Sporting an endearing sound that will definitely feel fresh to a lot of ears; Sara Ontaneda's Jazzy Nu-Latin sound is a colorful and vibrant pastel wave of subtle candied melodies and warm vocals that would sit comfortably between Bedroom-Pop and Anti-folk. Upon hearing Sara for the first time I was taken back to high school days when I would get home from Highschool, put on MTV Latino, and chill between music videos by Café Tacvba, Natalia Lafourcade, and Julieta Venegas.

"Experimento" is Sara's 3rd Studio Album, and it evolves upon the Nu-Latin sound by blending some subtle synthwave and dance-pop accompaniment that is no stranger to the genre, but rather the further development of its pop elements by relying on the plasticity and digital influences that make up the "NU" part of the name.

Never ones to pass up an opportunity to ask amazing artists a couple of questions We're more than happy to bring you this interview with Sara Ontaneda today.

What is at the core of "Experimento", are you experimenting with new sounds or methods in this album?

The core of “Experimento” is the idea of trusting your instincts and learning to take chances. When I think about the lyrics of the songs and put them together on a whole I see that that is the common theme.

Sonically, I’m experimenting with sounds that are new to my music, like dance-pop and overall 80s synth sounds. Since the production of this album was interrupted by the pandemic, it was amazing to complete some of the recording sessions remotely. That was really eye-opening and was such a learning moment.

Speaking of experiments, I think this is the first time you perform a dance choreography for a music video, is that right? how did you feel about the experience?

Yes! This is the first time I dance in a music video. It was an amazing experience but it was pretty nerve-wracking leading too. I practiced the choreo everyday for a month and would send videos to my mom and sister (who both have dance backgrounds) for feedback.

I have always danced and to this day continue to take dance lessons so it was nice to get to share that part of me with my audience. The music video was inspired by the movie “Flashdance” so I was also going for that “dancer attire look” which was really fun to recreate.

A lot of legendary music of great significance for Latinos was made in New York (Fania All-stars comes to mind above all else,) so living there must be energizing in that regard. Did you choose NYC or did the city chose you?

I’ve always loved New York City. When I was a student at Boston I would always take a bus to come and visit, check out live music, and honestly, hated when I had to leave. Its such an inspiring and artistic place, I really feel I have so much purpose here. I think the city chose me.

And yes, this city is so multi-cultural and has such a latino presence that makes me feel at home.

What’s been your favorite venue to play in New York so far, and why?

Each venue has its charm but one of my favorites, which I had the pleasure of performing in recently, is Little Island. The staff is amazing and makes sure the artists are really taken care of and the atmosphere is very chill and friendly. Outdoor shows are my favorite! I also lime the opportunity to showcase my music to new faces.

You have a lot of songs in Spanish, I'm curious as to how purely anglophone audiences have reacted to them. Do you Feel Americans are opening up to music in other languages more nowadays?

I do think that anglophone audiences are opening up more to other languages as people are enjoying all types of media in different languages (for example streaming tv shows in other languages). I also like to speak to my audience and communicate the meaning behind each song, I believe that helps to keep them interested. And music is a universal language.

Your family is Ecuadorian, do you visit there often? Is there Ecuadorian music that has inspired or influenced you?

I try to visit as much as I can which is at least once a year. My family is there and I always come back feeling refreshed after getting to spend some time with them.

I’m always following Ecuadorian indie artists as well as established once. There is an amazing indie scene thats been booming there for the past decade featuring really fresh-sounding artists. Some of them: Luz Pinos, Mirella Cesa, Ceci Juno, Paola Navarrete, Lyz Badaraco, Neoma, Chloe Silva, and the list keeps going…

I’ve read that you enjoy doing instrumental tracks for other mediums, where can we hear some of this work?

I do enjoy it a lot. I’ve been focusing more on my path as an artist but open to resume this kind of work. You can find it in my soundcloud page. I also have some videos up on my Instagram @saraontaneda

Let’s get to know you a little better; when you're not doing any music, what are you up to?

I like doing a lot of things so probably practicing some belly dance, or at the beach, gym, or going out to catch a show or get some food in the city.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based.
I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.

SARA ONTANEDA EXPERIMENTS WITH A REFRESHING SOUND

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