Following on from the release of her single, ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’, we spoke with singer songwriter and vocal coach, Estani, about what the track means to her and what we can expect next.
‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ takes your music in a new direction—what initially inspired you to start this project?
‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ is a strong departure from the music I’m accustomed to writing and recording, but the connection lies within the nostalgia to my childhood. Moving back to Texas from LA, then finding my grandmother’s 45s, instilled this desire in me to recapture a special moment in time for me and my grandmother. The initial idea was for her to re-record them, however, the timing wasn’t right so, with her blessing, I could take her songs and recreate the sound.
Was it special for you to re-record your grandmother’s songs for this album? What makes ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ a standout track?
This was a very special project since I hold this music so near and dear to me. When you’re young and just living life as it comes, some of the best moments and memories lie in the background against the monotony of daily chores, daily routines, and the ins and outs of each day. That’s what makes this album so unique to me and so very sacred. No one can sing these songs as my grandmother can, but I can certainly do my best to bring back the vibe and the essence of what a song like ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ brings celebration, dancing, and an overall feeling of happiness. This song is the standout track on the album since it is one of the only ones with this type of “Alegre”. Most of the other songs are boleros/heartfelt love songs.
What sonic elements did you include in the song to capture the essence of this genre?
For this album, I wanted to do my best to keep the music as traditional and authentic as possible, while bringing contemporary elements to the forefront more so in the production process. So sonically, we kept the four essentials; accordion, drums, bajo sexto, and guitar. In terms of production, I loved the way Stephen Sanchez enveloped a vintage nostalgic sound within a contemporary production vibe in terms of the vocal quality, the overall mix of the instrumentation, and the overall sonic quality.
How did you go about balancing a traditional and contemporary sound for this song? Did you run into any challenges or surprises in the recording and production process?
Well, we first recorded this song as a waltz and attempted to keep it exactly as the original. However, upon listening, I felt something was missing but couldn’t articulate it. We went back into the studio and Max Baca from Los Texmaniacs suggested to give the song an upbeat spin as a corrido. I felt it really helped give the song the push it needed and gave it more of that contemporary Americana-ish vibe I didn’t know I was wanting. As far as challenges, the only real “challenge” was trying to figure out how to walk that fine line of keeping a traditional sound versus changing or enhancing things slightly to give a boost to the production. Producer and musician Beto Martinez from Group Fantasma, helped me cultivate that sound by adding just the right elements such as organ and additional production enhancements that helped “lift” the sound, if you will.
What was it like working with Max Baca and Los Texmaniacs on this track? Why did you choose to showcase the song with a live performance in the music video?
Working with Max Baca was not what I expected. I had already planned to begin work on this project with another group from LA. When that fell through, Lorenzo Martinez, drummer and friend of Max’s, suggested I reach out to him and inquire about his interest in something like this. I thought the likelihood of that happening was minimal due to his schedule and other year round musical commitments. To my surprise, after listening to my story and the music, he was interested and ready to produce the EP. Max is a really down to earth super nice person with zero attitude, as well as a fantastic musician. He was so helpful and knowledgeable in the music and knowing how to keep the authenticity of the sound intact, I was/am so thankful he had the time to guide this project through to fruition! I thank Lorenzo Martinez for that! Without him suggesting I call Max, it would’ve never happened. As far as the live music video, I felt the visual compliment to the song should emulate a no frills, authentic spur-of-the-moment vibe, like I feel the song represents. I loved what ICFS studios offered. It was the perfect blend of vintage and captured the exact background I was looking for, and the studio itself is just amazing!
The release of this song has blossomed into a larger project—talk to us about your efforts to preserve and bring awareness to Conjunto music.
The truth of behind how this project grew, was really out of my lack of my knowledge about the genre. Though it started with finding and listening to the music of my grandmother, I started looking more into the possibility of bringing an awareness to this traditional South Texas Genre as Buena Vista Social Club did for Cuban Son and many of the Cuban boleros. Without Buena Vista Social Club, I wouldn’t have known and grown to love those songs on that album as much as I do. Seeing the documentary just made the story behind the music that much more meaningful and moving for me. Initially, my vision was to have my grandmother re-record these songs and find as many musicians as we could that were still alive from her era. Unfortunately, most had passed already and those that are still alive aren’t in the same health as they once were. So, at this point, I decided to get the interviews, stories, childhood memories, etc from those that I could and hopefully bring a new audience to appreciate the music and embrace it as much as I have.
What impact do you hope ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ has on listeners, especially those becoming interested in Conjunto for the first time?
Of course, I would hope that ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ brings love and curiosity to new listeners, but also, to find others who are actively representing Conjunto music and have been since their youth! Though I’ve listened to it over the years as my “grandmother’s music”, the genre I gravitated to was Neo soul, old jazz, and other Latin genres. I’m so proud to be able to revisit Conjunto music and would love to connect with a new audience who maybe would like to evolve a new sound from Conjunto, the way Tejano music started. I love the way Bad Bunny incorporated the Salsa sounds of El Gran Combo from the 70’s and combined those elements with a contemporary Latin alternative production. I would love for someone to do for Conjunto what Bad Bunny did with El Gran Combo. Not sure what traditional purists of Conjunto music might think, but you never know until you try.
Tell us more about the upcoming album and documentary. What does the future hold for Estani?
The upcoming album/EP is really a love letter of sorts with ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ being the exception. That song truly is the “let your hair down and have a good time” song on the EP. After this album is released, I will be finalizing the documentary and plan for a late summer release (fingers crossed!). As far as after the album, not quite sure! I always say I’m going to take a break from music, but I never do! I am already missing my Neo soul, Latin jazz songs that I’ve been performing over the last two years. There are some new avenues I’m wanting to pursue as well, but first priority is definitely getting this album out to a new audience and giving these songs a new life!
Watch the music video for ‘Mi Suerte Ha Cambiado’ below and find out more about Estani and her music online on her official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube.
