Recently, Mexican Indie artist Rubimente released a tune titled “Piel de Chocolate”, which truly has a sweet, romantic sound to it; a serenade. I got to briefly chat with Rubi about her musical journey, the single’s inspirations, & upcoming projects. Read the interview below!
1) What initially made you want to pursue music?
“I’ve made songs all my life. All started as a game. I remember one day when I was 8 years old, some friends and I were playing like we were in a musical band–it was just a game, but I took it very seriously. Actually, the next day I already had a notebook where I began to write songs for our band. My friends forgot it in a few days but I kept writing songs until High School, and that’s where a teacher taught me some guitar chords. I discovered a way to put music to the melodies in my head and in my notebooks”.
“When it came time to choose a career, my parents did not allow me to study music, and they forced me to study Industrial Engineering. I spent one year studying it, but then a “miracle” happened. The doctors detected a tumor in my stomach, it was growing at an alarming rate, so I had an urgent surgery . It took me months to recover from the surgery , so I missed the semester. This time helped me to realize how much I abandoned my passion for music. For the first time in my life I had stopped making songs. I had stopped playing my guitar…actually I was even going to sell it. My dusty guitar was in the corner of my room, so I took it, played, and sang. Automatically, I burst into tears. I hadn’t realized that I felt so unhappy with my life and how much I missed playing music. So, I decided I needed to be happy”.
“I felt ashamed for abandoning something that I loved so much, for not fighting even a little bit. It was that day that I decided to change the course of everything, I quit engineering and I decided to study Musical Composition. Since then I have dedicated myself to pursue music. I do this because I need it and I love it”.
2) You released your single “Piel de Chocolate” somewhat recently–what is the inspiration behind this track?
“It was one of those songs that you compose in 5 minutes. I was in love with a friend of mine…he was a guitarist from Oaxaca, and he was really handsome, brilliant and charismatic. His laugh was loud and his skin was brown (chocolate color). He was my inspiration for ‘Piel of chocolate'”.
3) What do you think inspires your sound?
“I believe that my musical influences are singers of traditional Mexican music; such as Chavela Vargas, Aida Cuevas, and Toña la Negra. I also feel very influenced by the composer Cuco Sanchez, and by current singers such as Natalia Lafourcade and Alice Phoebe Lou”.
4) What gets you in the mood to create?
“I guess strong emotions like anger, extreme sadness, infatuation, frustration and anguish. I have a hard time composing something when nothing is happening with my life, because I can’t feel any strong emotions”.
5) Along with your recent single, are there plans to release more music?
“Absolutely! On February 12. My second single will be released on all digital platforms. The song is titled “La Maldita Paz” , you can pre-save it on Spotify“.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming releases Rubimente will contribute to the future of Mexican Indie music. If you’re needing a quick pick-me-up, I highly recommend checking out Rubimente’s music. Stream her music on Apple Music and Spotify, and keep up with Rubimente updates on Instagram!
Interview By: Alexa Terry