We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rosalba Valdez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rosalba below.

Rosalba, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’m extremely happy living my life as an artist! I truly feel it has afforded me a unique perspective in life. It allows me to live romantically and place value on the things that I believe matter, like human lives and joy as well as taking care of nature. I definitely think about what it would be like to just have a regular job every now and then, but mostly because of the financial setbacks I experience living a more unconventional lifestyle. Even if I had a regular job, though, I don’t think it would be your regular 9am-5pm at the office. I love environmental science and have always enjoyed rocks, history, and nature, and could see myself doing some sort of research. I really only consider having a regular job when the slow season for gigging musicians in Chicago hits, which tends to be the colder months at the beginning of the year. I’m learning to save up for these months and to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, especially since it does start to pick up again closer to May! Most of my artist friends are on a similar boat, and having that community support really helps us get through the winter months.

Rosalba, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Rosalba Valdez, and I’m a singer/songwriter from Chicago. I write songs in Spanish and English and in multiple genres, generally with an upbeat and empowering feel. Greatly influenced by my bicultural identity as a Mexican-American, I’ve written songs that reflect different stories in my immigrant community. I perform around the city at different events, festivals and more, sometimes solo or with my 8-pc band; Los Valientes. I got into music at a young age, I was five years old when I picked up a guitar and was inspired by my dad who also played in a few projects and encouraged me to pursue it professionally. When I turned twenty in 2019, I decided to release a five-song EP of original songs and had a wonderful release party. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive many opportunities to continue showcasing my music and am in the process of recording my first, full album! What I am really the most proud of is my personal growth and my perseverance. This has led me to perform for really cool events, such as the SELENA Tribute Concert in 2023 in Chicago, in front of over 7,000 attendees. I am very excited for what’s to come and continuing to write music that I hope can touch people’s hearts and inspire positive social change.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is getting to connect with so many people. Whether I know someone personally or not, I am able to create connections with others by sharing my music and being vulnerable with my lyrics. I’ve found that when I perform with my band and we have a great time on stage, people in the crowd will come up to me afterwards to tell me how much they loved our joyous energy and how we helped them have a good time. I’ve also released songs that felt super vulnerable and people commented on how much they cried to them or felt seen. These are the moments that truly make me feel connected to the world and I think it’s so cool that I can create a bond with others by simply sharing my own truth. At the end of the day, I think most of us want to feel like we’re not alone.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think there are many ways to support artists, but I would say that supporting your local scene by attending live shows, engaging on their social media accounts, buying their merch, and spreading their art through word of mouth are just some of those ways people can support. Big labels have a lot of money to push a handful of artists, which are the ones you hear on mainstream radio. Society then mostly supports these mainstream artists, which can also lead to repercussions as they can dictate and influence societal norms through the select music and lyrics that they play. I truly think that speaking highly of your favorite local artists can do wonders for them, as word of mouth will never go out of style. There are other ways to support a thriving creative ecosystem, such as ensuring that your city is funding arts programming and that you’re telling your elected officials to support or create bills that not only protect independent artists from shady practices but also uplift them and allow them to earn livable wages.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rosalbavaldez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosalbavaldez_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosalbamusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/rosalbavaldez

Image Credits

Heriberto Gallegos, Misael Nevarez, Photos by Gisselle