Today we’d like to introduce you to Meztli Zambrano.
Hi Meztli, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I always knew I was born to sing – this has always been my childhood passion. I loved music and music served as an escape for me to find creativity! My musical journey started back in 1st grade when Mrs. Fortes, a dear family friend of my family heard me sing. I remember her telling my mom “your daughter can sing!” My mom found it a little funny considering I was only a first-grader. She questioned Mrs. Fortes and was told that I had talent. Flash forward two years later, my mom enrolled me in private vocal lessons with the best vocal teacher I ever had – Natalya Alexander. I studied classical, opera and broadway with Natalya for a little over six years. She helped me find my voice and develop even more of a love for singing than I could’ve ever imagined. Natalya helped me prepare for GSACS Golden State competition to perform vocal solos in which we had many victories as a team! She became not only a vocal and piano teacher to me but a mentor over the years.
I then attended Azusa Pacific University and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Commercial Music Voice Performance. While attending APU I was able to discover my “pop” voice with the help of Aretha Scruggs who was my vocal coach for some time. I wrote many songs and never did anything with them, but I knew that when I graduated I had to release one of my songs! On May 13, 2022 I released my debut single “AYAYAY!” A Latin flair pop song capturing a passionate and spicy love story and the fulfillment of my childhood dream. I am now getting to release my second single ‘Disappear” on June 17, 2022 and my third single in July! I’m very excited and amazed to see where my journey has led me and I am excited to grow!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wish I could say it’s been a smooth road, but struggles are what make the journey better right?! About six years ago I was diagnosed with some chronic auto-immune illness that hinders my ability to sing and causes me debilitating fatigue. When I found this out I felt as if suddenly my life and passions seemed to be flipped upside down. I am a vocalist and I’ve known my entire life this is what I am called to do, but these health issues have made it difficult to pursue that dream consistently. My health had caused me to slow down and even take a semester off of school. As a vocalist, it’s been discouraging at times when these health issues flare up.
With all that being said, it hasn’t been as smooth as I’d like it to, but it has taught me to be grateful for even the smallest blessings and victories in my every day to day life as a new artist. I’ll admit, I’ve had many doubts thinking that maybe my dreams and goals were actually slipping away from me entirely, but one thing I know for sure is that even though my health plays a big part of my life, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in what you want. I have had family and friends help me realize, that even though I had to slow down at one point in pursuing this musical journey, it does not mean I am failing if I continue to keep going to the best of my ability and seeing the little successes in my daily life. I mean I’m releasing music! – a passion I didn’t think I would be able to accomplish after all. Some days are harder than others, so it’s okay to just take it one step at a time rising to meet your goals and dreams. We can dream big and go forward but some days we may want to just throw in the towel. I’ve learned it’s best to be your own advocate and listen to your body and to not give up the fight of pursuing our dreams.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a new artist! I specialize in songwriting and vocals. My debut single “AYAYAY!” was released on May 13, 2022. If you love Latin pop you’ll definitely want to listen! My second single “Disappear” is set to release on June 17, 2022. This is an empowering song with a modern pop feel. I have another single getting ready to release in July and that one is dance-pop!! It’ll for sure have you grooving haha! It’s been so much fun working with producers such as Ebiut Cervantes and Daniel Afanador. They’ve really helped my visions come to life and it’s so rewarding seeing a song I wrote grow and expand into a beautiful music production. I’m most proud of this entire journey and simply just getting the opportunity to do what I love most – music. In a way, this process has helped me learn a lot of why I love music and has helped me love myself more. I’m excited to continue on with this journey and sharing many more songs with everyone. I write each song based off life experiences I’ve had so they come from a real intimate and raw place. It’s important for me to write relatable music that listeners can connect with on a deeper level. Listeners can follow my journey on my social on Instagram or Twitter!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I would definitely say good luck has come my way on this journey. As I mentioned earlier, I had to take a semester off school and retake some courses due to missing classes because of my health. I definitely couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel in the midst of my darkest challenge and I thought my music journey was getting more out of reach. I was able to return to school after my health scare and time off school and continue to pursue my dream in 2019. Flash forward to 2020, when Covid hit, our school asked all students to leave campus due to covid. This was my senior year and I needed to find an internship so that I could graduate. I was having no luck and suddenly an opportunity opened for me and led me to my current job where I work as a Content Operations Associate at Downtown Music Services. I saw this as a sign that this door was not closing but rather it was just getting started. I felt confirmation and blessed that since then my health hasn’t caused me to take another detour and that I get to work in the music industry with an amazing company and pursue my dream!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meztlizambrano/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeztliZambrano
Image Credits
Meztli Zambrano Justin Bush
