Diandra Interviews Amo Amo: The Canta of Nature & Love
Amo Amo’s new EP Canta, out June 19, is so deliciously therapeutic. It makes me want to pull out some Stevie Nicks’ scarves and bailar as if I was chilling in El Yunque. Therefore, I was elated to interview Omar Velasco and Lovelle Femme, and discuss how these nature-lovers define human love.
Diandra: Amo Amo, in Spanish, is a conjugation of love. What are the things you most love about the world and your life?
Amo Amo: The world is full of beauty and inspiration. If you look through the right lens, you can see that love is the animating power of all things. For me, spending time with family and friends, spending time in nature, and making music are all things that keep me close to the feeling of love.
Diandra: What about your union as a band do you feel was destined?
Amo Amo: When we started playing music together, there was a sense of destiny that came from feeling like we were riding the same train. The music came very naturally and in abundance, so it felt like “Hey, this is where we’re supposed to be right now.”
Diandra: How have you seen technology, recently, amplify and divide human connection?
Amo Amo: We are seeing the highest purpose of technology manifesting right now; the amplification of voices that hadn’t been heard before, the sharing of realities that hadn’t been recognized, the galvanizing of change through the power of technology and through the empathy and understanding it engenders. On the other hand, as we have plainly seen, it can cause a lot of chaos and misunderstanding, and it can have a seriously isolating effect. So, it truly is a double-edged sword. It’s all in how we use it.
Amo Amo – Canta (Official Earth Day Video)
Diandra: Promoting a sense of earthiness, what part of nature do you feel most matches your personality?
Amo Amo: A lake comes to mind.
Diandra: What has loving nature taught you about how human nature can unify?
Amo Amo: There is something deeply spiritual about nature. In nature, things reveal themselves to you the more you quiet down and listen and observe, and you begin to realize your place in the larger fabric of creation. It is a humbling experience that helps temper the ego-centrism that characterizes us humans today. So, if one can learn how to slow down, listen and learn, one can then apply that to the way we relate to each other.
Diandra: With your music described as magical and soulful, what about the human spirit do you find most magical?
Amo Amo: There is nothing that isn’t magical about the human being. It is a straight up miracle that we even exist.
Diandra: Having started creating together, at a California vineyard/ retreat, what is you favorite memory of your time there?
Amo Amo: I think the late nights around the fire are my fondest memory.
Diandra: What is your favorite love story, and what does it say about love that you hold universally true?
Amo Amo: This may sound strange, but I love watching sports. When I watch the olympics, I often tear up because you get to see the absolute love and dedication a human being can put into something. It’s right there for you to see- the triumph, the heartbreak… giving absolutely everything you can give. And for what? For love! The universal truth there is that love is the force of impetus, the thing that fills us with energy and enthusiasm to experience life fully and to break barriers.
Amo Amo – Missed Connection (Official Audio)
Diandra: What are your favorite things from childhood?
Amo Amo: Playing make-believe in the forest.
Diandra: Promoting a sense of happiness, how would you define joy?
Amo Amo: To me, joy is accompanied by a sense of peace and compassion. It is a feeling of having a deep sense of place and purpose and interrelatedness. I find that my deepest joys are when I’m doing something for others, or I am part of something great with others.
Diandra: How do you feel Canta shows your elevation as artists and persons?
Amo Amo: I’m not sure that it does… it’s just a song that we wrote that touches on themes we think are worth singing about.
Diandra: If you could have one superpower to help the world, which one would it be an why?
Amo Amo: I would choose the power to help people communicate effectively. I believe most of the world’s problems result from misunderstandings, from the inability to put ourselves in each other’s shoes. The story of the Tower of Babel comes to mind… if we can’t communicate, we are lost.
Diandra: How do you feel Canta shows your elevation as artists and persons?
Amo Amo: Canta captures the pure joy & beauty of earthlings. It is such a celebratory sound because it was born from a place of deep collaboration, trust & coexistence between us as a band that allowed for an inspiring message to come through a song that could easily just be a fun dance song. The lyrics encourage us to acknowledge, then act upon, the reality that we are all sentient & intelligent enough to figure out how to live in ways that honor one another & life each other up.
For More Information On Amo Amo And To Buy Canta on June 19 Click Here.
