A) Sometimes enthusiasm is like fresh air, fire and getting love to a playlist, but sometimes enthusiasm burns you. For example, the song “Dos” is about when the enthusiasm gives you a sad moment. So, at different parts of the same emotion that is enthusiasm, is fire and passion. And passion sometimes burns you.

 

Q) You also just had an annual birthday bash – Party Menix – celebration on Zoom because of the pandemic. What was it like to have it virtual instead of in person?

 

A) It was very fun because I celebrated with fans and people all around the world like Mexico and Chile. My audience is in different parts of Latin America. The first one was super crazy because other people were getting locked at the beginning of the pandemic and this was different because now people can go out, but it was super fun. I played music, I had a selection of my fans and I want to do this every year. Every year I want to have a Party Menix.

 

Q) You are a strong advocate in the LGBTQ+ & feminist movements. Billboard spotlighted you as one of the “Latin LGBTQ Activists Who Have Defined The Movement,” which is fantastic. Being a queer Latina myself, why is it important for you to stay vocal?

 

A) My audience taught me that it’s very important for a lesbian woman to re-vindicate, especially because in Latin America we have male chauvinism in our culture. At the beginning I was like, “I do music.” But always the people say to me, and in the press, “lesbian, lesbian” and I was like, “Oh, I do music.” Then, I started to change my opinion because this happens for a reason, because we don’t have a woman leadership and in the music, lesbians. So, now I’m an activist and my opinion has changed.

 

Q) Speaking of queerness, I want to thank you for using female gender pronouns on many of your songs, which is not something you get very much of in the Spanish singing community. Have you had any feedback because of it that has stayed with you, good or bad?

 

A) The gay community and other people tell me that I’m super brave. And I feel a liberation because maybe in my first work I was always hiding, not saying male, but not saying nothing. And a lot of gay singers, I think they don’t say the words “she” or “he,” but it’s super nice to say “she” and “woman” and for me was liberating. And the people were like you are brave and it was great.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I would love to collaborate with Charli XCX. I love her music and she’s super inspiring to me – her work. And I would love to do something with Ana Gabriel, who is a Mexican singer from the 80s. Maybe Susana Estrada, who is a Mexican singer who I like a lot too.

 

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about being on stage?

 

A) The people in every part of the world. You go on tour and, I don’t know, the people who go to see you and the band, you have a conversation. That is super inspiring for me. And that is what I miss the most. You meet such different people.

 

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your music?

 

A) I want to say thank you for listening to me and for supporting me. And it’s not easy to be a Chilean artist living in Spain, so thank you. I want to say thank you.