Unfiltered Canada: Full Interview with Jace Carrillo

Unfiltered Canada is BACK with another episode featuring Venezuelan-Canadian artist, JACE Carrillo! 🔊🔥 With this video series, we chat with some amazing Symphonic artists and get a closer look at everything they’re working on, personal stories, passion projects and so much more. Read the full interview with JACE Carrillo below…

Unfiltered Canada: Full Interview with JACE Carrillo

Alejandra Marroquin (AM):

“Who is Jace Carrillo, and how did you get where you are today?”

JACE Carrillo (JC):

“Hola, yo soy Jace Carrillo, nice to meet you! And well, it’s been a whole adventure. I think I consider myself like a bridge between Latin America and Canada, trying to explore sounds that are more from this side of the world. And at the same time, connecting my roots and my rhythms through that music.”

(AM):

“Exploring a little bit more of that Venezuelan Canadian background. How do you think it shaped your artistic expression and how do you incorporate elements from both cultures into your music?”

(JC):

“You know, I grew up listening to RnB and music that was really like Anglo pop and things like that, right? Really indie somehow. And I think when I was ready to do this music, this style, these genres here in Canada, I noticed how beautiful it is to incorporate those rhythmic sounds, those maybe Tambores or elements that define where I’m coming from and what it makes me feel natural.”

“Somehow we all have, this Latin community, definitely has flavor in their veins. And I think that it’s beautiful to mix it all, because Canada has that. Canada has, it’s like if the world comes here, and you learn so much from other cultures, and I feel like my culture as a Latin can also blend well with what we’re used to here.”

(AM):

“Congrats on your Fuego Fuego performance! And being the first Latin artist to perform without necessarily doing Reggaeton is a significant milestone. How do you see your music contributing to the diversity of Latin music representation in Canada?”

(JC):

“That’s excellent. I think now that it’s been, of course, it’s been a whole process of learning curves and it’s never like a straight line. But I feel like the moment I was told that I was gonna perform in such a festival as Fuego Fuego, I kind of confirmed that breaking those barriers of stereotypes and just believing in how you can make a difference as an artist and proposing things that are not what the rest of the community does…Things like that, like the fact of being here and performing at that festival made me realize that I’m going in the right direction.”

“And of course, my goal as an artist here that sings in Spanish in a country that speaks French and English, I think is to precisely raise a flag and say like Canada can export Latin music as well and be part of that that industry that is elevating and elevating each year. And I think Symphonic has helped me to connect those dots and helped me to somehow put myself in a radar of new waves of music. The era is a new era and I think music is changing so much.”

(AM):

“I’m so glad to hear that and it really is awesome because nowadays internationally, Latin music is just Reggaeton or Regional Mexicano. That’s a predominant genre. But I love that there are artists like you who are exporting music into the world with different sounds so that people can see the variety of sounds that we have in Latin America.”

(JC):

“And it’s about that, right? Like I feel that Latin America is a mix of the world and how we call a cocktail, no? Really something that is not coming from one specific point or one specific origin. That’s what is beautiful.”

“I’m proud of trying new genres or trying new ways to spread Spanish and to help those who wanna learn Spanish through music. I think it’s a beautiful thing being here and somehow proposing to the Latin industry that is feasible to do other genres as well. And at the same time showing Canada that Latin music is not only a genre, it’s not only reggaeton, it’s not only one thing, it’s a blend of beautiful things that they can incorporate as well as their own.”

(AM):

“So as an independent artist, what are some of the challenges that you face in the music industry? Like what are the most common ones?”

(JC):

“Yes, definitely. And that comes with challenges, like being the Latin guy in Canada, of course, represents a challenge with media or with placements in radios or things that can make you noticeable in the community and in your city. But that’s why I’m really proud when a song like “Eclipse” was playing on the radio, one of the most important radios here in Quebec and in Canada too. It’s kind of like showing that it is feasible, it is possible to propose music that is made in Canada, but that is not necessarily what they’re used to in the last years. And I think that opens another conversation for sure.”

“I think the goal here is not to be considered a genre, but be considered a whole layer in this industry. I think I take as an example what is happening in the United States and how the Latin US has been increasing and increasing exponentially in the past years. I think we can accomplish the same here. I think we can start a new conversation where artists, Canadian artists, Anglo or Francophone artists can blend with the Latin artists as well and keep showing globalization or keep showing the rest of the world how music trespass barriers of languages.”

(AM):

“When you make music, what message, or what feeling do you hope that listeners take away from what you write and what you produce? And how do you strive to connect with your fans on a deeper level with your music?”

(JC):

“When I write music, and when I produce music as well, I always try to be honest with myself. I try to do music that represents me and I know that no matter what happens tomorrow, I’m going to be proud of what I did. I’m going to be proud of the content, of what I wanted to put out. I think talking about not only my romantic experiences, but also the immigration story of coming from afar, and adapting in a new place, adapting to new cultures and exploring new ways of living. I think that’s part of my story or my legacy as an artist. And I think that feelings are what defines me.”

“I think talking about self -motivation, about how to come out of a dark spot, of a dark zone. I think nowadays we need somehow more curation, more messages that can really go to your heart and your mind. I think my music can somehow find a message of hope.”

(AM):

“If you could create a superhero alter ego based on your music persona, what would your superpowers be?”

(JC):

“Wow, that’s a good one! I really like swimming… I would love to be able to explore the ocean, go in the profounds, like in the deep ocean and being able to see what nobody has told us, you know, nobody has seen…. I also like to talk about space. I like to talk about the cosmos and how it relates to love, too. But I think the ocean, we have it right here. And at the same time, it’s like, we don’t know anything about it. So I think it’s an interesting one.”

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