Angelica Vila Releases Album "Deception Season": RocNation's Secret Weapon
I was living in New York when Angelica Vila’s name appeared on my timeline. My PR mentor, Fairley who was with RocNation at the time, was working with Angelica. I fell in love with her confidence and ambiance. She arrived with her album, "Deception Season". Our interview was so much fun! Even being quarantined she's remained her optimistic self. Nurturing her talent and assuring she's doing what needs to be done for the culture.
Our interview started off with praise, because it's hard out here for a colored woman:
Nia Rice:
Congratulations on your partnership with RocNation. You guys have been doing some dope stuff. I see you just released "Why" with Jacques which is HARD! Talk about the creation process of it, how your fans are taking it.
Angelica Vila:
So, we were in the living room one day. We just had like a lifetime conversation about us as individuals, us together, and then just about life. Just in that conversation, we were talking about being tired of people sleeping on us because of knowledge or because of either lack of knowledge.
I felt like at that time... I felt like I was being hindered at that time. So I was like, fuck that shit.
I need to poke myself because I can tell that they started to sleep on me. When I say they, I would just keep it discreet and just general. But you know they were sleeping on me so I knew I had to get to work.
I'm a workaholic, I love to work. At that time I couldn't really do, what I wanted to do. And so I just took it to the crib. I'm like, fuck that shit. I'm here in the crib recording my own shit.
I got my whole set up right here, engineer myself, and with the song.
Yeah, with the song itself though, I recorded the song. I was here when my boyfriend, he penned the lyrics, I laid down melodies. We took it to Jacques's house.
He laid down his melodies and his adlibs and his background vocals and all that stuff. And then we delivered it to RocNation, and that's how it happened!
NR:
I love it. Come on honey! Listen, we’re going to get this moving. I feel you. So how was it collabing with Jacquees? Do you plan on collabing with more male RnB artists?
AV:
Actually, I want to answer your first question, it was super dope to work with Jacquees. He's super humble and he's a workaholic.
He's about his business. As far as working with other artists, I really want to work with more female artists. And I have that in my own project.
I have actually four girls featured in that project. Then I'm super excited, cause if y'all find out who it is y'all gone be like oh snap! I'm not going to say too much. But I will tell you that I do have another feature with a music video and it's actually with Tory Lanez in it.
NR:
Awesome. I love it. We love the collabs, keep it in the culture. So with everything that's going on right now with Social injustice COVID-19 - talk about how that's affected you with your music? As you said, you have a set up for your studio, but then you also have the music industry doing blackout Tuesday. How are you coping with the change of everything?
AV:
I feel like, especially being that I do have a lot of followers on my Instagram; I feel like anybody who has a huge platform, should be taking advantage of that. Being that they have people looking at them and looking at what they're doing and what they're talking about.
I feel like one of the things that they should be talking about is Black Lives Matter. Because for one, yes, this is something that's happening today, but this is something that has been happening for years.
So it's time for a change. We can't let up, because if you do it's going to be silent.
Just keep moving and act like nothing's happening. I feel like low key that's, what's starting to happen because nobody's talking about Breyonna Taylor anymore. Nobody talking about all these cases that everybody was digging and searching for when this first popped up.
I feel like everybody should be still keeping that same energy. That's why I keep reminding people like Breyonna Taylor 's killers haven't been arrested, you know? So I just really want to use my platform to push that- use my voice.
NR:
I appreciate that. Using your platform. I love to see that you have four collabs with women. Love women empowerment with the music industry. I wanted to talk about how women empowerment has helped your career and what women have played a part in your career and how you want to play a part in the future.
AV:
Actually. So, a woman who's played a huge part in my career is actually my mother because she is super supportive of my career. And my uncle and that's her brother. So, we keep it in the family. He's been my manager since I started music. I started music probably like 11 years ago now. I was a baby. I'm only 21 right now.
I feel like women empowerment specifically has helped me because there's a lot of women in this industry that are actually making it...before there weren't so many women in the industry as successful. I feel like women like Cardi B paved the way for women in the industry. I feel like, that really helped me in terms of me being in the music industry.
NR:
Love it! Let's talk about what can we expect from you in the future? Who are some of your inspiration collabs?
AV:
So what are my inspiration collabs? I need a J Cole feature or I need to be featured on one of his songs, I Love J Cole. That's the goat. I really want a lot of features... Jhene Aiko... Like all the people that I'm naming are people that I listen to. Like genuinely listen to, like 6lack. There's a whole bunch of people that I listen to that I love. I don't know if I'm reaching, I'm probably reaching- but I would love to work with Beyonce and/or Rihanna.
NR: But you're with RocNation so it shouldn't even be that hard?!
AR: The biggest misconception that people have is that once you get signed you made it. Now, that's when the real work starts. Once you get signed it doesn't get easier from there. Now you got to work double times hard because you gotta prove yourself.
NR:
What do you want you to your legacy to be? And what do you want people to remember you for? Like where you see yourself in 10 years?
AV:
I really want people to remember me by this. If you don’t got a plan B, don’t create one. The day you start putting that in your mental, then you're already going to be doubting yourself. And you're already telling yourself that the plan A won't happen because you're giving it half that its worth.
Don't just give up on it. I'm just going to do this because that didn't work out other ways. And that's what I want people to remember me by. It doesn't matter your age. It doesn't matter how tall, how short, how big, skinny, or whatever you are. It doesn't matter, your skin color, nothing. If you believe in yourself, that's all it needs.
NR:
Well, thank you so much. Anything you want to leave us off with?
AV:
Stay tuned for my project. The Section for season one is dropping really, really soon. I cannot wait. I have a music video. I have a whole bunch of visuals that we actually got done before quarantine started. But listen, it's all about the execution as well. It is about the content.
NR:
Yes. Okay cool. And what's the name of your EP?
AV:
Just section, season one.
NR:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, my love.
Sponsored by H2P Management
