We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yaya Ortiz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yaya , appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I started playing music when I moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts.I had just started playing ukulele at the time. I would go to open mics and busk around the city. I was trying to start an all girl band and at the time but Covid just happened and we had to quarantine. During that down time I figured it was time to learn how to play guitar. Once I picked it up I just felt so deeply connected to country music. It just made sense and being away from Texas it helped me stay connected to my roots. I’ve been working on my country album and moving forward in the Americana country scene.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I really got into music being surrounded by my friends in New Bedford. We all met at a time where we were working on our music. I think being surrounded by a community of musicians that were creating really helped me tap into my song writing and singing. Getting together and jamming with one another was great! We could bounce ideas off of each other. Another thing I’ve learned is definitely playing live. I say yes to any opportunity to play live. Id play at a laundry mat if it meant I get to show my music to the world. Playing live has really helped me with practicing and getting myself out of my comfort zone. Open mic are great for learning how to play live.
I truly am proud of how far along I’ve come. A few years ago I was a nervous ukulele playing afraid to sing in the mic. Now I can walk into any room and sing and play.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to get my music out. My music can be a lot of fun but it is very vulnerable. If one person can feel a connection to my music it will make me feel like it was worth it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me its being able to move forward in this genre. Not only am I a woman but also being a Mexican woman playing this type of genre isn’t really heard of. It’s hard not comparing yourself to other artists in the Americana/country scene. There are times where I question if I belong but my music shows that I deserve to be here just like anyone else. The best thing about this genre is how much it’s changing and the diversity of these artists coming up is amazing to me. It makes me excited especially for my community to have some representation. I also think of little me and if she saw me playing she’d think I’m badass
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Yayao.music
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yayao7450?si=3mEbsvyxRgwXhShM