We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vale Penaranda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Vale, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I distinctly remember that I was in my sixth year of classical piano studies at the Conservatory of Music in Bolivia, about to graduate from high school, and I knew for sure that I wanted to continue pursuing the music path. I must confess that, during that time, I wasn’t very passionate about classical piano, but I still found plenty of joy in playing it and it was one of my areas of strength at that moment.

The turning point occurred in 2012, when I discovered my singing voice during casual jam sessions with friends outside the classical world. I immediately felt more connected to singing, which led me to dive a little more into songwriting and eventually begin performing in small local cafe bars in the city. From that point forward, my professional trajectory shifted from classical piano to contemporary voice performance, and I opened myself to everything that this new path had to offer me.

Since that moment, I have lived a very transformative journey, full of discoveries and new passions. In 2016, I moved to Boston and I started learning music arranging and production. Currently, I hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in these fields, and I believe that these symbolize the ongoing evolution of my musical exploration.

Vale, 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?

I am a passionate Bolivian music producer, songwriter, arranger and singer, based in Miami, FL. I have been dedicated to cultivating all these skills from an early age. My journey into the world of music began with piano lessons at the age of 10. As I continued to explore my musical interests, a profound love for singing emerged, eventually leading me to pursue a degree in Contemporary Vocal Performance at the National Conservatory of Music of Bolivia, where I graduated with honors.

In 2015, I was accepted and awarded a scholarship at “Berklee College of Music” shortly after completing my studies at the Conservatory. From 2016 to 2021, Boston was my home and where I discovered my second passion, music production. However, I never abandoned singing and performed at major festivals such as the “VIVE Latin American Music Festival,” “International Folk Festival,” “Ídolos Latinos,” and “Divas Latinas,” all held at the Berklee Performance Center.

During my time at Berklee, I had the opportunity to learn at masterclasses taught by Latin Grammy and Grammy winners and nominees such as Natalia Lafourcade, Noel Schajris, Rosa Passos, India Arie, Victor Wooten, Terri Lyne Carrington, The Suga Mamas (Beyoncé’s female band), and others.

After graduating from Berklee, I decided to continue my education and received a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in “Music Composition for Film and Music Production” at the Frost School of Music in Miami.

While at Frost, I have studied under the mentorship of prominent professionals such as Carlos Rafael Rivera (Grammy and Emmy award winner), Randall Barlow (Composer and producer for Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Cristian Castro, Shakira, and many more), and Camilo Rodriguez (Award-winning producer and engineer).

I recently graduated from Frost in May of this year, and since then I had more time to focus on my career as an independent artist, freelance producer, arranger, educator, and performer. My services encompass music production, songwriting, music arranging, and lyric writing, along with live performing, working as a session vocalist for other artists or producers, and last but not least, teaching music to both kids and adults.

I am also currently working on my first EP, consisting of 5 songs, that will be released in 2024 and reflects my influence of retro Hispanic rock, soul and R&B. For this project, I collaborated with producers, musicians and friends that I met at Frost, and also close friends from Bolivia, so I feel very proud that this became a long distance collaboration of many creative artists from all over the world. The first two singles of this EP, ‘Renacer’ and ‘Dejar de amarte’, are out and available on all streaming platforms!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2015, I moved to the United States to pursue my academic dreams, leaving behind my family, friends and comfort in my country. The first couple of years were an uphill battle, I dealt with a lot of depression and anxiety. Many people thought that I was having the time of my life living the American dream and telling me that I should be happy for this opportunity, while they didn’t see the sacrifices, the emotional turmoil, and the difficulty behind all those curtains of happiness.

I can confidently say that my first two years in the US were the most difficult years of my life, so much so that I was contemplating a return to my home country, and was about to abandon unresolved aspirations. Yet, fueled by resilience and hope, I persevered and decided to believe that things would eventually take a turn for the better.

Fortunately, they did.

I not only continued my studies successfully but also graduated with honors, fostered meaningful relationships, explored different states, and underwent transformative self-discovery. As I continually uncover new facets of myself, I remain dedicated to honoring my dreams and embracing the path that has led me from adversity to resilience.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When you are performing on the stage and see your audience connect with you emotionally, when you feel that you can simply merge yourself with the music and and convey a real intention to the audience, observing their faces and bodies respond – how they smile, they cry, they sing with you, they dance – is, to me, the most valuable reward. That is when I feel that my job is done.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.valepenarandamusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valepenarandamusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valepenarandamusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vale-penaranda-b01558189/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuUIJi8BnSVa4Q-KZSl_wRQ
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/13YHhzUBivbPadtQTpsVoP?si=Uj0i3ni-R7G7Qd974P8s_g

Image Credits
Victor Terceros (Photographer Cover Photo)