When I started playing mariachi in New York,
One of the things that I noticed that I was one of the only females doing mariachi music.
Also, just in the music industry I didn't know that many women.
I would constantly have these conflicts with machismo that I had to deal with.
I wanted to break away from the tradition a little
and do my own compositions and experiment with the arrangements.
All those things kind of sparked the idea of starting an all female mariachi.
So the first person I thought to start the group was Shea.
I called her up and was like, "Hey, do you want to start this group with me?"
I had never listened to mariachi before
I played rhythm guitar for you know, like rock songs, or funk.
We all came from different genres so the articulations
may be slightly different in the trumpet or vihuela.
Just kind of made it have its own sound.
If we all just stayed in our lane all the time,
things wouldn't blend or they wouldn't come together and create something new.
It's mariachi but it's like a little different.
We've lived so long in New York and we're exposed to so many cultures
and different kinds of music that I mean,
whatever each of us brought in, we're like, "Oh, that's cool!."
We all just kind of fit in so perfectly.
I grew up listening to mariachi
always mariachi, everyday.
What we do here is different.
I actually lost a couple friends over playing here in Toloache
because [my friends] are so traditional
When they heard that I was playing here,
they're automatically, "But they suck. You know it's a jazz band with mariachi instruments?
Why are you even playing there?"
I was like, "Well, because it's made me a happier person."
A great amount of push back comes from how we look.
We're wearing pants.
People don't like our outfits.
They don't like the fact that they're not the common mariachi outfit.
We make the uniforms ourself because that's how we feel we can express ourself best.
We're glad that it sparked a conversation and
and we're glad that it's empowering and inspiring other women.
It's important because, you know, if you're trying to be something that you're not,
then it kind of just comes across as forced.
If I have to stand up straight and do my hair,
I'm pleasing everybody else and not myself.
But if I'm slouching and pulling my sleeves, that's who I am,
and I feel so free.
I want people to see what music that I make from my heart sounds like.
If you want your art to be yours, it has to be something special.
It's cool to stick to what you believe in, but then there's also something
really beautiful that can come out of taking a risk.
You know, follow your joy. It will lead you to amazing places.
Now's a time for you to just express yourself and just keep going.
If it's true to yourself and it's very genuine, I think people will see that.