Diandra Interviews Jona Camacho: Using Music As A Spiritual Channel
Sensitive, thoughtful, and meekly kind, Jona Camacho, like many Geminis, lives in his head. One of the most adaptable, artistic signs, Geminis are known for their ability to communicate clearly with everyone but themselves. Is that not the core of anxiety? A muddle of feelings that cannot seem to evaporate or at least form something? In our interview, Jona Comacho discusses how music has been his literal channel into his own heart and mind,
Diandra: How do you see music as a channel to your heart and mind?
Jona: (he laughs) Damn, we are starting heavy. Music is everything. Ever since I was a kid, it was everything for me. It has always been my refuge and safe place to express everything running in my mind.
Diandra: So then, do you see it as a guide to discovering you?
Jona: It can be something positive and it can be something negative and involves sacrifice. Ever since I was little I was studying music, and my friends would call and ask me to hang out and I would wave to them from the window. So its complicated to see it either way.
Diandra: So how do you find balance then?
Jona: Awhile ago, it stopped being a pursuit as much as a reality. When I was a kid, I had so many moments where I was so focused that it was like I didn’t see anyone or anything around me. I was creating a play in my mind while riding the bus. (he laughs) Now, I am at this point, in my career, where I am present. Where I accept that, sometimes, I might want or need to be in my home for a week and create and study music and be alone.
Diandra: Your music is very nostalgic. What about the past do you miss?
Jona: I like how you framed that question because I don’t really see nostalgia as missing something. I see it as moments that fill you.You know, it is a scent that you smell and remember a memory or a taste that makes you recall a beautiful moment. So I don’t see it as missing or, at least, with sadness. When I make my harmonies or melodies, I try to fill with that feeling of fulfillment.
Caramelo – Jona Camacho (Video Oficial)
Diandra: What was a moment then that really filled you and makes you nostalgic?
Jona: When I was in the conservatory, I had so many beautiful moments. I would break the rules, and go to this piano that was “forbidden” for students. I would sneak into the room, and I would stay there for hours: writing music and dreaming
Diandra: What are your favorite qualities about yourself as an artist?
Jona: I like that I can be present in the music. I like that I can be impulsive and explosive and explorative in my music. It is like there is this higher being within me that comes out in the music, and, sometimes, I cannot control him. Like, I could be nervous or even forget a melody, but there is always this “person” within me that rises to the occasion and gives a show. I like that.
Diandra: Do you think that is what attracts you to music and performance?
Jona: I never thought of it like that (he laughs) but yeah. I think it allows me to become this person that does not think so much. He simply acts and I like that. I like this interview.
(Cue my laugh)
Jona Camacho – Dulce Vino (Official Video)
Diandra: You have said your biggest goal as an artist is to influence people. Does that make you, then, responsible to your messages?
Jona: Yeah! Totally! I think every artist has a projection and their purpose. Some artists do not care. They just want to win money, and, if I was that artist, I would not care about my messages. Yet, I want to talk about what is happening in the world or society. I want to inspire rising musicians. I want o think about how this industry works, and while I don’t think it is wrong to think about money, we need to add more geniuses. We need to add more composers and music theorists and innovate musicians. It is a mark of the times, that we now are consumers of songs more than artists. Before, I felt artists came with stories.
Diandra: So as someone trying to “change” industry, how do you then protect yourself?
Jona: I think it is about learning from your mistakes. Nobody has the “absolute truth” and there is no such thing as the “best music.” I think I am, currently, in a position that is all about making music that is sincere to me. Music that appeals to me that people love.
Diandra: So on that note, what has life taught you about love?
Jona: It is something positive that makes you grow spiritually and creatively. It has shown me that the good you put out into the universe will return to you with what you deserve.
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