Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yaniza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yaniza, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents have been monumental in my music career. They were always there to support in whatever type of show I performed in growing up, from being an understudy on The Crucible in high school to headlining tour dates. While they instilled realistic values in me like going to college and getting a job, they never dimmed my creative light either. They believed in me while helping me set up back up plans as well. Now that I finished college and grad school and worked great jobs and decided to leave the traditional work life behind, they’re still proud of everything I do and always willing to help whenever and however they can. I’m super lucky!

Yaniza, 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?

I’ve tried to label myself in certain ways throughout the years, but no title is quite right. I’m a lot of things, but the overarching title is ~musician.~ I’m a singer-songwriter and I got into creating my own music back in 2013 when I saw people post covers and original songs on YouTube. It gave me the courage to think “I can do that too!” Today I’m grateful to have worked with incredible producers in the industry and to work with booking agents on scheduling my shows. I’m in the process of growing my team to take my artist career to even higher places. I also run my own studio teaching ukulele lessons to kids, so in that sense I’m an entrepreneur and music teacher too! I’ve been pursuing both careers for the majority of my life, and it’s been a struggle figuring out how to give enough attention to both passions: teaching and music. I have a masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Columbia and I’ve worked with kids in every discipline, from babysitter to lead teacher to director. It took me a really long time to really marry my passions in a way that feels balanced and sustainable, but I can safely say I’ve cracked the code…about 90%! I still face challenges running my business while also performing around the US and releasing music and videos, but I love all of it and am determined to fit all those puzzle pieces together.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’ll throw a plug in here that does not benefit me to mention, but it played a huge role in where I am today as an artist. Ari Herstand’s music courses! It can be tricky to trust resources, especially as they grow, but I am constantly thankful to be alive while Ari is making things lol! He really is not afraid to find out how things get done in the New Music Business as he calls it, and he has covered just about every topic you can imagine. I was fortunate to take a few of his courses early on, and landed some big partnerships as well as recognition on Spotify and social media because of what I learned from him and his team.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Whenever someone tells me that my music or performance helped them through a hard time. I’ve gotten many comments on TikTok where people said they were panicking or experiencing anxiety when my video popped up on their feed and calmed them down. People will say that they listen to one of my songs every morning to get them to start the day on a positive note. I’ve gotten DMs on Instagram that my songs helped people through depressive episodes. People come up to me after performances and say that my lyrics reminded them of someone they care about deeply. Connecting to other humans through my work is the greatest honor and so rewarding!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yanizamusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yaniza_music/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/yaniza

Image Credits
JM Boes Photo, Austen Saltz