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

Hi Indee, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve always viewed risk as a challenge and good indicator of how rewarding a task/challenge is going to be upon completion. I think that anything worth doing life is going to have some risk, & especially in the creative space risk is going to be a common denominator. In my life and career risk has always pushed me to work harder and more attentively. I would say that I definitely work better under pressure, lol !

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am primarily a musician, vocalist to be precise. Singing didn’t necessarily come easy to me but I’ve always been in love with performing and expressing myself through words and poetry. I came to be a singer kind of by chance. I moved to LA to pursue modeling/acting and came across a poster for a band looking for a singer and responded to it-this band was the hard rock quartetThe Darbies.
We’ve achieved moderate success in the music scene so far and are still climbing. We are working now with an acclaimed producer and will have new music coming out very soon !
Through the confidence that i garnered writing & performing with The Darbies I was also able to begin writing and producing my own solo music, which is more in the veins of hip-hop and pop and alternative music. I just started releasing my solo music online and you can find it on all major streaming platforms.
As far as the ease of my success in the creative world, I can’t say any of it has ever been easy. The music industry is a super difficult industry to break into, and it takes a startling amount of dedication, persistence and novel inspiration. However, despite the work load and stress of the industry it is the most rewarding field bar none and i wouldn’t have it any other way. Music is my one true passion so I always feel blessed to be able to be out here in LA creating endlessly and giving life to my passions & dreams.
The one piece of advice I can give to anyone: is do what you love & never give up on yourself & your dreams despite anything or anyone urging you to the contrary. The world is full of naysayers and you have to be the one to prove them wrong-progress is dependent upon bold unreasonable acts of passion.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely spend at least one day at the beach in Malibu. And if it was the first Thursday of the month I would take them to a really cool open mic night at Aviator Nation right there in Malibu. I would take them to Ubatuba Acai one day to get the best acai bowl and another morning would have us eat breakfast at Hanks Bagels in Sherman Oaks. You also can’t do LA right in my opinion without taking in a little bit of nightlife, so would take them out to Warwicks, Doheny Room or Nightingale Plaza for a night of dancing and drinks. On another day I would love to show them The Last Bookstore in DTLA, and also The Getty museum off of the 405. On our last day I would take them out to Abbott-Kinney in Venice to see some boutiques and grab a cup of coffee from Inteigentsia or Erewhon. These are places that all hold special meaning to me cause when I first moved to LA this was how I came to know the city better.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to all my friends & family who have stuck by me through the years and have always urged me forward with my creative ambitions. In particular I would like to give a special dedication to my parents who instilled the virtues of persistence, diligence and fortitude within me as a child; my band mates in The Darbies who have always fueled my artistic fire, Xarxay for being a sagacious friend and mentor in the creative space and my loving girlfriend Ana who’s love & belief in me never ceases to amaze me. Love you all from the bottom of my heart, up to the heavens & back !

Website: thedarbiesband.com

Instagram: @indeeponce

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@indeeponce1122?si=B9RcwibIc_XK35ZW

Other: Spotify & iTunes: Indee Ponce / The Darbies

Image Credits
Nick Berardi Meghan Fabulous

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.