Someone sees you in the fog and haze of the club and says, "You're so dreamy." What's your dream club or DJing scenario?

My dream club is a space where my community can dream together and ultimately organize collective action to make that dream come true. A space that allows artists and movers to deeply explore, freely. A space for tough conversations where people are there to learn from one another and expand their consciousness. A space that makes way for intergenerational skill sharing. For love for what has happened, and for what’s to come next.

Your surroundings are everything. What surroundings help get you through your day to day?

My housemates! I live with two good friends, Lola and Lindaluz. They’re both passionate creators and compassionate people. Seeing them do their thing inspires me and pushes me to keep exploring my own path every day. Our home is an active making space and communal space. We always have friends and lovers staying at our place, who also participate in making sound, visual art, and food with us. It’s constant collaboration, love, and care.

My plant friends. Plants teach me so much about trust, patience, and the willingness to grow with others.

Highland Park! It’s just a block away from my house. I try to go on a long walk every day to keep my physical and mental health in check. There’s an amazing reservoir trail that feels like you’re in the middle of a forest. It’s my favorite park in Brooklyn.

How has moving to NYC been for you?

It’s had its ups and downs. When I first moved here, I was pretty depressed. I moved from Pittsburgh, where I was very busy and actively performing almost every day. I also had some rando roomies who were passive aggressive; they didn’t like any sounds, plants, or good vibes. After a month or so, we started Las Mariquitas, and that quickly became one of the most rewarding ensembles I’d been a part of. Some of the members were people I had never met before but who are now my close friends.

Being in the band immediately opened my life to a loving queer community, as well as a spiritual awakening connected to the music that I grew up with. It was a healing journey that I didn’t know I needed from the path of a conservatory musician. Shortly after, I also moved into the home that I live in now.

Once we got to the summertime, I was back to being a full-time performer. Being in NYC has also connected me to my family and the history of a lot of the music I grew up with. I’m able to attend concerts and actually speak to the elders who created that music. It’s also been really refreshing to be in a neighborhood that primarily speaks Spanish and in a city that is filled with Black and Brown culture.

What's your favorite breakfast to make for somebody else?

Thinly sliced and heavily seasoned potatoes in a cast iron, with sunnyside eggs that have been slowly cooked on top of them.

Tell us about any new projects you have coming up.

I’ve been working on two performance pieces that I’m excited about! One of them is called “Is this a battle or is this a game? No jueges con migo pero I’ll play with you…” It originally premiered as a part of a showcase at Abrons Art Center for EmergeNYC. I’m continuing to develop an hour-long version of this piece. As it stands, it begins with me playing the Taino game Batu against myself.

Batu was one of the first pieces of Taino culture that the Spanish colonizers tried to erase; they were afraid that it preserved their ability to be good warriors and would eventually be used to overthrow the Spaniards. While playing this game, I want to speak out about the displacement of my ancestors and how my family has had to flee to the U.S. because of U.S. “interventions'' held in our lands, and the feelings that arise from being in a colonized “land of the free'' that doesn’t want us here.

I’m also excited about a project that I started with Mobéy called Tó Ara. I see it as a form of sonic protest. We released our first single, “Comiendo Sandia,” a month ago. It is a song that speaks about the forced displacement of indigenous peoples and how the bombs that the U.S. military created that are being used in this genocide were originally tested in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Gaza, you are the tip of the spear. You will be free and so will we.

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