- Cuco fans will come up to me
at the shows where ever they find me,
especially with young Latina teenagers,
they'll just say the sweetest things
like, "Thank you for doing what you're doing,
"representing for our culture,"
that kind of ...
- That's amazing.
- The first time that happened I legit cried.
(laughing)
(slow electronic music)
- [Gaby] Cuco is a 19 year old independent musician
who's catapulted from playing backyard barbecues
to Coachella in just a year,
thanks to his unique sound, relatable lyrics,
and the unwavering support and hustle
of his savvy manager, Doris Munoz.
In an industry that's overwhelmingly run by men,
Doris breaks barriers as a young woman of color
running her own management company.
She let me tag along for a day in her life
starting at her apartment in LA.
Hi, good how are you?
Oh my god, thanks for letting me come invade your space.
Your place is so cute.
You have a roommate, right?
- Yeah.
- Which is the most, like, Doris stuff?
- [Doris] Probably the records, like the Bread record
or Michael Jackson or the Linda Ronstadt stuff
or all the stuff I took when I was an intern at Columbia.
(laughing)
- [Gaby] Doris founded her management company,
Mija Management, in February 2017
and over the course of a year she's developed a roster
of talented young artists of color.
As their manager, she oversees the professional development
of all her artists' creative careers,
from meetings with records labels,
to studio sessions, performance bookings,
and so much more.
- It's all encompassing, it's all hands on deck.
It's like you're there in the trenches
with your artists whether you're
with them at a photo shoot or at a concert
or on tour or a music video or whatever.
But also, big picture, where I'm
emailing all day long or phone calls
or meetings or that kind of thing.
I'm there to connect the dots
and share the same vision as my artists
to make sure that it's followed through
on every conversation that's had about their business.
- [Gaby] Doris grew up surrounded by music
in a family of missionaries.
That meant everyone learned some kind of instrument
to participate in the worship band,
and every Sunday or holiday was full of music.
Her first instrument was the saxophone,
but she also took up violin, guitar,
and is a self-proclaimed musical theater kid.
- [Doris] So the instruments are here--
- [Gaby] Do you play still?
- Chords are so easy on the uke.
- [Gaby] 'Cause it's, like, little baby thing.
Oh yeah, that's nice.
- It's the easiest instrument ever.
And then I have a baby Taylor,
'cause that was easy, 'cause I have small hands anyway.
Growing up, all my uncles were playing
barre chords and they would try to teach me.
- And you were like (squeals). - I literally can't.
To this day, I still can't.
So open chords only, I'm a noob forever.
(laughing)
- I feel like growing up,
when you're immersed in music,
you're often immersed in the performative side of it,
so the behind the scenes stuff
is stuff that you don't really get to see.
When did you start to pick-up on that
and learn about it?
- It was because I did a completed
career path switch in college.
I did theater for three years
and I thought I was gonna be a teacher
back in my old school district.
Be like, what's that one movie, "Freedom Riders"?
(laughing)
Because I grew up in the hood, in San Bernardino,
and it's literally the worst city in California
when it comes to dropout rate, homicide rate,
and unemployment, and poverty line.
It's crazy out there.
So I thought, "Cool. I'm gonna give back to my community.
"Be a theater teacher, teach these kids
"to get out of San Bernardino,
"but why am I going back to San Bernardino to do this?"
I don't know, I feel like everyone has
that existential crisis in college
trying to figure it out.
- It's interesting to hear you talk about
wanting to be a teacher
and give back to your community
because that is a mindset that you're
still taking into Mija Management.
- It wasn't til I started working for myself
and then I could figure out
that I could bring all my passions into one place.
Because I'm the only natural-born citizen
in a family of undocumented folks from Mexico.
So, it was like, how can I utilize my privilege
in being able to work in a field like this,
but also help my community along the way?
So working with artists like Hunnah
who's the daughter of an Ethiopian refugee
or like Cuco who's son of two undocumented
immigrants from Mexico.
It was mind boggling for me
to see it all fall into place
and be like, "Oh damn, wait.
"I'm creating this world around me
"of kids that grew up like me,
"but also their art is amazing
"and deserves so much more."
The way the last year has unfolded
for all of us has just been really surprising,
but in the best way possible.
- [Gaby] On top of running her own company
and elevating the art and careers
of other first generation Americans,
Doris is the founder and creator
of Solidarity for Sanctuary,
a series of benefit concerts
that raise money to help families
at high risk of deportation
tackle mounting immigration related legal fees.
She does this all with barely a blueprint
to follow besides obsessively studying
John Janick's career in her teens,
and finding a mentor in Tunji Balogun
while she interned at RCA Records.
- So when I close my eyes
and try and picture famous artists managers,
they're pretty much all white male faces.
You're a woman and a woman of color,
is that something that you were
constantly confronted with in this job?
And is it a challenge?
Is it an advantage in some ways?
- In the beginning, it felt like
my biggest obstacle, being a young woman
of color that was building my relationships as I go.
I met with attorneys that asked me how old I was
within the first five minutes of our meeting.
Whether it was a joke or not,
definitely had people ghost me, it's so funny,
but now, y'all regret that, huh?
(laughing)
Looks at the camera, "Y'all regret that, huh?
- [Gaby] Before launching her company,
Doris found herself in a series
of odd internships and temp jobs.
From a front desk position at Live Nation
to A&R work with record labels,
a stint in radio at KTLA,
and even some time in the HR Department
of Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.
Juggling all those different kinds
of jobs has come in handy though
because to be as effective a manager
as she is for multiple clients,
Doris has had to master flexibility
and creative problem solving
no matter what the situation might be.
So you don't really have a set day-to-day?
- [Doris] Not really, it's not like I go to an office
and have to be there by 10 a.m.
Like today, Hunnah and Cuco have
a session together in the afternoon,
but then Inner Wave has a show at The Roxy,
but then also there was meetings in the midst of that
that had to get postponed or rescheduled.
Especially in LA, everyone's so flaky.
(laughing)
- [Gaby] Well, one traffic jam
and your whole day is ruined.
- [Doris] Honestly, yes.
(slow rhythmic music)
- [Doris] What's up, yo?
Man, we so busy now, it's kinda ridiculous.
- You're just poppin though.
You have the whole MTV crew on your shit.
- [Doris] Stop it.
- Cuco, I know it's hard 'cause she's right here,
but why did you want to sign with Doris?
- I'm not here.
- I didn't feel like she was, like, my manger.
I felt like she was the homie.
She's the homie that was putting me on everybody.
Sometimes, she'll be like, "Look."
She won't tell me I shouldn't,
like, I can't do something,
but she, like, suggests that it's a bad idea.
(laughing)
But at the end of the day, it's like,
"All right if you want to shoot yourself in the foot.
"I don't think it's a good idea, but..."
- [Gaby] So she calls you on stuff?
- Yeah, she makes sure I'm not messing up.
(laughing)
- That's awesome.
I think she's doing a pretty good job.
- Oh yeah, dude.
I'm doing Coachella and all that.
- It worked.
I guess it worked out.
I guess it kinda worked out.
- It's doing well.
- I told Cuco when I first sat down with him,
"I just don't want some dude
"that has no idea about our culture
"and no idea of what you represent
"to, like, Ritchie Valens you.
"What you're doing is so pure
"it clearly connects with these teenagers
"that look like you, you're like their next door neighbor.
"You're a goofy-ass kid from Hawthorne."
Growing up I never got to see artists
like the artists we work with on the platform.
Like, ever. (laughs)
- Was that something that you realized
as you were finding artists
that you really connected with
or was that something that you
went into this job thinking about
and wanting to do?
- I think naturally I connect with artists
that represent my culture,
that represent the immigrant work ethic,
that kind of thing because that's been
such a massive part of my identity.
I feel like the message
that they have to represent
I can add value to it
because I have the life experience
of being able to connect with that
and really portray that in a conversation
with a label or a publisher
or a booking agent or whatever.
What these artists represent
is so beyond the music, it's who they are
and the people they generally connect with.
I think that's what music is for,
the artists are the bridge
between the music and the fan.
- [Male] Hey.
- [Doris] Hi.
- [Gaby] It's that direct connection
that makes show days Doris' favorite days.
On show days she's able to watch
her artists live out their dreams,
to witness young marginalized people
finally feel represented
and to experience the uniting power
of music that she's loved since her childhood
performing with her family in church.
So, what's the most rewarding part of this job.
- I think seeing the communities
that come together during these shows.
Like at a Cuco show, it's all these young Latino teenagers
that clearly this is a safe space for them
and they get to just enjoy a night
with other kids that look like them
with a kid that looks like them on stage.
It's just this energy that you can cut it with a knife.
I am so privileged to be able to work in a field
that I love because of the sacrifices
that my parents made to come to this country
and I just want to be an example
of what a product of an immigrant really is.
(slow electronic music)
- As a musical theater kid. - Nice.
- So I went to school for musical theater
for like a semester, I was like,
"Nah, just kidding, I'm gonna be a teacher."
And then I was like,
"Nah, just kidding, I hate this."
So then I doubled in communications
and got a job on campus
as a concert coordinator for their amphitheater.
Then once I got into the major label system
then I was like, "Shit, this is legit."
- So what I'm learning from this is
you're not only a business wiz,
but low-key you can sing, too?
(laughing)
("Lego House" by Ed Sheeran)
- Doris, everyone!
(applause)
(slow electronic music)