Today we’d like to introduce you to Ginger Rodriguez.
Hi Ginger, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been writing music since I was a kid, and I’ve only just turned 21 years old, so I feel like I still have so much life to live, but I think the unique life experiences I’ve had so far have shaped my journey and perspective, not just as an artist, but also as a person. However, I feel that my interest in music and self-expression wouldn’t have developed in the way that it did if it had not been for my early life circumstances. When I was an infant, both of my birth parents struggled with substance abuse and troubles with the law, so at only a few weeks old I was taken into foster care. After a couple of years, I was luckily adopted by a relative and his partner—who I now call my dads. Although I am incredibly lucky to have been adopted by two caring parents, I went through a lot of instability before getting there, and as a child, I was also trying to navigate why my life looked different, and why my life was considered odd, in comparison to everyone else’s—especially since this was a time when LGBTQ+ inclusivity wasn’t as normalized as it is now—which gave me this impression growing up that I was an outsider, and that this world I was brought into was a world not meant for me. Unfortunately, those kinds of thoughts I had about myself stayed with me for a long time—and these are thoughts I continue to work through and heal from—but managing these overwhelming feelings at a young age made me appreciative of art and music. So as a kid, I began writing my own songs, and at about 14 years old, I began recording those songs using GarageBand and then uploading those recordings onto platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube. Since then, I’ve continued pursuing a career as a music artist, and now at 21 years old, I’m already writing what will be my third album titled, “Pop Cult”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Pursuing a career in music has always been easy for me due to the fact that I just absolutely adore getting to create things; and composing and sharing my work has allowed me to express myself—and share myself—with people who I normally wouldn’t be able to connect with otherwise. However, I’ve always been very particular with what I create and I have always had a vision for each of my projects, but in execution, my ideas have never translated in the way I would have originally intended, simply because working in music is incredibly expensive; this has made it imperative for me to be able to work around my limits. Having these kinds of limitations isn’t inherently a bad thing since I’ve still been able to create works I am incredibly proud of despite the lack of resources; but since I started out so young, I had to develop a DIY approach to making music—especially since I was a child going into this business, and spending so much money on equipment, studio time, engineers, or anything else regarding my childhood interest in producing quality recordings of my songs was something that my family couldn’t afford to do. However, because I was lucky and extremely privileged enough to have a laptop, I was able to teach myself how to do a lot of music production basics by using GarageBand. Over the years, I’ve continued to grow as an artist and music producer, and I’ve also been able to acquire my own equipment and develop my own home studio—so I’ve come pretty far since then—but working in this business without a label, or the wealth afforded to the successful music artists of today, has made working in this business a bit more difficult than I would like. However, if I’m able to create the works I do now with my small budget while I’m just on my own, I absolutely cannot wait for what I’ll be able to do when I have the opportunity to afford better tools and expand my creative team.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a natural observer of myself and the world, my work as a singer-songwriter and music producer is very reflective and a bit self-obsessed. It’s somewhat embarrassing in all actuality but I also feel proud and honored to be able to share the different facets of my character as I grow; which makes the music I make far from a highlight reel of my life. In my music, I not only share the sweet moments, but I also focus on the experiences that highlight my flawed and lackluster traits, which can be such a frightening thing for anyone to expose, but because art is a spectacle which allows everyone to be a critic, it makes me proud of my strength since I’m able to be so vulnerable even though it may work against me to do so. Additionally, I think because I make myself defenseless by being so self-involved in my music, I set myself apart from other artists since my identity, and my journey to understanding myself, through my art can’t be perfectly replicated by another artist since they simply can’t be me; similarly, I’ll always be unable to replicate or mirror the artists I idolize because I simply fail to be them. Nevertheless, I think our failures to be anyone but ourselves despite our collective experiences as human beings is a beautiful thing since it makes life and art that much more interesting. I think that throughout my life and career as an artist, leaning into this failure to be like anyone else will be my biggest strength.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice to artists wishing to connect with other people in their field is to utilize the power of social media. Social media platforms are ever-changing so there may be new platforms people turn to in a few years—but right now, sites like Instagram and TikTok have been instrumental in helping me connect with people in my field. It’s so easy just to search through specific hashtags related to your field or your location to find other people to work with remotely or on-site just by sending a thoughtful message introducing yourself. Sometimes not everyone will respond or give you the response you were hoping for, but when you are able to establish that connection with a fellow creative, it allows you to not only build your network and make a possible friend, but you are also able to simultaneously gain opportunities and give opportunities to other talented individuals whose work deserves to be discovered.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gingerrodriguez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grdzmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grdzmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/grdzmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GingerRodriguez
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gingerrodriguez
Image Credits
Sydney Wisner
