Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angelica Menor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angelica , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I come from a small town , Stockton, California. Nothing really to do besides “make” fun. Most of my memories in my head that replay consist of my always intoxicated absentee father and how I never wanted to be around him. To be honest with you I have no recollection of us ever having conversations where he was sober. But then there were moments where his smile would shine through and he’d pick up his guitar, strum something and say something silly. He never got through a full song but in those brief moments , I felt most connected to him. He would take me with him to parties and abandon me to get high. In those moments of discomfort and abandonment, what helped me cope in these settings was karaoke. That was my “fun.” Ever since I can remember, I always felt a pull of music deep in my soul. From a young age, I knew that my true passion lay in creating and performing music. However, the path to pursuing his dream was not an easy one. Growing up in a traditional Filipino household, the art profession was never highly supported. It was the typical- go to school, hardly have fun, get a degree in the medical field.

But of course, that didn’t stop me.
I rebelled in different ways. My first small risk was when I decided to join choir in middle school. My mother was pretty supportive of that. She never once missed a performance. Then in Highschool, I researched , “how to act and model.” Which, I think I always knew I wanted to take singing to a professional level but because of my upbringing I never felt I had enough confidence to hone in on my craft and be proud of who I was. So instead of singing proudly, I sang in fear. Fear of not being good enough, fear of not being supported, fear that my voice didn’t matter enough. Which, looking back at it now I felt like learning how to act and model would eventually gain me those exact skills I needed to conquer my stage fright. I was always pretty strategic about my reasoning as to why I moved the way I did. And my inner knowing felt that I should have faith in myself to just listen to that voice that continued in my head about the unknown.

Bit by bit I slowly began to come out of my shell. Starting with covers here and there online like Youtube, then eventually conjuring up enough courage to attend open mics in the Las Vegas scene. It eventually made sense to me that, if I ever wanted to be a part of the music scene, I’d have to live and breathe the lifestyle – go where the scene was. There was a pinnacle moment where I had an acting manager that wanted me to make a trip out to LA for an audition. I ended up going but a part of me just told me to go to LA, and for whatever reason my inner knowing said to cancel that acting gig all together because there was something else in store for me. That same trip I met up with my girlfriend who lived there and her and her boyfriend at the time worked for a Youtube influencer. One of their friends happened to be an artist and he just happened to be performing at Jhene Aiko and Mila J’s Dad’s Birthday Dinner. I’ve admired their career and how they carried themselves for a very long time. Long story short I had the opportunity to tag along and perform.

This moment in time sits with me the most because I got to be in the same room with a celebrity who I admire and inspires me a lot in the R&B scene. In this moment I was challenged with doing what I thought I needed to do, and instead followed my heart with what I wanted. I changed my mind about acting. It was time to push for music more heavily. It was time to continue to put my attention and energy to what easily flowed.

Today, I am the once hesitant dreamer who has built myself through countless small risks. The decision to choose myself daily, to go against the grain, which has helped me to paint the picture of what I am now – I am pursuing my independent musician dreams with a heart full of joy and a soul at peace. Each chapter, each risk, has woven together to create a life filled with the sweet moldy of fulfillment and the harmony of following one’s true passion.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Things grow where your attention goes. As far as how I got into the music industry, I believe the first question was able to hit that marker. I brought up Jhene Aiko being someone I am inspired by heavily because she’s a mainstream artist that really paves her own spiritual lane. She talks about vibrations and high frequencies. Which,I feel I am most similar to her as an artist because of my reiki background and how I like to live my life daily – always ensuring every activity is mindful. Mindful of what I am doing and mindful of other people and how I make them feel. Her and I are similar in a way because we do what we do to heal with sound or rather, understand that energies and frequencies can be a form of healing.

I believe wholeheartedly that no matter what our background and experiences are, we can always use that as fuel to create “good.” By sharing my real life experiences and stories in songs, I believe people can relate and feel connected to my music. I am here to bring light. I am here to remind people they can change for the better. And I am here to remind people they matter in every stage of their lives.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is a huge one. There are several ways that we as a society can show support:

1. Attend live events, sharing their work, engaging with their work.
2. Fair compensation : paying for songs/merch
3. Advocacy for copyright protection
4. Local Support : encouraging more local venues and business to showcase more artists
5. More mental health support

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to help other people on their own personal journey and being able to help them understand the power of their own voice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/angelickaonbeat
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelickaonbeat/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelickaonbeat or https://www.facebook.com/angeliicam/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGENf75QVtia5yGR94eI8tg
• Other: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF0XgrCbtE/xHQ12-tYFJ8i6-NLXne7TA/edit or https://www.tiktok.com/@angelickaonbeat

Image Credits
@SteveCookphoto @Vehgus @zeromattermedia