What was the moment you felt like your career shifted and when you knew that you wanted to do music with your life?
Estevie: I started from a very young age. I started singing when I was eight. But I don't really feel like there was ever a moment where I was like, "All right. This is it. This is what I'm going to do." Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to do something in the entertainment business. At first, I wanted to model, and then I wanted to be a news reporter. And then, I discovered singing, and I was like, "All right. I like this one." Ever since then, I just kept singing. I kept preparing myself. I got singing classes and just tried to become better, and I haven't stopped ever since. I just kept singing at different places. I'd say maybe when I felt like things started getting a little more serious with my music was when I signed to Ricky Reed's label Nice Life. It just felt like I was on the right path to what I wanted to do. I feel like that was probably the moment I was like, "Okay."
Do you have any career highlights, any shows where you were really feeling like you were kind of onto something?
Estevie: There's been so many moments. I feel like maybe the first show that I did last year as a headlining artist, I was like, "Damn, there's actually people here coming to see me." And I mean, those were my first shows, and I think there were like 300 people. I was like, "Okay. This is actually crazy." It felt surreal to just see what my music has done for people and, you know, have people singing your lyrics. It's crazy. It's an indescribable feeling, for sure.
What drew you to cumbia music? I feel like when I go through all your comments, everyone's like, "Oh, she's bringing it back. We need more modern cumbia artists." So what kind of drew you in that direction?
Estevie: Cumbia was a genre I was always listening to when I was little. It was always present. I would sing it occasionally when I was younger, but I'd never really paid much attention to it. I never expected to be dedicating my career to making cumbia. But there was this moment when I was around 17. I was kind of going through a rough moment as an artist and questioning whether or not I should continue just singing and doing everything because I was like, I don't see anything happening. I feel like a lot of artists go through that at some point. So I felt pretty lost. And I've always been very spiritual, and I believe in God. And there was this moment where I was like, "All right, if this is for me, lead me towards what I'm supposed to do." Because I honestly don't know what I'm doing. Guide me towards what I'm supposed to be doing." And surely enough, that's cumbia. I was going back on my videos from when I was younger, which I never do. I hated watching myself when I was younger. For some reason, that day, I was just going through all my videos, and I came across this one video of one of the judges of the show I was on Academia. Her name is Alicia Villarreal, and she was singing "Ay Papasito," and I was like, "Oh, my God. I remember watching that when I was little." That song is what changed the whole course of my career. I was just so inspired. It was a Cumbia Nortena. And I was like, "Oh, my God. I can't believe people aren't making this kind of music anymore." I feel like there should be more in this. And yeah, after that day, I just forgot all of the reggaeton music, the pop. I just kind of pushed it aside. And I was just like, "I'm going to focus on cumbia and trying to figure out what this new sound is." I needed to find a way to make that kind of cumbia in a new way that was appealing to this new generation. And so that was my goal. And that's when I came up with Canela. And that song really opened a lot of doors for me. Dedicating my whole career to cumbia has really opened so many doors for me and just has set me apart from the crowd.
I read that you work with your family. How has that played a role in your career?
Estevie: My family has been, I think, one of the biggest blessings I've had. I honestly wouldn't be where I am as an artist if it weren't for them. Each one of us has a role. My dad is in charge of all the touring stuff, taking care of the musicians and me, making sure we're on time everywhere and doing just all the technical things. My brother's the tour manager who organizes everything when it comes to budgets and all of that. My mom helps me with my wardrobe, just coming up with outfits and making sure I'm looking good. I've been working with them, I mean, my whole life ever since I started my career. I feel like it's such a special thing to have your parents and your families support you unconditionally. I feel like no one is going to be there for you the way that your family is. I feel like, for some people, it's been really surprising to see that. Not a lot of artists work with their families, but I feel like it's really big in the Mexican-American community. I feel like a lot of artists can get lost. It's very easy to get lost in this industry. I feel like my parents and my brothers are always there to kind of ground me and tell me, "Oh, this is what's up. Got to stay on this path. And if you go into this other way or another way, these are the possibilities of what can happen." And they always keep me grounded and focused on what's important.
I love that. And tell me about your new song. What's the story behind it?
Estevie: That song I wrote last year. I was in a relationship, and I got the opportunity to fall in love and all of that. It's a song about love and finding a person that you're just so infatuated with. And seeing that person feels the same way about you and being like, "Oh, my God, I can't believe this is happening right now."
I like that phrase: the opportunity to fall in love.
Estevie: It doesn't happen all the time. So, the last time I was in a relationship was when I was 15. So long time, six years. Most of my songs aren't really that lovey-dovey. I'd say they're more of a heartbreak side. I kind of wanted to be a lover girl for once.
I love your videos and the aesthetic, and what are some of your inspirations when you're like thinking about the video direction? Especially with your fashion choices too.
Estevie: I am very inspired by everything from the '90s and 2000s, all the pop girls that were popular at that time. So I grabbed a lot of inspiration from all of that, and I kind of like, "Okay. What would they do in that era?" And then kind of mix that in with who I am, my culture, being Mexican. I love Western, anything that's Western cowboy, all of that. And then I kind of put those two together and like, "All right. I guess that's what makes this theme."
How does fashion kind of play a role in your music? Like I feel like the two are so intertwined with your performances.
Estevie: I love love fashion so much. I think it's one of the most important parts of who I am as an artist. Yeah, I feel like it all goes together. I feel like, as an artist, you have to have your hands on every part of your career. It's important. I feel like you can really tell whenever an artist does that because their projects just feel more authentic and unique, and they're just putting who they are into it. Fashion feels just as important and as fun as making a song. With my mom, we'll take hours to get the outfit right, but we're putting pieces together, taking them apart, reconstructing them. And at the end, whenever we have the final outfit, we're like, "Damn." When you listen to a song, and it's all done, you're like, "Damn."
What has been one of the biggest challenges for you as an artist in your career?
Estevie: I'd say just trying to stay motivated and always doing something that's making the project feel like it's elevating. I never like it whenever I feel like my sound feels stagnant. It all feels the same. There's nothing that's-- it doesn't feel like it's growing or evolving. And I feel like for me right now. I feel like that's one of the challenges I'm going through, seeing what worked for me in my last project and kind of implementing that on what I'm working on now, but making it new. And I feel like that's really important for an artist because I feel like I always want to be just renovating my sound and just seeing what I can do to make the audience feel like they're listening to something new, not something they've already heard from me. So right now, I think it's that. Just trying to see what I can do to mix things up.
How do you stay motivated? Because there are so many challenges and difficulties for artists in music right now. What keeps you motivated, and what keeps you going?
Estevie: It's hard to stay motivated. I mean, there are days where I'm like, "Damn, I don't feel like making music today." But then I think of the product that I'm going to get from a week of working on music, and I'm like, "All right. I'm going to do it." I've been trying to stay in the studio every single day and just trying to stay busy. Because at the end of the day, that's what makes me feel like I'm getting closer to what I want to become and the artist I want to become. I try to think of the goals, at the end of the day, what I want to achieve. I always try to stay focused on the angle.
What artist or song has been on rotation for you this week? Do you have anything that you're really loving?
Estevie: So, two artists. I think I'm saying her name right. Chappell Roan. It's kind of crazy because I do listen to English pop music, but I've never really been really invested in an artist like that. And there's something about her that's really captivating and interesting. I know I've been replaying all of her songs, and I'm like, "Yeah, I like this girl." She's really talented. And then I've been obsessed with Peso Pluma, the total opposite.
I love those two worlds for you. His Coachella set was so good! What's your best piece of advice for women in music?
Estevie: I'd say just focusing on yourself and trying to find what's authentic to you. I feel like as an artist, that's just the most important thing you can do, just really digging into who you are and then trying to portray that through your music. I feel like that's the best thing you can do. And that's when you achieve the most authentic music as well, whenever you're being authentic to yourself. There's this mindset of just like, "Oh, I'm going to make music that's mainstream and just do what everyone else is doing." And that's good, having that mindset. But at the same time, you also have to put that authentic side of it into all of that. And so that's kind of what I try to do: see what's popular, but at the same time, put the things that I could only put into that kind of music.
Emily Treadgold
