Today we’d like to introduce you to Aziza Gomez.
Hi Aziza, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My passion for music came when I was very young. My earliest memories of performing are when I was four or five, and my mom would push me to sing solos in church. I remember being in my room with my family’s radio CD player, listening to the same song on repeat until I learned the melody and all of the lyrics. Ask any of my friends; I can still go for several minutes listening to the same song on repeat if nobody says anything. I am grateful for those early musical experiences my mom encouraged me to do, she was my first vocal coach and even though she wasn’t a musician herself she did make sure I sang accurately and with heart. I gotta give it up to my parents for helping me develop my wide musical pallet. I was lucky enough to be exposed to both Latin and American music by them, and I spent hours listening to all the CDs they collected. Growing up, I was an only child and spent a lot of my time listening to music. Specifically, to the lyrics and stylings of pop divas, my favorite artists growing up were Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Mariah Carey. I would listen to them and mimic their inflections and tone because I was so mesmerized and inspired by them.
When I started the fourth grade, and it was time to join band, I picked out the Alto Saxophone and did not originally expect to be playing it for long. I played it throughout middle school and high school and eventually got my Bachelor of Music in Saxophone performance from California State University Long Beach. This is where I met some of the most amazing musicians and friends I have to date. Funny enough, I met my best friend and bandmate in our freshman math class when we didn’t even know we were both in the music program. One day after class we went to the practice rooms, and he showed me some original songs and compositions he had made, and I was blown away. When I first sang for him, he didn’t understand how I was studying saxophone instead of voice, and honestly, so was I, but I’m not one to give up, and I believe that I learned what I needed to learn about discipline and musicianship from playing the saxophone. By the end of freshman year Tom and I had formed our band The Modes and began writing original music The band was not completed until we met our producer Jesus Hernandez, it’s hard to explain how our three different musical aesthetics and personalities clicked and just made sense together. Now, after almost four years, we have recorded and released two singles, “Crashin” and “Fly,” as well as wrapping up our work on our first EP, which is set to release later this year. I am grateful to these guys for helping me express myself through our music and for teaching me so many things about production and songwriting.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing up as a first-generation Latina, I feel like there were a lot of expectations placed upon me by my family and community. Convincing my parents to allow me to go to school for music was extremely difficult but not impossible. I do not hold any anger or resentment towards the adults in my life because I understood their intentions but there were so many times where I had to put up with people projecting their worries and fears upon me. I had many people tell me that I was taking a big risk by choosing music as my career. I have heard everything in the book; I was told that state school was a reach for me, that most people in the industry are men, that I was going to be competing with a lot of other people who are better than me, that people wouldn’t take me seriously and that if I were going to be a famous musician, then I would have made it by now. A more vulnerable person would have let these comments defer them from chasing their dreams, but I am glad that I had the right amount of delusion and blind ambition to not let it stop me from becoming who I wanted to be. At the end of the day, I am my mother’s daughter and was a nervous wreck at the thought of making the wrong move in my life. I decided to be very strategic with my goals and really uncover what I wanted and what it would take to get there. Although I don’t have it all figured out, I have realized throughout my life that I am more than capable of achieving success and meeting my goals. I believe I am already equipped with what I need, and I don’t expect anyone to miraculously save my life. Every success and connection I have in my life is organic because of my own efforts and sacrifices.
I have been in many spaces and institutions where I did not feel seen or represented, so throughout my career, it was hard to find mentorship or even collaborators to work with. I have spent a lot of time feeling excluded and dealing with my imposter syndrome, so it took me a while to get to the level where I am now. To get to a point where I realized that maybe I should be the one to create these spaces where others like me can be accepted and feel safe to be themselves. I had to come to terms with the fact that no amount of external validation was ever gonna make me believe I am worthy unless I was able to believe it for myself. I am grateful to have attracted such kind people now who validate and encourage me to be the truest version of myself.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
After graduating from college, I focused my efforts into songwriting, The Modes, and teaching music. Some of my proudest achievements are the shows that I have put together, like The Modes first backyard show, where we had so much help and support from our family and friends to coordinate the details of. I will never forget how proud we all were at the audience turnout and at the fact that we sold out our shirts and snack bar. After that event, I put together a birthday bash full of seven of my favourite local artist and businesses. With the success of that show, we were able to raise funds for our upcoming EP. I love curating shows and bringing people together from the community so that is something I am looking forward to doing more of in the future.
As a music teacher I have learned so much from my students and feel so blessed to be in the position to now share my knowledge with others. It makes me happy to help others on their musical path and I try my best to be the music teacher that I wish that I had growing up. Music education can sometimes feel toxic or discouraging depending on how the teacher or professor treats their students, so I make it a priority to make my students feel heard and supported rather than judged or attacked. Seeing my students succeed and build up their confidence is extremely rewarding and healing to me, so it is an honor and pleasure to do it. I see the same passion I had for music in a lot of my students, so sometimes it just feels so full circle to see how my love of music is now helping others do the same. Music is such a powerful tool of expression and one that I believe everyone should have the opportunity to do. Anyone can have a song in their heart.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters the most to me is representation and giving back to my community. Being a minority in these male dominated spaces can be very discouraging, existing in spaces where you don’t see people like you in positions of power or given proper accolades can make you feel like you are just wondering the scene with no one to look up to or no one to motivate you that its possible. That very thing is something that keeps me moving forward, to know that my success can inspire others to take risks or to encourage them to dream big. We have all heard the endless horror stories of women, LGBTQ, and people of color being taken advantage of in music settings or by power-hungry labels that don’t pay them what they are worth, so that is something that I advocate against. Knowledge is power, and I hope that I can provide spaces to learn and advocate for yourself and the worth of your music. My biggest dream in life is to combine my passion for music and helping others by using my music for philanthropy and community efforts. I believe that I have benefited a lot from the resources of my community, and I see it only fair to give back to it in return.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readysetgomez22?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://www.instagram.com/themodesmusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aziza-gomez-955765160
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@themodesmusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-modes-music
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3YQcsLqPJkb7LKpWuMlEXv
