Photo Credit: Michael Buckner/WireImage for Arizona Jean Co.
Last week I had the pleasure of not only taking part in one of the cutest events I’ve been to in a while but interviewing one of the cutest lastest and greatest rising stars. Right off the brinks of their fun counterpart event in New York with Tori Kelly and X-Factor winners Alex and Sierra, Arizona Jean Co. put on the perfect end of summer soiree in Culver City, California with fun interactive activations from hair chalking to custom leather bracelet designing to (my favorite) flash tattoo’ing. Tori Kelly returned to the hit the stage along with pop music’s newest rising star Becky G who killed it with her summer anthem radio hit “Shower” while Tori brought it on with her amazing rendition of Destiny Child’s “Say My Name”.
When we’re now in an age where social media has literally taken over this planet and the way that many people, especially the youth, connect to is through online forums (whether Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube), it’s to me such an interesting and great story to see someone go from being little “Becky from the Block” to becoming this huge pop sensation in the making that we see today. Sitting down with Becky G to get the latest scoop on everything music and fashion, with her truthful, humble, and honest demeanor, by the end of this interview it was truly no wonder to see why she’s quickly taking over the hearts of millions.
Fashionlaine: Everyone’s been talking about you and have been your huge fans for quite some time now. Yet, I feel like “Shower” has really brought you into a bigger limelight and audience. How do you think that has affected everything?Becky G: It’s affected everything definitely in a big way. Since I’ve gotten signed, my life has changed so much. But especially since the past few months since “Shower” came out, it’s gone from 60 to 200 so quickly. I feel really lucky and blessed because it’s everything I ever dreamed of and asked for finally happening. All of the hard work and sacrifices my family and I had to make to get to this point is finally paying off. And even though I’m barely scratching the surface on things on what to accomplish in my career, I feel really lucky.
FL: So for those who may not know, you started your career on YouTube. What do you think of this crazy world of social media we live in today?BG: It’s how it is now and days. It’s part of this whole discovery factor now. You can still do it the “OG” way I guess you can say where I still love going to shows and watching bands that I’ve never heard of or seen before. But also I feel like social media has played such a big part in discovering talent. It just takes one person to come across your video to change your life and that one person for me was Dr. Luke. And it’s just been a crazy roller coaster ever since then!
FL: You’ve worked with everyone from Cody Simpson to will.i.am. Who are you still dying to work with?
BG: There are so many people! I think definitely Shakira is one of them just because I’m a very proud Latina and I’ve gotten to work with J.Lo who’s my idol. Also somebody like Bruno Mars who’s not so expected for me to work with. I feel like when I watch him perform I’m watching my generation’s version of James Brown because he has this old knitty-gritty feel to him.
FL: You’re such an inspiration to so many people with your music, background, and story. Who do you look to as inspirations both musically and personally?BG: Musically I look up to a lot people, but J.Lo is definitely one of them because she’s not just a singer. She’s an overall entertainer and business woman– she has so much going on. On top of being a singer, she’s also an actress, she’s a dancer, she has her own restaurant, she has her own clothing line– she does everything and I really appreciate that because she’s a real artist. A real artist to me is someone who’s apart of all the creative processes and dips their hands in different buckets of paint to create these cool pictures and she does that which I want to do too. And then of course Shakira, being another Latina who has accomplished a lot. And then in terms of personal life, my parents are my best friends. Their high school sweethearts, super young and know what’s up and are always there for me. I’m at a point in my life that everything is super crazy right now and I’m traveling and not really home. And so when I am home, they give me this sense of normality letting me vent and really be there for me and bring me me back to reality with chores or duties like babysitting.
FL: I was listening to Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM the other day and you were coincidentally on! You guys were talking about the gap between your teeth and how it’s become a signature part of your look. Really inspired by that because being surrounded by so many people, you must feel this need to look and be perfect. What advice would you give to girls about physical appearances?BG: That’s why I haven’t fixed the gap. It’s because it’s just me– I was born with it. I actually had braces which is funny because I just couldn’t escape the gap, it just came back! It’s a part of me and I feel like people connect to it and the fact that I haven’t changed it even though I perform and get to travel and be on red carpets. Everybody is perfect in their own kind of ways, “they’re perfectly imperfect” I guess you can say. Of course, it’s something I struggled with growing up. But what I’ve come to learn is that confidence doesn’t always have to be with looking perfect and having the perfect hair, skin, or teeth. It’s really with what comes from within and just being comfortable with who you are and being ok with that. Because if you’re not ok with that, then you’re never truly going to be happy.
FL: What’s your Fall must-have in your wardrobe?BG: I feel like Fall colors can never get old. I love me some burgundys, maroons, and blacks, along with pieces like scarfs and boots– that’s my thing. I like to dress up in Fall clothes. And it’s nice to dress for Fall in LA because it gets chilly but not super chilly, so you can wear cute knitted sweaters, cardigan sweaters, and all that stuff.
FL: What can fans be excited about with your new album?BG: They can be excited for new music. I feel like I’ve grown and evolved so much as an artist since I’ve gotten signed. I got signed really young and now I’m going to be 18 and experiencing life in a new way. And I’m actually apart of the creative process– I’m in the studio and am one of the writers on all the songs. I love just using my imagination and talking about situations that I haven’t or had experienced or that somebody I know has experienced. I like mixing it up and just telling stories so they can picture just a fun storytelling album with crazy beats.
FL: Lastly, you’re going on tour with Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, and Jason Derulo. Three very different yet amazing acts. What are you excited about with each?BG: I’m excited because it’s all different crowds! You got Demi who’s such an amazing artist– I appreciate her so much because she’s so real and so honest. I feel like it’s so hard as an artist to find a connection with people, especially at the beginning when you’re new to performing and stuff. It’s something you have to perfect along the way with more performances. But Demi has gotten to the point that she’s so comfortable in front of 10,000 people and yet she can talk to them as if she’s talking one-on-one which is not easy to do so I really love her for that. And I know her fans are really crazy and dedicated and so awesome, so performing for them will definitely be a light under my booty to do a good job. I know they’re all about their Demi and I’m a big fan of hers so I can’t wait! And Jason– that’s all urban. That’s the super urban feel crowd so I’m looking super forward to that because I’m going to change around my set to perform more of my hip hop stuff and rap a little bit more and dance a little bit more. And then for Katy, I’m going to be in Mexico! I’m Mexican-American and very proud to be, but grew up here in LA. I grew up going to Mexico all the time because my grandparents are from there and grew up there but came here for their version of the American Dream and a better life. And so I feel so cool that now instead of them coming here, I’m going to get to go there. And I’m not just going there for vacation, I’m going there to open up for Katy Perry! So it’s insane and it’s crazy to even say out loud that I’m going on tour with these three amazing people back to back.
What do you think?