Today we’d like to introduce you to Pablo Mirete.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Thank you for having me. I grew up in Spain completely fascinated by music and sound. As a kid, my room would always be full of instruments I’d made with shoeboxes, rubber bands, tubes, bottles, etc. I even remember creating a notation system so that I could write down the melodies I’d come up with on the playground. But music quickly became more than a game when my mom took me to my first piano class. There, I played a piano for the first time and instantly knew nothing would ever be the same. I pressed one of the low keys and by the time the note had faded out, I felt like I’d been reprogrammed and I suddenly had a purpose.
Fast-forward to 16-year-old me: I’d just received a scholarship to continue studying in Canada, so I packed my things and left Spain for the first time. All those years in between, I’d gone through a (sometimes overly) strict and old-fashioned Classical program, so most of my musical experience was linked to that and some traditional Spanish music. However, living in Ottawa I discovered my interest in commercial music (pop, hip-hop, film scoring, etc.), the freedom of jazz, and I reconnected with Spanish and Latin American music probably out of homesickness.
It didn’t take long until I felt stuck between countries and cultures but being challenged that way brought a huge sense of growth that I wanted to continue exploring. That’s when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came my way. I got a full scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston and became a Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation Ambassador. After four years, I graduated summa cum laude with a dual degree in Contemporary Writing & Production and Professional Music (Writing for TV and New Media, Composition and Music Technology) and a minor in Video Game Scoring. I didn’t even have my diploma in hand yet when I decided to come to LA. I had lived in Brooklyn for a few months prior to graduation and in fact, I was getting ready to move back to New York when I took a trip to the West Coast that changed my plans.
I went to San Francisco with some friends to continue developing a VR startup we were working on at the time. I love New England and the East Coast, so realizing how much I liked it here really caught me off guard. The bold creativity, the free-spirited people… something about California felt just right. Trying out the West Coast instead of staying in my comfort zone was the scariest option I had, so that’s exactly what I did.
Since this crazy music journey started, I’ve had the honor to collaborate with GRAMMY Award winners and nominees like Paquito D’Rivera, Pablo Ziegler, Arturo O’Farrill, Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell, Mark Walker, Berta Rojas and many other great artists. I have also co-led music production, leadership and experimental music workshops at places like MIT and MASS MoCA and been part of programs like the Quetzal Route in the Mexican jungle, Real Industry’s Real Startup in Silicon Valley or the Global Cultural Leadership Summit in Abu Dhabi. Music has given me so much: a living, a wonderful community, and a fresh sense of excitement every single day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I moved to Los Angeles with no house, no job, and no network. I took the savings I had from working my college years and jumped on a plane, ready to figure it out. I think I lived in four different houses my first four months in LA and quickly learned to say yes to every project. Big or small. Of course, some days were better than others but the beginnings –though exciting– weren’t that easy. I was always on the move. Going to different studios around town, writing/producing with artists, composing, etc. I had to learn a lot very fast but in the process, I got to meet some of the most wonderful people in my life now. There’s something magical about this place. It’s not easy and it’s not for everyone but hard work does pays off in this city. I moved to Los Angeles having nothing. Now, I am working full time doing what I love most and feel grateful I get to push myself further and further each day.
But everything comes at a price… For me, moving around so much also means I’ve had to normalize goodbyes and always being far from people I love, giving up creating as many new memories with them, etc. But I guess that’s a pretty common human experience. Another tough one in the past was never having enough resources to get the education I wanted and always having to fight for scholarships. Same thing goes for bigger projects, jobs, etc. Nothing good comes easy. I’ve also had to work and take care of myself in foreign countries since I was a teen, so there have been plenty of challenges there too. At the end of the day though, all these difficulties have given me the experiences that make me who I am today, so I wouldn’t change a thing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a record producer, media composer, arranger, and pianist. I love working with people who have a story to tell and helping them do so through music and sound. Depending on the day, this could mean producing a track for an artist, working with film directors/game developers on an original score or transforming a song into a different style for a live show. Whatever I do, I’m obsessed with vision, coherence, effectiveness, and emotional impact, so this is the framework I like to use when creating.
I’m also a huge audio/music nerd who loves people. I like bringing the technological side needed to get projects done today but I also have a pretty mixed musical background in pop, electronic, classical music, jazz, Latin & Mediterranean styles, etc. That’s why I stopped looking at music in terms of genre/style and adopted a more “fluid” approach to make sure the people I work with always get the best and most creative option I can offer. I think this combination of technology, thinking outside the box and experience translating human intentions into music is something that helps me a lot in my job.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I grew up surrounded by people telling me how risky a life in music could be. I guess it’s not the first career path that comes to mind when thinking of stability. However, I never felt like I had a choice. My love and dedication for it have always gone beyond these fears and I’ve learned that with enough work and time, people can make pretty big things happen. Besides, I understand a “risk” by a situation that can potentially make someone lose something they don’t want to lose. In my case, I’ve been very lucky to never feel my decisions would endanger me or my loved ones. Sure, some situations have been scary and nerve-racking but the worst thing that could happen was that I just didn’t gain anything from them, got disappointed or wasted some time. But even “wasted” time and energy usually bring good lessons. My point is that I’m young and I don’t have anybody who depends on me, so if I fall it’s only me who gets hurt. And I don’t mind that. The more times I fail, the closer I can be certain I am to my goals and life is too short to waste it with fear anyway. Some bad things are bound to happen whether or not we take risks; we might as well get something in return!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.pablomirete.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pablomirete/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3TtyWFxMIE_JtfLoN_y16g
