Growing up in Istedgade, one of the most infamous regions of Copenhagen, Mendoza had an interesting childhood. The street on which her family had their apartment – where she had no bed of her own, rather finding herself a bed in the TV room, on a mattress under the piano, or with her Grandmother – was filled with bars, lady-boys, prostitutes, drugs, and addicts.
At 6, Sandra Mendoza was selling bracelets that glowed under the ultraviolet disco lights. Her unorthodox family life didn’t dampen her spirit. Even at this age she knew she loved to sing, regardless of her Father and older Brother’s jibes when they heard her singing in the family room. They would imitate the sound of a goat – not very encouraging.
“All the courage and desire was completely taken away from me. I always felt that I was just bad at singing. They were always making fun of me. My Grandmother sang opera. My Father sang in the choir, and their idea of how to sing, was completely different to how I sang”, she explains.
“When I was little, I didn’t really understand the life I had. There were no rules, and it has affected me greatly. I have seen a world that most children and young adults should be sheltered from. When I look back now, I just think – holy shit.”
In new single ‘Love Druggie’, out now on Atlantic Records, Mendoza sings about just wanting to hang out with her friends, and her disappointment in finding that the only thing they want to do is: “take drugs and get totally fucked up in some club”.
“I’d rather be a proud Mum, than in this club kid copy posse.” says Mendoza, who became a mother at age 16, reflecting on her life with a totally new perspective.
Now 23, Mendoza wants to share her chaotic childhood experience. Luckily, her inner chaos comes out musically.
New single, ‘Love Druggie’, is the culmination of years of hard work, perfecting her sound, always growing in confidence as a performer and artist. A modern amalgamation of influences, at its heart, the new single is a perfectly executed alternative pop song, but with definite flashes of dance music, occasionally nodding to RnB influences in its delivery. It’s an incredibly exciting offering – surely the start of something very special.
‘Love Druggie (Addict)’ is out now, and can be downloaded on iTunes and streamed on Spotify.
Find Mendoza online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and SoundCloud.
