Judith After the Show
So, do you have any pre-show rituals to help you get pumped up?
“Okay, true rituals. Let me see. I think I listen to my friend’s music. My friends send me, like, their own released songs. I feel like it really mellows me out ... it feels like I’m in my bedroom listening to the samples of things. I [also] close my eyes and I do box breathing just to calm my heart rate, ‘cause you know before a show your hearts racing really fast. Taking my deep breaths with some music in my ears in the green room just bumping ... I’ve been listening to Maisie, Spill Tab, Chloe George, Sophia Valdez, Mayé and Ambar, huge fan. It’s so cool to be opening for them [on tour]. Those are my rituals.
What song are you most excited to perform on the tour?
“Oh my god, my new song that just released like, 2 days ago, ‘Tusi’. That is like, my favorite song, that and ‘ay ay ay’ [because] it’s my first time really performing it in front a big crowd, the unreleased stuff. It’s really fun to get everyone’s reaction to that. I can tell people really enjoy it, you know, by looking at how they’re dancing and they’re moving, it makes me so happy that people connect with it, it’s such a big song; it’s so loud. ... It’s such a fun song; it’s supposed to make you feel good.”
Segwaying that thought, I wanted to ask what you wanted your music to convey?
“I want people to feel confident in themselves. I want people to know you could talk about real shit that’s going on in the world through music and through your art. ... Sometimes people try to separate their beliefs with their music, and for me, it’s one in the same. I strongly feel that, especially with everything that’s going on in the world. So I want people to stay true to who they are and be proud of who they are and what they believe in.”
Which [considering] your merch, makes sense.
“The merch, ‘Chinga la Migra’, yeah! If I’m going to be doing something so priveleged, I wanna do it right, you know? ... Not everyone gets the chance to do things like this and it’s important to remind myself why I’m doing it too. ... It’s like a connection that I’m building because I’m like, we’re the same. We feel the same about this [issue] really deeply and I made that merch with my own hands. I made it with a lot of intention and a lot love. I wanted people to know that it’s important to me. ... We have such a strong community, and I think that that’s been holding me down this whole time.”
You yelling out “Chinga la Migra” at the end was one of my favorite parts of your set, ahaha.
“Yeah, that was like, oh my god. When that guy said, ‘Viva la rasa’, I was like, holy shit I’m home. I immediately felt so much better, like let’s fucking go! ... It made me feel so loved, it’s such a surreal feeling that I can’t even describe. This is the biggest show I’ve ever done, so I didn’t know what I was expecting. But I think it couldn’t have gone any better and the people have been so nice.”
I’m really happy for you, truly. To any artists who are just starting out or any musicians who are struggling to keep themselves in it, do you have any advice or messages that you embody yourself?
“I would say make the art for yourself, like don’t do it for people’s reactions. I feel like once you start doing it for other people to perceive, it starts changing what it actually means to you. For me, everything I’ve made with my new project has been from a place of reality; like being in the industry can feel very dystopian. They want you to be a very specific woman, things like that. If you stay true to what you’re making, like for you, no matter what and how the music does, it’s going to feel fulfilling to you and your journey. That’s why I’m so confident in what I’m doing ... I’m doing it from a deep place of love.”
Lastly, I wanted to ask, do you have any current guilty pleasure songs? Like one that you’re a little embarrassed about or that people don’t expect?
“Dude, this is so funny. I’m actually so fucking happy you asked this question. Do you know Alex Warren? (Sings a snippet) It’s called Ordinary and it’s like the whitest guy making this song and it’s my guilty pleasure. I listen to it all the time, like I listen to it when I work out. But his voice is incredible, the melodies to that song just hits so well. ... and I think people would think it’s so weird for me to listen to that because of the type of music that I make.”
Yeah, the way you describe it and thinking of your set, I get that, haha.
Written and photographed by Richardesque