Mariana Vega

The winner of the Latin Grammy for best new artist speaks about her 2015 plans

This past November, Venezuelan singer/songwriter Mariana Vega won the Latin Grammy for best new artist, thanks to her beautiful, dreamy pop songs. Vega, whose latest album was the independently released EP Te Busco, was one of 10 contenders, all virtually unknown in the U.S. Vega, 29, will perform at Los Globos in Los Angeles Jan. 21. She spoke with Billboard on how her win could change her career.


Billboard: 
What has changed--if anything--since you won best new artist?

Vega: I feel like nothing has changed yet everything did. I say "nothing" because we still have a long way to go, and if anything, a Latin Grammy means we have to work a lot harder now. I say "everything" because I have a newfound motivation to work on my project.

Immediately after the award ceremony my social media followers doubled, I was contacted by every media outlet in Venezuela. I felt the support and recognition of so many people that stopped me in the streets to get their pictures taken and congratulate me. I also got the incredible opportunity to write with one of the best Latin songwriters, Claudia Brant.

There are projects in the works with big brands in the U.S., to work on ad campaigns. The mere fact that I'm being considered is a clear consequence of the Latin Grammy.

Mariana Vega on the Latin GRAMMY Awards Red Carpet 2014

You do wonderful pop/alternative music, but it's a style that's not played very much, if at all, on U.S. radio. How are you planning to make your music known here?

I'm a strong believer in alternative means of promotion. Perhaps radio play is not an option for my style of music, but there's a strong opportunity in soundtrack for film and TV, social media and advertising, these are all very interesting opportunities for new artists. I have great, real relationships with other creative writers who are bloggers and humorists and great web communicators. And, of course, there is absolutely no substitute for playing live.

None of the nominees for best new artist were big names. What do you think helped you win?

While none of us were known in the U.S. market we were all working in our own countries, and some of the nominees are big names back home. Also, all of the voting members can now listen to the nominees via a Spotify link, so they have access to really listen and discover new musicians. I think the magic happens precisely because the Academy shines a light on new artists, that while unknown, they find worthy of recognition.

Who are your musical influences?

I grew up listening to traditional Venezuelan music mixed with latin artists like Soraya, Franco de Vita, La Sole, and also anglo artists like Alanis Morissette, Jewel and Dave Matthews.

Finally, there have been very few female Latin acts in the charts this year. Why do you think this is, and what can be done about it?

I can't really say I know the answer to this question, but perhaps it has to do with our own machismo culture. While we can see more and more women in positions of power in Latin America, we are still underrepresented. Many factors have to come into play in order to change this: Education, the role of advertisement, the image of women in pop culture. Hopefully we are moving in the right direction. - BILLBOARD

Mariana-VegaThe multi-instrumentalist, two time- nominee and winner of the Latin GRAMMY for Best New Artist in 2014, Mariana Vega, enjoyed a successful performance at New York’s iconic venue, S.O.B.’s  during LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference), held July 8th-11th.

During the event in the Big Apple, the singer-songwriter attended several panels and concerts, and performed during the Acoustic Showcase, where she sang her recent hits “Mi Burbuja” and “De Tu Voz”. She  shared stage with the Chilean band Astro, Raquel Sofia, Diamante Eléctrico, Callate Mark, Estelares and Rodrigo Solo.

“It’s always an honor performing for my fellow artists. I have experienced a great camaraderie during the week, sharing with very talented friends and colleagues, with the desire to work and grow as an artist. I hope I can repeat this experience every year, as I know it’s a meeting point for artists, managers, promoters and brands, where we can support each other and adapt to the on-going changes in the industry”, said the Venezuelan artist.

After stunning LAMC with her performance, Mariana Vega goes back to the studio to work with Julio Reyes Copello, Colombian producer, composer and pianist (Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Alejandro Sanz, among others), in what will be her third album. - Corriente Latina

Mariana Vega – Soul and Passion at Los Globos
By Angel AguilarJanuary 29, 2015AB's Top Music News, Music


Mariana Vega live Los Angeles
Venezuelan singer/song writer, Mariana Vega was recently awarded the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist and she celebrated her triumph with her first ever live performance in Los Angeles.
Los Globos Night Club in Silver Lake hosted this intimate, soulful and passionate performance that left the audience asking for more.
Before her performance, we had the chance to chat with Mariana Vega about her experience at the Latin Grammys and how that has changed her musical career.
A few months ago, we spoke to Mariana about her Latin Grammy nominations for “Best New Artist” and “Contemporary Pop Vocal Album” for her album Mi Burbuja, and at that time Mariana told us how her world had been turned upside down with the news of her nomination, so after having been awarded the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist, I asked her how her it has affected her life and career, to which she replied: “My world has now been turned the other way again (laughs), but I am taking it in stride, I cannot let it get to my head and I just have to let things flow. Just the nominations had begun to open new doors and opportunities, but now having actually won a Grammy, the opportunities have multiplied and we are very humbly going to take this opportunity to take this music to new places, like the United States and the rest of South America.”
Speaking of the United States, I asked Mariana how she felt about playing her first performance in the United States in Los Angeles, the Mecca of music, and she responded: “I am super excited because Los Angeles is such an iconic city for music. Music emerges from every pore of the city, there’s such a musical vibe in this city, everywhere you look there’s all kinds of music, there’s rock & roll, you there’s all types of Latin music and all other genres, so there could not be a better beginning to my musical journey in the U.S.”
Going back to her Grammy nominations, I mentioned to Mariana that I found it a little strange that she was awarded the Grammy for “Best New Artist” when her album Mi Burbuja is actually her second album and Mariana stated: “Sometimes artists are at fault for not being recognized by the academy right away, in my case, during my first album, (the self titled Mariana Vega) and EP’s, I concentrated my career in Mexico and Venezuela and didn’t really venture out to other markets, but from the very beginning we had in mind to spread our wings and venture out to new territories with Mi Burbuja, and here we are in L.A. and after this we are heading down to South America.”
As Mariana Vega took the stage, a musically educated and attentive audience was taken through a musical journey filled with soul and passion. Do not let the tag of “Contemporary Pop Vocal Album” fool you, as Mariana’s music is far from “pop”. Yes, her music that have some hints of pop music, but it is done in a very sophisticated way and it is more folk, melodic and with a lot of feeling. During the performance, Mariana’s backing band, which was more of the basic rock & roll band, with drums, bass, electric guitar, keyboards and Mariana’s acoustic guitar gave the music more of a rock & roll edge and on the more acoustic cuts, her passionate voice and delivery made those songs feel even stronger.
Mariana Vega definitely left a good first impression in the minds of Angelinos as it was evidenced by the fans lining up after the show to have their cd’s autographed and have their “selfies” taken with Mariana, to which Mariana very happily and humbly obliged. - Al Borde