Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Viviana Zuñiga
Hi Evelyn Viviana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in San Diego, CA, and I grew up attending church in National City. I started singing at the age of seven, both solo and in the children’s choir, and later in the youth choir. Most of my mom’s side of the family has musical talent, whether it’s singing, playing an instrument, or both. I like to believe we all inherited it from my grandparents, and that music is coded into my DNA. They are all from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. I loved growing up in a border city and getting to experience my roots from only a 10 min drive away. As I got older, I decided to join the marching band in 8th grade, where I first picked up the flute. I fell in love with this instrument and stayed in marching band til the end of high school. After I graduated in 2013, I took a long 6-year hiatus from the flute. I picked it back up around 2019, and to my surprise, the muscle memory never left. Since then, I have been trying to up my jazz flute chops little by little! Now, I write and compose my own music, and I incorporate the flute into my songs as much as possible. I decided that my stage name would be Vivi Nubes. Vivi is short for Viviana, which is my middle name; and nubes means “clouds” in Spanish. I am not necessarily a shy girl (I am pretty extroverted, actually) but I was a hermit for most of my 20s and didn’t express myself musically until I dropped my first EP only on SoundCloud called “is that me?” in 2016. It wasn’t until 2024 that I dropped my first single on all streaming platforms called “Sudden Waves of Heartbreak”. This was the first song I wrote that was professionally recorded with a full band in Tijuana at Estudio Ecorama. Support for this recording came from the indie record label I signed with called Cloud the Dog Records. My musical journey continues with my beautiful community in San Diego, where I have recently joined a non-denominational community choir called the “Living Arrangement” which has re-invigorated my desire to share my voice with the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say there have been some setbacks to my music-making path. The struggles have come from negative self-talk, insecurities, and self-doubt. I know that sounds corny, but telling yourself that you aren’t good enough eventually makes you believe it. The imposter syndrome was real. Sometimes, it is still present in my head, but I remind myself constantly that I am talented enough to prevail in this industry. You have to have thick skin. People have turned me down from so many opportunities. They have doubted me or underestimated me. But I have grown to love myself so profoundly, so deeply that no one can tell me I’m not enough anymore.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a hands-on creative through and through. My second career of choice was fashion design. My mom is a seamstress. She inspired me to take on this career path. Getting my associate’s in fashion has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I am proud of being a multi-faceted artist. In this lifetime, I get to create music and design clothing. I wouldn’t have it any other way. In music, I specialize in boleros, Latin jazz, and Latin pop. Getting to curate my designs and combine them with the mood of the music I create has been a rewarding experience, to say the least. I am very excited to create more moments like that not just for myself, but for others as well.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a daydreamer! I was a very charismatic and outgoing kid. I always knew what I wanted to do with my life. I grew up watching lots of anime in Spanish as well as listening to music in Spanish, which has in many ways shaped my aesthetic today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivinubes/
Image Credits
All photos by Angélica Sortdesanz González
