Afro-Latina Girl Group Musas Are Switching Things Up

Image Source: Katelina Ecleston

For sisters Keisha, Fiona, and Fiorella Sanchez, music is one thing that has at all times been part of their lives. “We come from a household of musicians on each side,” Keisha, the oldest of the siblings, says. The sisters fortunately recall the childhood vacation reveals they’d placed on for his or her relations, singing Christmas carols in each English and in Spanish for hours on finish. Yet regardless of placing on these jam periods for his or her relations and receiving formal singing, music, and dance coaching, the considered teaming as much as pursue their ardour by no means occurred to them — till the COVID-19 lockdown, that’s.

“We’ve at all times sung collectively, and we’d file covers and stuff, however we by no means mentioned, ‘Oh, let’s make the group,’ till the pandemic as a result of we had been all locked inside and we had been like, ‘Well, what will we do now,” Keisha says. And so, Musas was born. But in contrast to our passing obsession with banana bread, the New York-based group are extra than simply the product of pandemic boredom. Taking a cue from the woman teams of the ’90s and early 2000s, like TLC, Xscape, SWV, and 3LW, Musas are able to convey their eclectic sound to the plenty.

“So firstly, we had been like, ‘Let’s simply make music as a result of we love making music.’ But then it shifted as a result of we’re doing one thing that is been performed earlier than, so we would have liked to determine a technique to put our essence and cultural background into it,” Keisha says.

That numerous cultural background led the Colombian-Argentinian sisters to develop a sound that attracts inspiration from genres like reggaeton and salsa, in addition to a variety of artists similar to Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, and Aretha Franklin, to call just some. For instance, their newest launch, “Patience,” is an Afrobeat made in collaboration with Colombian producer DJ CrisBoy, Nigerian producers Davidace and Young D, and Colombian violinist La Lulu. Similarly, for his or her debut single, “Destino,” the trio tackled the rising style of ritmo exótico with assist from one in all its pioneers, Luis Eduardo Acústico.

When requested what style they may need to incorporate subsequent, the reply comes out with out hesitation. “Drill,” Fiona, the resident rapper of the group, says. “Like not a very drill track, however sooner or later simply change it up. I feel that might be actually cool,” she continues. She additionally mentions doing a reggaeton track sooner or later, ideally by collaborating with one in all that style’s up-and-coming artists. Of course, together with up-and-comers like themselves, the sisters even have their record of dream collabs starting from R&B stars like Alicia Keys and Chloe x Halle to reggaetoneros like Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny to boundary-pushing artists like Mabiland and ChocQuibTown.

But the group’s willingness to collaborate with different musicians and producers goes past only a easy seek for attention-grabbing genres. Identifying as Afro-Latinas, the ladies use collaboration as a technique to shine a lightweight on a tradition and individuals who have contributed a lot to fashionable music however are sometimes disregarded of extra mainstream conversations.

“[We want to] give the genres and the individuals who got here earlier than us their flowers and rejoice Afro-diasporic magnificence. That’s actually what it’s. It’s in our blood. Those are our roots. And if we will rejoice it, we are going to. That’s vital to us,” Keisha says. As light-skinned Afro-Latinas, Musas perceive that a part of their duty to their tradition is checking their privilege as a way to contribute to and spotlight the achievements of their friends in a respectful means — one thing they felt they achieved with the video shoot for “Destino,” which featured varied artists from their dad’s hometown, El Pacífico Colombiano.

“All the dancers in our video, even the choreographer, they’re additionally from the place my dad’s from. So he got here up with every thing to include our abilities however to nonetheless hold it authentic and recent,” Fiona says. Their eagerness to focus on the contributions of Afro-diasporic artists and collaborators is balanced by endurance (no pun supposed) relating to their very own musical journey.

“The extra we develop on this trade, I feel we’ll discover our personal spot in it and make a sound for ourselves the place folks will be capable of acknowledge us,” Fiorella says. However, the sisters additionally perceive that recognition takes time, particularly on the trail they’ve chosen.

“We’re additionally a lady group. We’re not solo artists, so it is a bit bit more durable as we’re in a spot the place there should not actually lots of people. But I feel we will affect folks to pursue it as effectively,” Fiona says. Besides being a bunch act making an attempt to make it in an trade dominated by solo artists, Musas additionally should cope with the identical challenges that have an effect on many ladies within the music enterprise. But even when the challenges they face as a younger, upstart woman group are quite a few, Musas discover energy in numbers and the truth that they’ve their sisterly bond to fall again on. And they’re assured that their imaginative and prescient will repay.

“There are so many ladies within the trade who’re so proficient, and that needs to be the factor that shines by means of. But you’ve the folks on high who could make or break you. But I feel that when you’ve a imaginative and prescient and like a set objective, it is attainable to interrupt by means of and make a reputation for your self,” Keisha says.

In the meantime, the sisters simply proceed to do what they love: make music that individuals can vibe to and that represents their tradition.