We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Handstand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Handstand, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I got a very late start to music, despite being raised in a very musical family. Sometimes I think that’s because of my naturally rebellious tendencies, other times I think it’s because of the sheltered environment I was in. I didn’t get the opportunity to go to shows and see people that looked like me succeeding in music, so I didn’t even know it was possible. I put my creative energy into gymnastics, cheerleading and teaching anyone that would let me how to do flips. After high school I started feeling very unfulfilled with my current path and, thankfully, met friends doing something I had no idea anyone that wasn’t discovered by Disney channel or something as a child could do. I started going to shoes and fell in love with all aspects of being a musician.

All the time, almost every day I have thoughts of what things could’ve been like if I had started younger. It’s easy to feel behind when everyone around you has wanted this forever. But it gives me hope knowing that the journey is equal parts difficult and fulfilling.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started making poetry as a creative outlet and instantly fell in love after discovering spoken word which eventually turned into handstand. Handstand started as a band before forming into the persona I carry today. At the time I was solely focused on spoken word and pop punk. Finding my sound has, and still kind of is, an ongoing process. I have a love and appreciation for all kinds of music. Finding hyper-pop sparked a creative fire in me and I’ve been loving experimenting with that sound. I have, however, landed on my brand- doing whatever the heck (or another word if you so choose, which I usually do) I want.

And I really hope to inspire others to do the same. Life is short, do what makes you happy no matter what anyone else thinks!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to do a great deal of unlearning, arguably more than any other lesson I’ve taken from my childhood is how to unlearn things I no longer agree with. A creative lesson I had to unlearn is the idea that someone who is involved in the industry will always have a better answer than you currently do.

The opposing side that I’ve had to learn is that no one is going to know or care about your project as much as you do. Take advice as a grain of salt and follow your gut!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’ve spent a lot of my life as a people pleaser. The thing that pushes me to continue is always my desire to push away from those tendencies, both through my lyrics and through my career as a whole. I don’t write with the idea of what anyone else is going to think in mind. I decided that I will always write for myself and for the people out there that may need to feel empowered by exactly who they are, just like me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://handstandmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/handstandmusic?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreHandstand/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@handstandmusic
• Other: https://linktr.ee/handstandmusic

Image Credits
Kyle Bertrand Fernanda Martinez