Diandra Interviews Javier Mena: Life From A Grateful Perspective

This pandemic/ global protests of unrest has made people reflective. We are all realizing how vulnerable we have been living because we don’t have as many distractions. Now is a time to rediscover what has endangered you and what has freed you, which is why Javiera Mena has taken these months to finish up new music and reanalyze the old.

Diandra: How is life and creativity in this quarantine?

Javiera: Right now! I am well. We are in Phase 2, so we can go out, and the weather is getting nicer. So there is a feeling of hope that is building. At first, I was depressed and shocked. In time, I was able to connect with creativity and compose.

Diandra: Has the quarantine changed your style?

Javiera: With the pandemic, I think the apocalyptic feeling was accelerated. It is hard not feel like the world is genuinely ending. So, before the pandemic, there was an “end of world” sound, but this quarantine has amplified.

Diandra: Have you seen, at least, some positive changes, especially in the industry?

Javiera: I think that the people who have been in the music industry, for awhile, are finding a way to reconnect with their fans. I have been in this business for 14 years, and this moment has given me a chance to really talk to them and be reflective over how far I have come as an artist and we have come up together. I think that this quarantine has allowed people to really observe how they consume and what they consume in music. I think going forward people are really going to analyze what they are listening to, in every way. Also, I think that more artists have realized how much they can do from their computer. It is has allowed to be even more inventive with less money. It is has allowed us to be more home-based and free from the industry, which is really nice, especially as indie artists.
Javiera Mena – Mujer Contra Mujer (Official Video)

Diandra: There is also a simplicity now?

Javiera: There are no lights. I had to do so many shows here on my piano, and people are realizing my essence, more, as an artist, and I am seeing as well. I am re-discovering artists and it is beautiful. I think everyone feels more vulnerable and thus reflective in this time.

Diandra: How would you describe your career’s trajectory?

Javiera: I started in Chile at a time when there was not really an indie scene. Then streaming began and web pages dedicated to music and I saw this whole sound world and new industry be built. Personally, I have always said that I go slow but I built a loyal following. I feel like I never exploded but I did climb steadily up.

Diandra: Well, I think building anything slow and steady makes it last longer?

Javiera: Exactly! I think this pandemic had made me really appreciate how slow and paced building my career has been, especially in terms of who I am. I think I could not have handled an explosive career, as a person, with mega fame. I like my life and how it has gone, and I am in a good place to just absorb it.

Diandra: So how would you describe happiness?

Javiera: Such a beautiful question! I think, for me, a simple moment where gratefulness for my life enters me. Like, just looking at the sun and being incredibly thankful that I am breathing. I think a lot of people are very distracted, especially with the internet or even their lives. Before the quarantine, I was always working and traveling, and this made me stop. It made everyone stop, and it became this moment where I could analyze where I am in life: really take it in.
Javiera Mena – Flashback (Official Video)

Diandra: Again, looking back on your career, then what made you stronger?

Javiera: Building a career is a trial-error process. It is, literally, how you build yourself, and I think what I had to do was accept and forgive myself, which was really hard. I had to let go of guilt, and I think people, in general, feel very guilty and can be every angry and demanding on themselves. I know I have taken errors super harshly even though I couldn’t know what I didn’t know. So acceptance has probably been the hardest lesson because it comes with costs. You have to lose to know how to gain, especially in this industry. It may have frustrated me, but I have learned my errors are what have made me.

Diandra: So what are you discovering about you in your new music?

Javiera: It changes. Right now, I am really focused on the idea of Eros and the concept of eroticism. I am fascinated by how we discover ourselves via how we connect with another person. Yet, I am also really observant of simplicity. The connection you feel by just sitting down and looking at stars. I think as artists, especially indie artists, you are about refreshing yourself. You are about refreshing your sound and life via how you revive your spirit and mind. I think these generations are especially realizing that love, like the ones our parents had, is not possible. I focused on questioning and embracing what love means nowadays for us in the current world we are in.

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