We were lucky to catch up with Jez Lasala recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jez, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
We have been a part of a myriad of incredible projects but one of our favorites is collaborating with people that create events that benefit the community and bring awareness to issues that need our attention. We’ve partnered up with the Center Against Sexual and Family Violence to perform and share our personal testimonies that we’ve endured and healed from and Paso Del Norte Children’s Center that raised awareness of human trafficking in the borderland. It’s empowering to join forces with our community to highlight issues that need to be discussed and need our hand in the fight through our craft – and ours is through music. Being a musician transcends just creating songs for the ears but also creating songs for the heart and soul.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello, we are the PIE Sisters! Four Filipina sisters that currently live in the borderland city of El Paso, TX. Music has been an integral part of our lives since our formative years with our dad being the one to introduce it to us in the church as children. Our love for music started there and years later flourished into where we are now. Initially we thought we’d pursue this as a hobby but then it progressively evolved into a new level of our craft that had us change our mind and our goals. Now it’s our life and we don’t see ourselves doing anything else aside from it. It was the end of 2019 when we first started our instagram, then encountered a hiatus 2020 year, but went headstrong into 2021 when we booked our first live acoustic performance at an Artisan market. That first gig kickstarted our career as PIE and have since then been skyrocketing into incredible milestones we didn’t foresee. Of course the beginning was slow in shows since we weren’t known or as established just yet so it was normal to receive rejections, however that’s where we learned the importance of consistency in putting our name out and regularly leaning on each other during the discouraging times for our mental health. It’s been since then that we’ve evolved from our acoustic sets to full band sets and have performed around El Paso and cities in California and central Texas. It is a privilege to now have these top-tier musicians back us up in our live performances and support us in our endeavors. These guys have helped level us up.
Although we are under the category of “Entertainment,” we already understand the gravity of music and it’s reach across the globe in ways that are beyond just sound. Music is an incredible medium in itself that has provided us a space to share our morals and hearts that stir up personal changes within the listeners. Each sister has a story that we try to translate into music to make our songwriting relatable and universal. It’s always been our goal for our music to bring healing, joy, and peace and to be a reminder to anyone that comes across us that they are loved, they are valued, and they are worthy – to which we believe is what sets us apart from other artists. Because as easy as it is to be a cookie-cutter artist in this industry, it’s more important to us that we have our own identity and going against the flow of what we sing about is part of that. We have come to terms with the fact that it’s OK that we don’t fit into the mold of what’s expected of us as musicians as far as what we should sound or look like.
Our songwriting is what allows people to see who we are and what we represent. It’s more than just creating a catchy tune with great vocals – we want to bring a song that induces the right kind of change or redirection and revelations that are needed in whatever season they may be in because we are human and it’s okay to start all over sometimes. When we write and perform songs that instill that truth in all of us then that means we’re doing our job. That means we’re being the light in the darkness.
Music has a way of transcending us into another world away from our current reality and we’re aiming for our songs to do just that and concurrently heal and not just distract. It’s also pertinent to us that our songs highlight ongoing issues to bring awareness and redirect our attention to how to tackle the problem and bring hope in the midst of it all. Reminding everyone that there’s hope. Our music, no matter how minuscule it is in comparison to the millions of sounds that inhabit our world and take space in our phones, have the ability to still make a difference. Because collective small acts can create major impacts and we are firm believers that our sound will do just that, one person at a time.
Out of everything and everyone, we are most proud of each other. Contrary to what people may think it’s not easy to combine passion and business with family, but we’ve come a long way in this journey of doing that and without-a-doubt, wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without each other. There were learning curves, setbacks, and discord that could have halted our growth, but instead we learned from them and continued to build a sturdier foundation as sisters and as bandmates. Yes, we’re proud of our individual growth and accomplishments but together, we’ve made larger strides. Something we couldn’t have done on our own.
Although we have a 10 and 11 year gap between the two oldest sisters and the two youngest, there’s beauty in spanning different generations because it gives us this opportunity to relate to all ages applicable.
The main things we want our followers and fans to know about us is that we are no different from them. There is no pedestal we stand on and we will forever counter that arrogance that can sneak up on us with our growing popularity of our craft. But it’s that simple – us doing what we love and showing it with confidence to the rest of the world in hopes that it brings them joy and brings them healing. That our music is more than just for the ears, it’s for the heart and the soul.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
First off, remember that building anything requires us to accept the fact that failure will come more times than success and you will find yourself starting from point A multiple times; but it’s necessary. That’s where we started when we began our music journey utilizing social media. The initial start-up required an invitation to our friends and family to follow and subscribe to us and then the rest followed suit when we combined our social media presence and live performances. From there you can get creative on maintaining engagement! One of the things we did was start something we called “Writing On A Whim Wednesdays” where we asked a question on our Instagram story and whatever answers we received, we created musical hook with. It simultaneously challenged our songwriting skills and built that connection with our followers, allowing them to be a part of our creative process. Our confidence grew exponentially and our relationship with our fans and followers skyrocketed. Just remember that growth is never linear; there will be multiple fluctuations that you have to take in stride and to always remember that your goal isn’t to prove your worth to anyone – it’s to prove to yourself that nothing will stop you from reaching your dreams.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
We believe that non-creatives may struggle to understand that as a creative you can’t wait forever to put your craft out there. As a creative, you put out the technical and professional content but you also put out the raw kind that allows you to connect on a deeper and relatable level with your audience. There’s a lot of vulnerability required in what we create for the world and it’s not for the faint of heart. However, it’s part of our craft just like how it may be opposite of what someone does in their non-creative profession. But what does matter is connection, nonetheless. It’s integral in anything anyone does regardless of what their job is. It just means we respect what the other does even if we don’t agree wholeheartedly.
Contact Info:
- Website: piesistersmusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/pie_music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pie.sisters.music/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@piemusic2019?si=cgUyOht5uq9N_qut
- Other: tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pie_music?_t=8lKiuyuo3J8&_r=1https://www.tiktok.com/@pie_music?_t=8lKiuyuo3J8&_r=1
Image Credits
(L-R) Photo 1 (4 sisters at a teal-colored couch): Gabriella Nicole Photography Photo 2 (Everyone huddled in prayer): Dee Southard Photo 3 (7 members posed wearing a tan color scheme in front of a tan backdrop): Annabella Mireles Photography Photo 4 (3 out of 4 sisters singing in a large room): Valley Sessions Photo 5 (7 members smiling and laughing on and off a stage): Valeria Ghaiti Photo 6 (selfie with all 4 sisters): Jessamine Lasala