Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Mancanares.
Ariel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started posting videos on YouTube in 2009 when I was only 15 yeas old. I would post covers of songs and original songs that I wrote at the time. In the beginning, I didn’t think much of it and used it for fun until I realized years later that making music was my passion and the only thing that made sense to me, so I had to make it my priority. Now I have over 800k subscribers on YouTube and I’m working on my first EP in English to take the next step on my career.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been over ten years of persistent work, so yes, there were struggles. First, I’d say was that I went to Dental school in 2011 until 2015. I was doing what my family and the society told me: go to college, get a good job, make money and do music as a hobby. I grew up middle class and my father used to be a musician and my family struggled a lot, so at first they weren’t very supportive, they just wanted to make sure that I was taken care of financially and didn’t have to go to the struggled that they did. Having said that, I didn’t believe in myself, I was never the best singer or the best musician, but I loved doing it. However in 2013, I was selected to sing on the blind auditions for The Voice in Brazil, where I’m originally from, and ended up going on air. I didn’t get into the tv show after all, but having the production believing in me and putting me there made me believe in myself and made me realize that I wanted to do this, no matter what. I graduated and ended up doing a master’s after completing my studies in the beginning of 2018 and that was when I decided that I would leave all of that behind because life didn’t make sense if I wasn’t making music and creating art. So I moved to the US, where I’ve been working as a waitress and photographer and now I’m finally recording an EP in English.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m focused on writing and recording my English music project, somewhat indie/folk/pop and I’m very passionate about this. I’m also passionate about photography and I’ve been working on that too.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The production of The Voice for helping me believe in myself, my family for being supportive after I decided to leave Dentistry behind and my friends who were always with me. Also, the people who follow me on YouTube and supported me through all of this.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: aryyzona
Image Credit:
Ariel Mancanares. All the photos are self portraits, my photography instagram is @arielmancanares.ph
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