Meet Albert Bonilla | Music Producer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Albert Bonilla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Albert, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I first started I only saw my music as a creative outlet. I wanted to share the music I was creating with people and expected nothing in return. After a short period of time, I started getting offered money and shows for my musical creations. It took me a while to realize that I have to see my music project as a business. The thought process for me nowadays is to carry myself professionally and to make sure that all of my actions are with my brand in mind.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I go by the name “FacexHugger” I make music that best fits under the genre of “Synthwave”. What sets me apart from others is when I am fully motivated I have endless possibilities ahead of me. I am continuously growing my craft by learning new instruments and skills and I am extremely driven when I want to accomplish a goal. As an artist, I put the time and dedication into every detail of my music, and what I put out into the world.

I am finally in a place where I see all aspects of my brand. My next album will be a culmination of everything I have learned. I am excited to put out what I consider to be my best effort, I hope it will encapsulate all the growth and time and artistic skills it took to create this project. I am proud to say I have always put out music that I stand behind.

To get where I am today as a professional, it was a mix of ups and downs. My music has never taken from me, but the efforts, the time, the hustle of selling myself and the things I had to give up for my project were hard. Selling yourself as an artist isn’t an easy thing to do, especially as a solo artists in Los Angeles or big city like I was doing. Thankfully, my wife was there to support me and help me get to where I was doing paid gigs, traveling for shows and events, and providing her help to sell me as my manager.

I have learned to be patient and take my time with my art. I have learned that my music can be something that others take to heart and it can really mean something to someone else too. These things drive me to always make music I am proud of and proud to share.

As far as the world, I never think that globally, to me every show was a success if one person told me they liked my music and wanted to hear more. I feel like now my brand is shifting to a place where as an artist I acknowledge and share my mental health struggles and would hope to become an advocate for people with similar struggles. As a diagnosed bipolar person, I feel like I have a great platform to share and help others. In the past my condition has taken from me, and until my diagnosis in 2020 I didn’t understand what was wrong with me or why I struggled so much. I have lost things, people, connections, music and more to my disorder, even to the point of letting my music and socials fail because I didn’t feel like I was able to connect with others. My brand going forward is someone who is aware and meets those mental health challenges head on, and hopefully I can help others face their struggles too. I want everyone to know, my story is far from over.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I was going to share my city of Los Angeles with someone for a week, the first place we would go is The Griffith observatory at night, the view of LA is unmatched and is something I think of often. We would grab food at Mambo’s for some great cuban food. Get a tattoo with my artist Derrek Everette at Broken Art in Atwater, an area I grew up in. I would grab some Salvadorian food across the street at Buen Gusto because I gotta get the food I was raised with! We would do a day exploring the Natural History museum, and grab a hot dog from one of the vendors at the Rose garden and catch an IMAX at the science museum. I would visit the old zoo at Griffith park and see the carousel. Grab a sub sandwich from Giamela’s because anyone who has had one knows they are the best in town. If they have never been to LA, we would grab the Original Tommy’s, and catch a Lakers game. We would grab gothic ice cream at Little Damage in DTLA. For a more relaxing day, we would do a day in Santa Monica, enjoying the pier, then grab dinner at Duke’s in Malibu and catch the sunset at Zuma beach, or even climb down to a hidden beach at Point Dume and see the washed up boat and check the tide pools. A week in LA will never be enough but I will always be proud to show off the place that raised me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shoutout to my wife Alexandra Garrett-Bonilla. She has been instrumental to every part of my success. Without her guidance I would not have accomplished any of the things I have done. I am forever grateful to have someone by my side that has my best interest in mind. To have her in my corner really helped make my music and brand what it is, she dedicated time and effort into becoming my manager, and even became a promoter booking shows to ensure my growth and stake in the industry.

Website: https://facexhugger.bandcamp.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/facexhuggermusic/

Image Credits
Jeff Diaz and Jerry Herrera