Based out of Los Angeles, Skeletosphere is a 21 year old Mexican-American singer/songwriter who is sprucing up and reshaping the current rock scene by campaigning to women and the queer community. Bringing in influences from several genres including grunge and punk, Skeletosphere is back with a hard-hitting, dream rock ballad “Mean.” At her core, Skeletosphere is a storyteller, and she also rocks. Check out our interview with her below!
Thanks so much for answering my questions, and congratulations on the new single! How is life finding you recently?
Hi! Thanks for this opportunity. Life’s been pretty good.
You spent a lot of time in Mexico while growing up, and I know that you resonate strongly with your culture as a Mexican-American woman. How would you say this has influenced you as an artist?
Mexican music itself is very passionate. When artists write songs about anything they really don’t hold back, especially when it comes to love.
Growing up listening to artists like Vicente Fernandez made my own approach to writing about love freer and less contained. Beyond that, I think a
large part of my decision to pursue music is because of how highly valued art and music are in Mexican culture. Having love for art is often seen as a “gift” rather than a detriment and my whole life I’ve seen artistic people: painters, mariachis, singers be celebrated. So it definitely made my confidence as an artist grow and remain as I made my way in a different culture.
When did you first realize you had a love and passion for music?
It’s so hard to pinpoint a time I started loving music because I feel like I was just born loving music. I think what made me really realize that I loved
making music was when I realized I wasn’t growing out of it. In middle school and high school I thought making music was just a fun thing that most
people tried their hand at, but I quickly realized people didn’t share my same dreams and habits. I was like waiiit this isn’t normal. I think that’s how I
learned what loving something felt like.
Who do you hope your music resonates or connects with?
I think my music can connect with most people, at least I hope that’s true. I try to be as in touch as possible with myself, especially because the age we
live in has given such an “unreal” quality to everything. I feel like art is the last chance we have at being real. Ultimately, I’ve found myself through the
music made by songwriters that I fiercely admire in their honesty and I hope to continue their tradition to the best of my ability. If people can recognize a bit of their own mind in mine, that would make me feel the most like a human and the most like an artist.
What does the songwriting process usually look like for you?
I start songs off usually inspired by a word or a line that I grab out of the air and suddenly make into a song. I think that I don’t even realize a lot of things I feel or have gone through until I have a finished product in my lap. When I write the lyrics and melody I explore them further with my musician friends or producers who help me bring them to life and into the sonic sphere. After that we just mess around on instruments and DAWs until we have a full song.
Who are some artists that you look to for inspiration? Whether that be from their music or just them as a person?
There’s a lot of artists that I feel have influenced my music, but there are a lot of artists that also inspire me just for who they are. My favorite bands of the past year are Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Veruca Salt, Mazzy Star, and Sleater-Kinney. In the past year I also started to read a lot of artist
memoirs and uncover more about some artists in different music scenes and kind of found myself relating to them in really special ways. Loving the
music and learning about other musicians’ lives inspired me just to keep pushing in this music world as tough as it can be sometimes.
Your newest single “Mean” is wickedly good! Where did the inspiration for this track come from?
Thank you!! I wrote “Mean” about a year ago, it started as a very stripped down alt-indie track. Lyrically, it was about a series of failed romantic
endeavors where I felt like the “bad guy” at the end of them. It’s a pretty sad song, but there’s so much power in letting yourself feel through your hurt
instead of trying to hide it. Sonically, the shoegaze texture of the song took place so naturally. It just wove right into the story and melody. I think I’ve
been so engulfed in buzzy gritty sound that I can’t live without it now, and neither can the songs. “Mean” is a reflection of many different parts of me in that way.
Your lyrics are always very open and honest, would you say that makes it easier or more difficult to write music?
I think for me it’s easy to write emotionally vulnerable songs, but it’s difficult to release them. With “Mean”, I think I took an important step towards that. In the process of writing, working on the songs with producers, then releasing them to the public, I get very anxious about people uncovering the ways I really see myself through my music. But the thing I love most about music is artists who’ve never held back, and they’ve inspired me to do the same. At the end of the day, it’s a beautiful thing to feel this much.
What are your goals or hopes for the future as an artist?
I really want to learn how to play more instruments and explore other genres. I’ve been doing a lot more collaborative work with other artists as well which has been so fun. My short-term goals are to do more live shows and a tour. I love playing live! Eventually, I want to work on making a full-length album. That would be so sick.
What’s next for Skeletosphere?
I have an EP coming in the next few months! I’ve gotten to work on it with a bunch of friends in the past year. The songs are all in slightly different sonic styles mostly taking inspiration from grunge and shoe gaze artists. It feels like the most “me” thing I’ve ever made. It envelops all the anger, fear, and rush of being a young woman in this world and I’m excited for people to rock out to it
Keep up with Skeletosphere!
Listen to "Mean" here
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