We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Detzany a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Detzany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
The moment I wanted to pursue music professionally was when I was about 6 years old; I saw a video on youtube of this little girl auditioning for Britain’s got talent. I saw her performing in front of a massive crowd of people, and they were so moved by her voice that it brought tears to their eyes of how young she was, which inspired me so much. I went downstairs to my mom and sang that same song (somewhere over the rainbow). It was a shock to her because, at my age, I didn’t speak that much, and my teachers thought I had a speaking disability. After I sang to my mom, ever since I never went back, she supported me fully and put me in vocal lessons. Later, over the years, when I was about 15, I got private auditions for The Voice in LA and auditioned for the producers. When I didn’t get through with the levels of auditioning, that was when I took my career more seriously. It pushed me to levels I could never imagine; it prepared me mentally and practiced so diligently vocally that I was competing with myself at that point. Finally, I recognized how I wanted to pursue this career so badly. I was honing into my style more when I was about 16 and wanted to lean more into producing my music and discover/ experiment with different types of sounds and genres. And seeing other POC artists, such as Willow Smith, SZA, and Jorja Smith, unapologetically their authentic selves and pour their hearts into their writing and music. I then decided to graduate high school early to focus on my music and learn more about the industry and production. I took an associate’s program at Utah valley university in music production and vocal performance. I got more of a taste of what to prepare for in the music industry and started my style and sound. I graduated in January 2019 and have grown and gotten opportunities to expose myself as a music artist.
Detzany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hey there! My name is Detzany. I am a Mexican-American singer-songwriter, producer, and multidimensional artist. I draw my inspiration from Whitney Houston, frank ocean, Erykah Badu, Beyonce, and Rosalia. I mix my genres with alternative pop, RnB, and Latin with hip-hop elements and bilingual lyrics. I would label my music as “Future Cinematic Soul.”
Whenever I sing or make music, it’s like going to a different world. I love creating real emotions from my experiences of adversities, heartaches, and healing journey. So when I’m in the process, it kinda just explodes into a significant creative energy and incorporates that into my music and honoring the natural process by telling my story and truth on a personal level, so I try to portray the vibe and mood through the lyrics and production. I started performing very young, from singing competitions, plays, and special events. Then I decided to graduate high school early in my junior year when I went to a performing arts school. Then after that was determined to study more about music production and performance at Utah Valley University because my vocal coach was teaching there and told me about the program they teaching there, so I took everything that I could learn and became a sponge of learning so much. after I graduated in January 2019 I joined a music group and that got me into the music scene in Utah and started collaborating with other artists and exposing my music on social media more. This has brought me to this point of being one of a few Female Latinx RnB soul artists in the Utah music scene. My main goal of conveying my message in my music is for anyone that listens to feel heard and empowered, whether that is if you’re going through a challenging time in your life or put on a fun jam and go on a drive with your friends. I want to inspire others to be their most authentic selves and to embrace where they come from, especially if you are a POC and come from immigrant parents; it hasn’t been an easy journey of trying to fit in. Still, what helped me evolve as an artist, is to be the most unique self in my music and create my own biosphere of sounds and vocals.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I want to share the story of my Sister, Itzel. She has been my anchor when it comes to my art; she cheered me on to pursue my career in music and share my gifts with the world, to heal, and to share my voice. Itzel had such a free spirit and danced to the beat of her drum; she would express herself in fashion and her adventurous personality. Anything she put her mind to, she became a pro in any creative endeavor and embraced her uniqueness. In December 2012, I didn’t see things would turn around. My sister itzel was just 17 years old and got diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, and I was 12 years old. Deep down, I kept that hope that she would get better. She was in and out of the hospital while going to high school; it was mostly just me and my other sister Ivana at home, and my parents would look after itzel. And my dad would be out working late. Sometimes we wouldn’t have food in the fridge because of the expensive bills for her treatments. I didn’t see any of this coming. Surviving off neighbors donated food and hospital visit food got me through the day. That’s when I realized my family had hit rock bottom. During her treatment, she was losing her beautiful long hair, and she had to go get a haircut; that was the most emotional experience for everyone, gradually over time, the chemo was taking over her body; in 3 months, in march of 2013, it was a week before I knew everything would change in my life I thought she was getting better, she was planning for the future and looking forward to things after her treatment would be done, such as going to fashion school in Milan, graduating high school and pursuing other creative endeavors. She was staying home when that tragic night happened, and my parents rushed her to the hospital. My sister and I went to school after we got a call from the office. This wave of fear came to me of losing her and realizing that she was gone; after that, everything was a blur. I think people don’t really understand the perspective of what it’s like to lose a close loved one in their family. I remember coming home that night; we shared bedrooms and noticing that she wouldn’t be back; it felt like a never-ending nightmare. This was the most brutal battle I was facing. Life got immensely real when she passed away. I never knew the things I would meet those following years at such a young age would be so challenging; losing my grandma 2 years after my sister passed and losing musically talented friends to suicide. Wes and Sam in middle school, and former bandmate and saxophonist Brooks a few years ago from college in music. This was a period of my life where I had to persevere in my world and continue with life and go to school. I never liked others around me struggling and grieving like my friends and family, so I would be vital to them even though I was fighting my inner battle. Insecurities built up more, and my depression and anxiety were deep inside of me, and I didn’t acknowledge the grief and loss that was eating me away over the years. Anything can change in your life within seconds; it can turn it around in many ways, for the better or worse.
I think about it every day, not even realizing how and why it happened, what would happen if it didn’t, and how everything would be different. Still, I strive to keep looking forward and have that faith and peace within myself, finding my inner compass daily.
Anyone has the power within themselves to change their inner world. So create yourself; don’t let anyone do it for you; as long as you wish it in your heart, it can happen.
Because you were not made to fail.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
For an extended period, I kept myself in this mold of fear, trying to dim my light. I felt like a broken record, memories playing over and over in my head. It was hard to connect to people, and I asked myself why anyone would share such a vulnerable part of themselves, especially in their music? So much of my identity and individuality were suppressed and operating from a place of seeking validation and unhealed trauma of what was considered normal. And learn the hard way of reliving toxic cycles. I hoped I would get out of the dark place I was in my Life.
I eventually learned to build bridges in my Life. The switch in my mental state really saved my existence. I started creating more art, and writing songs have helped me break out of that unstable state I was in. To help express myself personally and universally, break the stereotypes and labels, and create my new reality.
I feel a sense of duty to honor my loved ones who have passed and keep their legacies going. These personal experiences are unfolding and waiting to be shared with the world. I want to take ownership of my own unique story. And use my voice to change other people’s lives.
I’ve realized that Life is so short. We’ve been stuck in this society where we are unsatisfied with the simple things in Life; in general, we don’t appreciate what is right now; in This exact moment, we don’t want to stand out from the rest and just want to stay in our own bubble and not look beyond it. So live in this moment. Every single experience, this minute, every second, enjoy ur time with your family and friends, capture the happy, the tough, and exciting moments,
open your mind to who listens to you, who brings the energy up, who understands you, and who doesn’t; we are reflections of each other.
Live like you have so little time to live and accomplish things you adore.
Nobody’s holding you back; the only one that is is the control over yourself. So prove yourself wrong. Don’t avoid it; Act upon it.
There’s nothing to fear, and don’t take that for granted.
Challenge yourself to the edge; every living human being on this earth can create something with their mind; it’s a work of art, one of the perks in Life; give it your all; Life itself is so precious.
Give the biggest hugs to everyone you know because you never know when you will see them again.
Now is the time to forgive and tell your mom, dad, significant other, brother, sister, son, or daughter that you love them.
Appreciating the little things in Life made a massive difference in my time on this earth, and so many lessons I had to unlearn about being grateful for how fragile this Life is.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.detzanymusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detzany_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DetzanyMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Detzany_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLsTEUxg0MhbnWE-wndVqw
- Other: tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@detzany_?_t=8W4ymcP5IoU&_r=1
Image Credits
Photo 1: mzzmedia (left top) Photo 2: sharon reza (right top) Photo 3: Austin Aubrey (2nd left) Photo 4: Afro Foo (2nd right) Photo 5: Omar Castanon (3rd left) Photo 6: Arlow (3rd right) Photo 7: Connor Reid (4th left) Photo 8: Justin Lagman (4th right)