Approx. 6 minute read

Angela Rosero believes that being authentic is the best way to connect with her audience. I’ve had the experience of connecting to Angela’s music as an audience member on a few occasions. The first was at Camelot’s Django Bar where I remember sensing her stage presence, sharing her amazing music with her heart on her sleeve and her gorgeous locks framing her face like a halo. The other, that is forever imprinted on my mind, was at the Addison Road Centre for a Cumbiamuffin gig where Angela and her Latin crew rocked the joint so hard it sent me into a dancing tizzy causing me rattle until my earring went flying clean off my earlobe. Now that is a good time!

Read on to learn more about Angela Rosero’s fascinating journey into music, her creative approach and her Columbian roots.

Sonia de Freitas: Hi Angela, how are you and where does our interview find you today?

Angela Rosero: Hi Sonia, this is a happy end of a crazy week, I just came from a nice leafy walk and feel inspired.

SdF: Can you tell me about your journey in music? When did you know that you were going to make music your career?

AR: Wow, to summarise this amazing journey would be very difficult but, I’ll do my best! To start with my journey, I would say started more like way of healing rather than a decision of making it a career. Back in my country, Colombia, I remember the family encounters full of music. My dad played guitar as a hobby and he always taught me songs that I could sing with him. Eventually, I started playing recorder all by ear and loved it. Later on, I joined a choir at a church and I sang there for 12 years. It was a great place to understand that music is more than a theory but a feeling to make others be connected through it. I understood that is a language that everyone is exposed to and any situation could be better depending of what music you choose to hear.

I arrived to Australia in 2006. I travelled with my boyfriend (now husband). He is an actor and together we decided to create a company to spread Hispanic culture through art. There, I was able to be surrounded with such a talented people. I was always part of the actor’s crew and sang at our theatre productions; a band manager saw me and invited me to be part of a project that was to be presented at Bluest Fest. From there I never stopped working in collaborations with many bands and producing my own concerts.  In 2010, I was invited to be part of Cumbiamuffin as the lead singer and now we are more like a creative music family.

So, to tell you exactly when I felt that music was mean to be my career, is difficult. It was more a process…a process of evolving, transforming and expressing myself as an artist.

SdF: Can you tell me about your creative process when producing your work?

AR: When I compose lyrics, I feel the melody and end let myself get into it, getting inspired to talk about (or create) a story.  When I am producing a concert, I’m very meticulous on the repertoire that I choose. I’m passionate of exposing music not heard before specially from female composers, so when I integrate a concert, I really like to create a journey for the audience rather than just perform nice songs.

SdF: Who is your sounding board? There must be someone that you trust to give you brutally honest feedback on your music. How do they fit into the process?

AR: My husband. He is my best and honest critic. He knows what I’m capable of and always gives feedback to improve my work. Being an actor helps him to understand what I want to deliver through my performance and he is clear when I’m getting it right or needs improvement.

SdF: If you could collaborate with anyone, living or departed, who would it be and why?

AR: Uffff. So many to choose only one! But, I always admired Mercedes Sosa. She was an amazing woman and performer. Her voice was unique and her lyrics were so powerful. She knew that music is an instrument to rise an issue, to bring comfort, to make someone happy, to record an unfortunate story or simply to recognise humanity.

SdF: Have you experienced particular challenges as a female musician? How did you overcome these challenges and what do you think needs to change for others to avoid these challenges in the future?

AR: I’ve been so blessed to be surrounded by good colleagues and friends. I have not felt myself excluded from a project or been chosen over a man. But definitely, I see there are many talented women that could be given better opportunities to grow and express. I think providing spaces where there is a big representation of female in all artistic expressions would make a huge impact. I was honoured to be invited being part of Sydney delegation of SSI (Settlement Services International) to attend AWMA (Australian Women in Music Awards) in 2019, and I was amazed of such and abundance of talent that women offer to many scenes of the entertainment industry. Events like this bring hope and inspiration to many of us working to expose female art.

SdF: So, what’s on the horizon for you? Any projects you’re working on or new releases to share?

AR: In 2019 I presented a serious of concerts called Ellas (female “they”, in Spanish), aiming to bring female Latin American singers in Sydney to perform Folk Latin American Music.  I’m aiming to have a final concert in collaboration with singers involved and some other artistic expressions such live painting and dancers. All female. With the pandemic everything is on hold at the moment, but fingers crossed situation will stabilise so we can get back to normality. Also, Cumbiamuffin is releasing album this year so we are working on some original tunes to make people dance and laugh more! Keep tuned!

SdF: What is your most memorable performance and why?

AR: I’m a mother of three little monkeys. I produced a concert to make tribute to life, and was so special to reconnect with such a beautiful miracle of being mother. On the concert, each song was a tale. People were so connected to it even though some weren’t even close to parenthood, but I saw in the audience tears of joys they remembered the blessing of being parent or being son or daughter. We all are miracle! I was totally overwhelmed by comments expressing feelings raised and this inspired me to deliver performances where people can touch and feel their own humanity.

SdF: Musicians come in many “flavours”; pianists, trumpeters, bassists… ; if you weren’t a vocalist, what flavour musician would you want to be and why?

AR: I would definitely be a pianist. The movement of hands independently, but at the same time relaying to each other always amazes me.

SdF: What advice would you give to any aspiring musicians out there?

AR: Deliver yourselves. Sometimes music becomes a routine. A duty. But when you go back to the essence of such a powerful expression you need to make it from your inside, your real inside.

To learn more about Angela Rosero visit: facebook.com/angelasingerproducer

To learn more about Cumbiamuffin music visit: cumbiamuffin.com

For more information on International Women’s Day visit: internationalwomensday.com 

Keep an eye out for my next interview in the Shout Sister Shout series where I interview Maryanne Piper.

Did you miss the previous Shout Sister Shout instalment? Read Emily-Rose Šárkova’s interview here.