We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cindy Latin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cindy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Though I’ve been studying various forms of the arts and performance since I was very young, I owe so much of my skillset to the time I spent at Berklee College of Music. Prior to college, I had studied a lot of voice and had very extensive musical theatre training. I studied at Berklee for both my undergraduate and masters degrees, but it was really during my undergraduate studies that I was exposed to all the different avenues of music one could pursue. I’d always seen myself as a singer who could write a little, i had no idea that I had the capacity to learn music production, engineering, arranging, orchestration, harmony, ear training, etc. Young artists are often guided or told what they should be or what people see them as and it can be pretty limiting. The awesome thing about Berklee was that so many people start at the beginning and leave highly skilled. My first few semesters studying music tech and production were really challenging. The projects sounded pretty elementary, and though I knew what I wanted in my head, I didn’t yet know how to execute it. Knowing what I know now, I of course wish I had started producing and writing music earlier and studying instruments too. I didn’t start guitar lessons until I was 19, and had I started younger, I could’ve started writing earlier, as it’s a bit challenging to really write songs with knowing a harmonic instrument well enough. As a really young artist (before college), I had a pretty narrow mindset of who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do career wise, and had I understood that I could be all of that AND MORE, perhaps I would’ve pursued more artistic avenues earlier on. That being said, I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to attend Berklee where I my skills and ideas were expanded, both through the classes and my time working on personal projects outside of class. Being surrounded by motivated and energetic classmates contributed to my hunger to learn new skills.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Broadly speaking, I am a professional musician based in NYC. I work in various areas of music. I perform live both shows with my own original material (at music venues, bars, etc.) and also performances for tourism and private events where I’m usually hired to play cover music. I’m a songwriter and music producer and in addition to writing, producing, and mixing my own material, I have clients who hire me for these skillsets to work on their personal projects. I also am a music educator. I’m an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music in the Electronic Production & Design Department. I also have several private students and teach in a music school. I teach voice, guitar, piano, songwriting, music tech, and acting and have taught students as young as 3 and students older than 60. Having various musical skills allows me to be pretty independent in my own work as I don’t need to rely on other creatives. Collaboration gets to be an artistic choice, not a necessity.
I really enjoy exposing students to music tech. Most people have taken at least a few lessons on an instrument (usually piano) in their life, but when they see the limitless possibilities of creation in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), they get very excited and eager to learn. Especially my older students and clients who work in other fields but are passionate about music and wish they had learned more about it at earlier points in their lives. Many of these people do not know many music professionals, and I feel quite lucky to be the person to expose them to this type of work and help bring their musical visions to life.
Right now, I’m really proud of the songs I worked on during my masters this past year, a few of which I’m about to release. Coming into that program, I had been in a big artistic slump. Being encouraged to create again and trying new writing and production techniques pushed me to write work that feels quite different than my previous projects. Some of the songs are very playful and cheeky, and I enjoyed exploring that side of my writing. I can’t wait to share these songs with everyone!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
That creatives need to hole themselves up and work on music 100 percent of the time and never sleep. A lot of artists function that way, and there were periods of my life that I did too, and I think that that ultimately led to some really severe burn out and an artistic drought for me. I am a pretty social person and also really enjoy nightlife, travel, and sports. I like to fill my time with these other interests. When I do things outside of music, it actually gives me more experiences and ideas to write about. I also feel recharged and can approach my work from a positive and relaxed energy, rather than one of stress and force. I need sleep and exercise, and taking care of myself physically, emotionally, and socially makes me an all around happier person! I know being a struggling artist is something a lot of people aspire to, but I want to enjoy creating!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I personally love a lot of mainstream/top 40/popular artists, but I think if everyone additionally spent some time checking out lesser known artists, that would be great. Those who are financially able can contribute to artists’ gofundmes, as many artists put those together when trying to record an album or produce other projects. Additionally, those who can contribute to grants can do so.
A more accessible option for everyone is using social media. Social media shares help artists more than people know. If someone you know has released a song, it takes a second to repost the song, even if you haven’t listened to it yet. If you really like the music of a lesser known artist/band, even if you don’t personally know the person/people yourself, post them on your socials and tag them! These things all help.
Artists in powerful positions can pass along opportunities that they no longer have time for to artists who could really use the opportunity. Say the names of people whose art you love in the rooms you are in!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cindylatin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindylatin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MsCindyLatin/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-latin-b3789815a
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cindy+latin+
- Other: Spotify: https://smarturl.it/CindyLatinSpotify Apple Music: https://smarturl.it/CindyLatinMusic
Image Credits
Clarissa Rubin Ryan Nava Mica Hourbeigt Be Still Media