How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never listened to you before?
I would describe my sound as Pop/Latin/RnB.
What are/who are some inspirations for your music?
My inspirations vary. For songwriting, I love the lyricism of Miguel and Jeremih. I also love Summer Walker, Bad Bunny, Maluma and Marc Anthony!
When you began listening to music in English, would you say that helped you learn English? Who were your go-to artists/bands in your early listening to music in English?
It definitely showed me how to swing my cadences and it introduced me to nicknames for a lot of things. I never knew that some of the songs I would sing along to were about such crazy things. When I began listening to music in English, it was – and still is – Beyoncé. Ariana Grande introduced me to the more Pop and girly side of things. Sam Smith and Adele made me feel more at home through the emotions in their lyrics. They portray emotion just like how they do in Mariachi music.
What motivated your step into pursuing music as a career?
I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when I was 13, and it was hard to make friends for me at first. Because of this, after school every day I would find myself on Youtube listening to all this new music. One day I asked my mom for a guitar for Christmas. That year I got a $30 guitar and began learning via YouTube. I did the same with piano and ukulele. I started posting videos on Facebook for my family, who are also in music. Then people at my school found them and started sharing. At that point I realized people would like to hear more from me. I met Christopher Bush through his daughter at her Sweet 16. He helped me get on my feet after my mom had to downsize to a one-bedroom apartment. He showed me the ins and outs of producing, writing and engineering. He was a big inspiration for me to keep going as well. I can strongly say my family was a big push for me.
You recently released your first major label single, “Pop Star”. Tell me about the song and the inspiration behind it.
“Pop Star” is my first single with a major label, and it’s really a stamp of most of my musical qualities as a singer/songwriter and producer. My in-house producer Stanley Randolph and I made this song together. I was having some financial issues at the time, and it made me really sit and think about how many people and kids of my background don’t have many options. The catch is that even more so, we don’t have the option of quitting. So when we choose a path, we’re all the way in. That way of thinking stems from our parents, which – in my case – was my mother.
How do you connect with your listeners?
Besides connecting through my music, I connect with a lot of my listeners through social media and I love meeting them in person. I once threw a meet and greet early on at the mall and over 500 kids showed up! It was truly amazing.
What’s something readers should know about you?
Listeners should know, everything you hear is written by me and there’s a good chance I also helped with production in various ways. I also want them to know that the cards I were dealt weren’t the best. But I changed that with passion, hard work and determination. I want them to know this too because if I can try this long and work this hard, you can and should too.
What do you have planned for the rest of 2020?
For the rest of 2020, I plan on releasing all this music in my vault. I also have a song premiering on a really amazing show at the end of April. I can’t release any information on it just yet, but stay on the lookout for the announcement!
To keep up with Poe Leos follow her on Instagram and Twitter and check out the official music video for “Pop Star” below.
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Photo provided by: Atlantic Records
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