Don’t you just love getting an instant adrenaline rush once you hit the play button and listen to a certain persons music? If so, get ready to meet GALXARA!
GALXARA (pronounced “gal-ex-arra”) was born in Miami and raised in Orlando. Being exposed to a diverse array of styles and genres helped spark her love for music at a young age. She started out by singing, and then began to play the piano when she was only seven years old.
GALXARA has a sound and style that was sent straight from the heavens! She kicked off her 2020 with an appearance on the Birds of Prey soundtrack alongside Saweetie with their collaboration “Sway With Me.” The eclectic “Jealous Of Myself” and “Loving Nobody” soon followed. She’s currently in LA working on her new album! GALXARA’s music is loaded with euphoric soundscapes that are sure to leave you feeling empowered.
To help get you even more hyped up for GALXARA’s new music, we got to chat about her journey as an artist!
Hey GALXARA! Thanks for being down to chat, how’s everything going?
As of right now things are decent in my life, a lot of new changes and things I’ve had to adjust to but it’s all a part of the journey!
We’re all not only witnessing, but living in a very surreal moment in time and there is so much information going around and so much we as human beings can be doing with all of this time on our hands, due to coronavirus, and I am just taking each day one at a time and trying to stay sane but also do something with my time. It’s easy for me to fall into the hands of laziness and having no motivation to do anything except watch Netflix but I am trying my best to stay active, keep my brain working and staying social & in touch with all of the current events going on in this country and in the world.
So I know you fell in love with music at a very young age. What are some of the things that motivated you to continue singing as you grew older?
It’s funny you’re asking this actually because in this time I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on what my motivation is and why I sing. Honestly the single factor in what kept me going with music as I started getting older was that it not only brought me happiness but it made me feel like I belonged to something. I thought back to when I was younger and how I had such big dreams and goals for success, which I still most definitely do. But deep down the only reason I sang was because it was for myself, and no one else. Not for my parents, not for my family, not for a record label, not for my managers, not for anyone but myself.
There was this girl inside of me as a child and teenager and still to this day, who never got to be let out because I felt uncomfortable being her, and it felt like she was a lion stuck in a cage inside of me. When I would sing or perform on stage that girl would suddenly be set free and nothing in the world mattered except me and the music. I do what I do because everyday when I sing whether it’s in a recording booth or live on stage, I learn a little bit more about that girl and I love her and appreciate her more. Music has done that for me and I am so incredibly thankful because not everyone has that privilege. It has allowed me to learn about myself, to know myself and to love every single part of me. It’s quite simple; music belongs to me and I belong to music.
There’s always a story behind a name! How did you come up with the name “GALXARA?”
GALXARA was invented at a time when I had gone through I don’t know how many names and just couldn’t finalize on one. Trademark issues kept stopping me from deciding on a name but also I was very, very critical in what I chose because I knew in my heart that for the rest of my life this is what people would call me and I needed to love it. Entirely. My manager and I were going back and forth with names and we kinda just fell upon it. I loved the idea of having one name and as you can tell from my aesthetic, I loved that it included that cosmic-futuristic inspo which I so deeply love. I wanted something grand and powerful and representative of me and who I see myself as and becoming. I actually just got notified 2 days ago that I FINALLY own the name GALXARA completely, in all uses of trademark, so it’s mine and only mine.
If you could think of three words to describe your sound, what would they be?
EPIC-POP. GRANDEUR. COLORFUL.
I love how your music radiates confidence and self-empowerment! What are some of the most important messages you hope to convey through your music?
When people listen to my music I really just want them to feel empowered and to take them to another place. Music is an escape, of course we can sing about reality and truth and our lives, but at the end of the day people listen to music to either connect with people or to escape. I want when people listen to my music, to accomplish both of those things. I want people to hear my artistry through my music but to also hear the lyrics and know that I am telling them “I feel exactly what you’re feeling and everything is going to be okay. You & I are going to go on a little journey through space, through time, through reality, through our wildest fantasies and dreams and we are going to come out on the other side as better people.” That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my music.
I know Freddie Mercury/Queen has been a huge influence for you – and I think one can especially tell when listening to your latest single “Loving Nobody”! Who are some other musicians you look up to?
Thank you so much for that, Freddie & Queen are definitely some of my biggest inspirations and I try hard to show that through my music so I appreciate you noticing that!
Some other artists I look up to would be Lady Gaga, Lorde Lana Del Rey, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Sia, Daft Punk, Janis Joplin, Coldplay, and many others. Reading it back now it looks like I have a pretty eclectic music taste which is true but there is so much music to appreciate out there. Each of these artists in some way or another have affected my music and my artistry and I try to include them in any way, whether it be a style of writing, instrumentation, aesthetic, production, or their mantra.
Over the years, what have been some of the biggest life lessons you’ve learned through creating music?
I’d say some of the big life lessons I’ve learned would be… learn to take criticism. Through music and through this industry there are so many players and opinions and views and it never is going to go the way you think it will or ‘your way’. It’s been really important to learn and understand when people give me advice or critique, as long as I trust them, it’s coming from a good place and should be listened to because usually it only can make me better. Another life lesson I’d say is….KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Know what you stand for, who you stand with, know who you are and who you want to be.
Since the moment I was signed but honestly since I started singing, I’ve been constantly asked who are you (as an artist), who do you want to be (as an artist), where do you see yourself in 5 years (as an artist), what is your vision (as an artist), what is your style (as an artist), etc, etc. Of course at 15 or 16 you don’t know everything about yourself or what you want but in this industry I’ve learned you have to have goals and you have to have a vision on who you want to be or else they’ll pick it for you. I was always very clear and outspoken, sometimes too outspoken, on what I liked and what I didn’t like and always had an opinion and never just went with the flow of what other people wanted. It seems to have turned out pretty well for me because I now have control over who I am as an artist which is very important to me.
What are some of the ways you’ve been staying busy during quarantine?
I’ve been trying to work out, doing a lot of yoga, meditating, writing, I actually just started doing online therapy which is exciting for me.
I’ve been doing actually quite a lot with music, constantly singing and doing covers for YouTube and social media, also doing a lot of Zoom writing sessions which in turn has had me constantly thinking about lyrics and melodies and concepts for songs. It’s been hard to find inspiration in this time since I haven’t really been going out but movies and films have really been keeping me busy and keeping my mind exploring new ideas. I watched the Frida Kahlo documentary which inspired a song for me and I also just rewatched the Amy Winehouse documentary which has got me thinking and inspired by a lot of things so that’s how I’ve been staying sane in these times.
Finally, if you could have an ice cream flavor named after you, how would you want it to taste?
Hahah good question even though I don’t really like ice cream!! (I know I’m crazy)
I’d probably want my ice cream to taste like my favorite meal which would be a medium rare, delicious and perfectly cooked 6 oz Filet Mignon with some Béarnaise Sauce and some soft buttery mashed potatoes with asparagus on the side!
Keep up with GALXARA on Instagram and Twitter @GALXARA!
