Today we’d like to introduce you to Blackk Widow Chick.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My name is Erica Martinez, better known as Blackk Widow Chick within the music realm. I am 26 years old, and currently a full time, single mommy and musician. I am from the small City of Commerce, CA. Growing up in East LA has definitely had an influence on who I am and my creativity. I grew up singing around the house with my grandma who was also from East LA, a huge mentor for me. Music is huge in my family, and I was exposed to every genre. I would listen and sing along to the Beatles, Selena, Santana, Janis Joplin, the cranberries, to my personal favorite Billie holiday. It was around the age of 3 years old when my mother said it was apparent that I could sing and had range. There isn’t a time where I wasn’t singing. I had been bullied a lot in school for being chubby, and “different”, I was very expressive especially in my unique gothic style, haha. I had very few friends and being extremely poor coming from a low-income area, I really didn’t have the outgoing personally I do now, or the confidence to sing in public to STRANGERS. I was always worried about judgment- quite the contrary to now. I auditioned for my first Christmas talent show in 5th grade and I nearly shit my pants BUT I won 1st place singing “Hero” by Mariah Carey. It wasn’t till around the time my grandma, who was my mentor, as I mentioned passed away when I was 14. Something changed in me, and I vowed to myself to live freely without fear. I was given a beat-up acoustic guitar and I began teaching myself to play. It was then I realized, songwriting came naturally to me. It was like the breakthrough I had been waiting for all my life, and nothing before that moment mattered. I was going to spend every day dedicating myself to what makes me happy and ultimately what makes me ME.
At age 17, I joined a classic rock band called “New Born Child” and began performing and singing classic rock cover songs for the next two years or so, with three of my forever closest friends. Our age differences, however (I was wayyy younger) eventually, I feel was the reason we overall stopped playing together. We each had different things going on in our lives, them being much older trying to figure out theirs and me just barely starting out. From then on, I basically developed my guitar skills and vocal skills and wrote songs that I held onto and perform in my two bands today. I had been in a very long relationship that went south, It ended up being very toxic and I was domestically abused on the regular. I found my self becoming that isolated and quiet child again. After gathering every strength I had in me to leave, I got help from a DV (domestic violence) center designed for women. Till this day I am an advocate for women and decided to major in clinical psychology and child development. They saved my life and helped me find music again. I took a couple of years off, had my son Jude Rabbit Moon who is my entire universe, and even went to school but my heart knew I’d get back into the game someday. I was sitting at home on a Wednesday night.
Around the time my son was one year old, I had an itch to perform, so I google “nearest open mic near me” and found the Lexington bar in downtown Los Angeles. I called, showed up, performed with my crappy acoustic with dust on it hah, and the owner called me the next day offering me a promoting job. I spent the next three years, setting up stage and sound peripherals, to booking bands for the bar, as well as formulating my own. The very first band I booked was “Radio Cellar” and the lead singer Jenner Glessner would become one of my best friends and drummer. I stole him, haha. We’ve been working together ever since. In these recent days, we have I felt like I was reborn again. These days I am training as a preschool teacher, and currently in two bands. BlKKLUXX, which is all of my original music (dark soft rock) and in a Duo Oldies cover band with my Partner called THE ZEE’s.
Please tell us about your art.
I write extremely personal music. I enjoy writing the rhythm sections on guitar to a song and then personalizing it to my own experiences, and so far have been extremely relatable to others from what they share with me. I never really felt I had to do, I just wrote. It helped me get what I was feeling out on paper and into Melody. I want people to hear, that most things we go through in life, are very common and full of humility. If you can walk away feeling sad, or some type of connection to my music, I told my story well-I did my job.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
In the past, too often I let my circumstances get me down. It drained me and left me feeling uninspired at times and feelings of failure. My advice would be, if music is who you are, it will always be there. You can do more than one thing, and still get to your destination, so long as the patience, love and will is there. Be proud, and kind to yourself.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Ironically, in such a technological world at the moment, I am a late bloomer to the Spotify, and sound cloud world., BUT I do have social media accounts that have gig dates and video content of performances and even unplugged videos of my work. you can find me on Instagram and Facebook as Blackkwidowchick_ and my duo band as The Zee’s.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Blackkwidowchick_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erica.monique.5070
Image Credit:
Art work “ release the toxicity” by black widow chick
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