While in Miami, Bruses sat down with Quip Magazine to share insights about her music, life, and artistry.

Sarah Ruiz: How are you doing? 

Bruses: It’s pretty cool to be breathing, you know? It’s a summer day. This is my third time in Miami, and my favourite thing about this city are the wild animals. I love them so much. 

SR: How does it feel to be nominated for a Latin Grammy this year? 

B: It feels wild. I don’t even know why they did it, but I appreciate it. I thank the  Recording Academy – I love this. It’s just wild because I’ve been writing songs since I was ten. It’s basically all I’ve known and all I’ve ever wanted to do in my entire life. Writing is just like, it’s cliche, but it’s like breathing.  I’m really thankful and happy. My favourite part about being nominated is that I get to come and visit these cities just like Miami, that I usually would never visit because I’m from Tijuana.

SR: Let’s talk about getting signed with RCA records …

B: I just got signed to RCA this year. It just happened this year in April. I’m producing my album with them. They’re my label and it’s like everything, my life’s changed. I’ve been going to LA a lot now. I’ve been living in hotels and this is the first time that this kind of lifestyle happens to me and I’m getting used to not being home. 

SR: You recently released “I’m So Happy,” and the lyrics touch on influencers becoming artists while other talented people don’t receive the same attention. What was it like addressing that in your song?

B: There’s two kinds of creators, in my head: the ones who want to get on the music train, just because they want to make money, be more relevant or become famous, and then, there are musicians who use social media to promote in creative ways. I’m a nerd, so I have studied, and I know how to tell when someone’s being real and someone’s being kind of fake. Or when a label is signing influencers who have never written a song in their life.

It’s okay, I get it, you want to make money. You are going to put a bunch of awesome, incredible, well-respected producers and writers and just give the songs to whoever you just signed. Hopefully, teach them how to sing and create a brand. I have respect for creators/influencers who wanted to be musicians but didn’t know how, so they became creators, but they have a music background. That’s a different kind of story. 

There’s a lot of musicians out there that are so talented and looking for opportunities, and you’re going to give the opportunities to someone who doesn’t care at all. Someone who just wants the glamour – that’s not really real, it’s all a part of the plastic world.=

SR: That kind of leads into the topic of mental health …

B: I feel like, and I’m not just saying this for myself,  but we need more artists that are just straightforward. When I was younger, I needed an artist who was real. Can you imagine if anything like Bruses, or whatever was just out there in the media saying, “It’s okay that you have these mental illnesses. You can dress like this and that’s fine?” As a ten-year-old, I needed to hear that, in order to feel like I was okay. 

That’s one of the hardest things when you’re a little kid. You’re like “Wait, am I different – but in a bad way? That loneliness can be deadly. That’s what Bruses has become now and I’m so proud of it and I’m never gonna let anyone touch it. This is Bruses. This is my baby. This is my creation and those kids need to hear this. I’m not gonna let them down and I’m not gonna be singing about things that I don’t believe in. 

SR: I really admire the songs “Bestia” with Humbe and “Movie” with Gale. How did those collaborations come about?

B: For example, with Gale, I think someone introduced me to her and we went for drinks and had dinner. Then there was this beautiful moment where we were just listening to songs like Hannah Montana and Avril Lavigne. We were laughing and having the best time. That was the moment that I was like “Okay dude, we need to write a song right now,” and we wrote the song that day. We were having that moment – we were just having so much fun.

Humbe was different because we’ve known each other for a long time. We kind of met before the pandemic or during the pandemic, so it was really weird because we were like online friends. We both kind of used TikTok as a platform to promote our music. Even though our backgrounds are different, we somehow connected, with like mental shit and we became friends. I remember it was kind of the same. We had a lot of hangs, and then I went to his house in Monterrey. We were playing video games and eating chicken wings and we were like, “You know, I think it’s a moment.” That day we were like, “We should really write a song together”.  He was like, “Yeah, I feel it too” and we wrote the song that day. So I think in both cases, we both had to feel it for the song to feel real.

SR: What other goals do you have for your career? 

B: I want to buy my mom a car and a house. I know that’s money-related, but I really want to do that before she dies. She’s not that old. I’m being dramatic. But I really want to film it. Everybody wants to do that for their parents. I really wanna tour. I love touring. Making videos or directing music videos, it’s one of my favourite things as well as writing music. I also want to be selling out arenas.  

SR: Any future projects, shows, or anything that you are able to share? 

B: Well, I’m finishing my second album. I’m really excited. “I’m So Happy”  is the first single from it. It’s so different from my past album. I love a pop/ rock moment. Obviously, we’re gonna have pop/rock moments in my second album, but it’s so different. Most of this is still me, but I feel like this is more me in general. I’m experimenting with a lot more new sounds. It’s more electronic. It’s stronger. It’s chaotic. It’s all over the place. 

It talks about something really sensitive that happened. I had a car accident and it’s been seven years now. I basically died and went into a coma. I never knew how to tell this story because it’s so dramatic, so I try to make fun of it, even though it wasn’t fun. I went to a coma and that was such a trip –  being a coma. It’s going to be my coma in music form, and all the things that I was thinking, going through and hearing.

So, it’s a super chaotic album, but it also has sensitive points and very vulnerable moments – musically and lyrically. It’s one of the things that I’m most proud of.  I’m still being super raw and super honest. I’m proud of my baby and I cannot wait for it to come out.

The post Bruses reflects on Latin Grammy nominations, new music, and her artistic journey appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The celebration has a different flavor compared to other festivals that occupy the space. I mean that literally – Mexican food and Micheladas were being served while people gathered around a Lucha libre-wrestling ring. There were vendors selling authentic blouses, painted figurines, and magnets but naturally, I bought a wrestling mask to live out a childhood dream.

Of course, the music was the main attraction and Ruido Festival didn’t disappoint bringing on international talent. For instance, Tijuana-based alternative pop rock artist Bruses, dressed in zippered-up jeans rocking out her signature bright pink hair was a great hit with this crowd. Bruses cheerfully stated it was her first time in Chicago before proceeding to share her newest song “FBI” and “I Like 2 Be”. She even did a cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Helena,” clearly the band inspired her look and she admitted as much when our very own Manny Diaz (photographer) asked her so – “Bands I would love to work with if given the chance are My Chemical Romance, Paramore and me gusta mucho Machine Gun Kelly,” she shared.

Off to the back was the Fiesta stage, a place where DJs could spin music keeping people dancing whether to house, salsa, bachata, and everything in between. El Dusty’s set was really something to enjoy. El Dusty proudly represents Houston, Texas, but admitted to being inspired by the Chicago House DJs when I asked who were some of his inspirations:

“Bad Boy Bill was definitely a huge influence of mine as well as Julian “Jumping” Perez and all the old school underground construction sound. I have a huge record collection of old UC records. As a DJ, when you come to Chicago you definitely see that the production is on another level and I love partying here, being in the scene linking up with friends when I’m in town.”

El Dusty’s signature sound is blending classic Cumbia tunes we grew up with mixed with modern dance beats making for a perfect blend of old and new school for everyone to groove to. His song “Cumbia Anthem” has over a million views on YouTube. From growing up working on an old Akai MPC to now travel doing shows, I asked El Dusty how has the journey been and he replied: “Taking it as I come. Been putting out music since I was a kid. Every once in a while you hit one and “Cumbia Anthem” was one of those ones. It was great sampling someone I listen to growing up like Andres Landeros and making it into a new beat was a dream come true”.

A band that is creating buzz within the Chicago scene is the alternative rock band Division Point. Members Danny Garcia, Danny Gaytan, Jeremiah Elam all went to high school together playing in music programs and knew then they wanted to collaborate because they had something special. The trio found success but still felt they needed another element which lead to the addition of guitarist Tony Baeza and it’s been nonstop motion ever since. The band is young yet their sound illustrates how talented these guys are at their craft. Take for example their song “How You Say You Love Me,” Gaytan pours his soul on vocals while playing the bass, Elam kicks ass on the drums, Baez is the backbone keeping the rhythm on point for people to groove to, and Garcia killing it on his guitar solo. The band has been performing at local venues but being a Ruido Fest was special for each member: “I used to come to this fest every with my parents and now I’m here performing. Just loading in this morning felt surreal but amazing to be here with these guys”, said Garcia. Baez added: “I’ve been coming here since the first Ruido Fest as a fan because I love rock Español. I always said one day I’m going to play here and I literally spoke it into existence. It’s a dream come true”.

One of the biggest artists that fans highly anticipated was Cuco. Promoting his latest album Fantasy Gateway, this is Cuco’s first time touring since postponing his last one in 2019. Fans showered him with affection when he arrived, which he truly appreciated. He put on one hell of a performance as his setup had psychedelic patterns in the background as he sang some of his classic songs “Summertime High Time” and “Keeping Tabs”. He serenaded the crowd by playing his trumpet on “Amor De Simpre” and his cover of the Mexican classic tune “Piel Canela”. His mellow sound definitely sets the mood that brings lovers together which is all you need on a summer’s evening.

However, the group that got the biggest crowd reaction when announced was none other than legendary hip-hop trio Cypress Hill. The stage had an inflatable skull holding a joint with an afro made out of weed plants. The crowd lit up, literally and figuratively, as rapper B-Real came onto the stage. It was a little disappointing that the other two members, DJ Muggs and Sen Dog, weren’t in attendance, but B-Real is the face and voice of the group. It didn’t stop fans to rap along with bangers like “I Want to Get High,” “When the Ship Goes Down,” “Hits From the Bong,” and “How I Could Just to Kill a Man”. It was worth seeing an iconic figure in hip-hop performing some of the best tracks we grew up on.

Rudio Fest had everything you needed. It was such an enjoyable experience from the food to the activities spread throughout the park. The festival’s willingness to bring together alternative sounds to represent the different styles the Latino community provides is quite admirable. The event is now a staple now in Chicago as a festival willing to take risks in order to represent Latino culture.

The post Ruido Fest 2022 through the eyes of the artists appeared first on Quip Magazine.