Meet Anamaria De La Cruz | Artist, Educator, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anamaria De La Cruz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anamaria, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask “What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?

-Erin Hanson

I love this quote because of how it resonates with my experiences in Music. Some of the most exciting work I have done also made me feel initially terrified: going solo on piano/vocals after years of performing as a vocalist in established productions; starting graduate school in Music with a 7-month baby and a 4-year-old; writing original music and sharing stories that made me vulnerable; launching a Kickstarter and recording and producing an album; opening a Music studio.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a singer, songwriter, educator, actor and producer. This year I released my debut indie-folk album ‘Gone,’ which I wrote after my parents passed away unexpectedly. Writing ‘Gone’ became a way for me to make sense of that loss, my parents’ relationship, and my past.

I have a unique background. My grandmother and my parents were long-term organizers of the United Farm Workers (my grandmother’s activism is detailed in Gary Soto’s book ‘Jessie De La Cruz: A Profile of A United Farm Worker’). I grew up on picket lines, marches and boycotts. In 1986, Cesar Chavez asked my parents to help lead the Grape Boycott in Boston, MA, and we moved from La Paz, CA (the headquarters of the UFW) to Boston, MA at that time.

Amidst the incredible energy and passion behind the movement, however, I also experienced a great deal of loss. My parents separated when I was 8 years old. I saw my father infrequently after that, and my mother experienced financial hardship and auto-immune health challenges while working full-time and raising 4 children in Boston as a single mother.

During this time I attended schools with outstanding Music/Performing Arts Programs (Milton Academy, Yale University) on scholarship/loan, and was able to study and perform a really diverse variety of music (musical theatre, folk, rock, pop and classical). In hindsight, I feel like music and the stage really saved me from losing myself in what were otherwise really challenging circumstances in my youth.

When I finished college, I tried my hand at union organizing and ultimately landed in teaching (after organzing, my mother became an educator as well; this field was familiar to me). I really wanted to pursue music but felt a great deal of pressure to get a job and pay my bills (including loans from Yale), and couldn’t envision a clear career path with financial stability in Music at that time. I began teaching in Title I schools as a general education teacher, while simultaneously performing and directing student music groups and performances.

It wasn’t until I became a mother myself and began raising my children that I felt an immense pull to center Music in my life (again), and I enrolled in a graduate program for Music, where I began to write my own music for the first time.

During this time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and passed away unexpectedly from complications from a surgery to remove the cancer from her body. Four years later, my father passed unexpectedly away as well.

I began writing ‘Gone’ during this time, and all of the songs on the album are about my parents separation, recovering memory from childhood trauma, my own experiences in love, and my parents’ death.

While the experiences that preceded ‘Gone’ were incredibly challenging, recording and producing the album have been nothing short of cathartic. I worked with an immensely talented group of musicians to record the music, and was incredibly fortunate to work with Grammy winning engineer Chris Sorem & mastering extraordinaire Jett Galindo. I launched a successful Kickstarter that brought an amazing community of supporters together to help me finish production and produce the album both digitally and on vinyl (with the help of Gold Rush Vinyl).

Launching a Kickstarter and recording and producing the ‘Gone’ also taught me about music production, marketing, running a business, and the music industry as a whole. I am frustrated by the numbers of female producers of color in the music industry. I am an advocate for women in music, and am equally passionate about equity in education and in the music industry.

Looking back on my journey so far, while I wouldn’t wish any of my heartache in my youth or adult years on anyone, I am incredibly grateful for all of the experiences that led me to where I am today, and am eager to share my music and stories with others.

I recently opened a music studio and offer online and in person voice, songwriting, music production, piano, artist development & sound healing courses. I am also working on album #2, which looks to be entirely in Spanish 🙂

‘Gone’ is available in vinyl at www.anamariadelacruz.com and is currently being released as singles on all digital platforms.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love food + music + history + the outdoors (and am partial to Downtown/North East LA) so here are some spots I would take them:

Downtown/East LA:
La Plazita Olvera (historic DTLA)
Los Angeles Central Library
‘Los Callejones’ (Fashion District)
El Mercadito (classic East LA market)

Pasadena:
Norton Simon Museum
Huntington Gardens

Outdoor Concert at The Greek Theatre

Food:
DAMA (DTLA)
Yangchow Restaurant (Chinatown)
The Original Farmers Market
Grand Central Market
In N Out (make sure to ask for animal style)
Tacos or Burritos at King Taco or street tacos everywhere in LA

If there is time for the beaches:
Little Corona Del Mar Beach (amazing tide pools + views)
Crystal Cove Beach (more amazing tide pools + views + beachside restaurant)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thank you to my friends, family and mentors who have encouraged and supported me in my Music journey! A special thank you to husband Jesus & my siblings Alegria, Arnulfo and Alejandro, who have shared in and encouraged me to tell my stories, and who have been my first and forever listeners. And last but not least to my 3 children – mothering you unlocked my memories and a trove of stories I didn’t know existed; this album is for you.

Website: https://www.anamariadelacruz.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/anamariadelacruz

Facebook: https://facebook.com/anamariadelacruz

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@anamariadelacruz373

Other: https://

Image Credits
Erika Carillo Lozano