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Volume 3, Issue 10 May 2008
Interview with Indie Recording Artist, Xiomara Medina
1) What motivated you to become a singer and how did you get started?
I knew I wanted to become a singer since the age of six. My class did an interpretation of "Is a Small World After All" I dressed up like the Mexican girl. The rush from performing was the best thing I ever experienced...that's when I knew that I wanted to be a singer. I started writing songs by the age of fourteen. I've been performing ever since.
2) Tell us a little bit about your music.
My music is really not mine but everybody else's. I write from the heart whether is personal experiences or just inspired by someone else's experiences. I am the product of my environment. "Temperatures of my Life" was my environment. It was the easiest for me to execute and express myself at the time. This particular album has influences of pop, rock, funk, r&b, hip hop and Latin. I like to think every song carried it's own character but they all complemented each other in the album.
When I listen to a track or musical piece, I don't try to change it but complement it. When someone creates a musical piece whether it is a track, a guitar, a piano or any instrumental piece they had a sensation or a feeling in mind. Most of the time, I try to interpret their feelings into words and melodies to fit their music. I grew up listening to so many different genres from funk, rock, pop, ballads to salsa, merengue,ranchera, if I was to mention all the artist it would sound like when a person is cruising through all the radio station on their radio...
3) There are mixed feelings within the music industry about new Internet technologies. How do you see the future of the music industry? How do you see these technologies affecting your music?
New technology has completely change the music industry good and bad. Bad because it makes it harder for an artist to capitalize on an album when so many people can just send each other mp3's and find free music online. Good because one can create a song with a total stranger from across the world and never have to meet to create a banging hit. Another good perspective is that an artist can get massive exposure without having to spend an arm and a leg for marketing. When changes come about we all have to adjust and redirect our course and the way we do business. Artists will have to adjust and get creative capitalizing from performances and other sources of revenue.
4) What is one positive thing and one negative thing you have learned about the music business through your experiences?
Positive...I have learned. Once you learn how to do a profile online all other websites follow similar formats. I've gotten more tech, which is a plus...
Negative...Music has decentralized and an artist has to wear more hats in the initial stages of their career. Learning the business is by trial and error do not rely on one individual alone, branching out through different resources is more effective. I recommend taking courses in managing business and marketing.
5) What advice can you give to other musicians who are trying to make a career of music?
Artists need to become knowledgeable in other fields besides music, most importantly business. We have a distinctive passion for our music and some artist don't even want to deal with the business side of music, but after all, music is a product and only 25% of the work is music and we are business people. When an artist is starting out, they will need to wear many hats until other people jump into the wagon. It can be frustrating but persistence will prevail.
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