Creativity is a paradoxical pursuit: The craft of making requires vulnerability and a certain kind of tenderness or openness to the world around us. At the same time, putting our work out in the world today can take a shit ton of courage and tenacity. This is a space to shine a light on the folks who are straddling these tensions and making us all a little better with their art. —Brené
La Que Manda. The Woman in Charge, a fitting name for singer-songwriter Gina Chavez’s first all-Spanish language album that was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2020. A beloved Austin musician, Gina is a 13-time Austin Music Award winner and the vice president of the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy. Gina is a generous and engaged member of the Austin community, giving back to local organizations like the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, where she will be performing with Carrie Rodriguez on April 2nd at the Long Center for “A Night of Song and Storytelling” with Brené. “The songs I write show me who I am — my lost Latin roots, my deep faith, my beautiful queer heart,” she says. “Music has carried me from coffee shops to famed Austin stages to NPR’s Tiny Desk and all over the world.”
Did you find this work or did it find you?
Music found me at a young age. I fell in love with drag triplets in 3rd grade music class and as much as I tried to avoid becoming a nerdy choir kid, I couldn’t help myself. Austin public school choir programs gave me the space to hone my voice on everything from Mozart to R&B to Broadway. But even then, I never could have imagined a career as a musician. At 18, I saved my dad’s 1954 Martin guitar from the closet and took it to UT. As a freshman journalism major, I found myself writing songs in class. I took those songs on trips to Austria, France, Argentina, and El Salvador.
“Best photo of the best day of my life!” Gina says; photography by Spencer Selvidge.
Gina (left) and Carrie Rodriguez opened with live music for Brené and Brett Goldstein’s live podcast conversation at Austin City Limits in 2021; photography by Charles Reagan.
What do you enjoy the most about creating?
I love words. I love rhythm. I love the way words have rhythm. And I love the way the rhythm of a word’s delivery can change its very meaning. I love how the right melody can imbue the simplest of words with the deepest emotion. And emotion connects us to ourselves and each other. And at my core, the reason I love music is because I love people. And what a beautiful way to connect to people it is.
I love how the right melody can imbue the simplest of words with the deepest emotion.
Is there a part of the creative process that’s tougher for you than other parts?
Songwriting lol. Songwriting is something I’ve spent most of my career avoiding. But I realize now after the intense solitude of quarantine, that I’ve spent most of my life running away from myself. My avoidance of songwriting was just a manifestation of that. So here I am with a full-time music career — finally quit my day job in 2021 — and, in many ways, I feel like I’m back at the beginning, learning to both strive and be patient with myself, allowing space for new creative processes to unfold and, ultimately, remembering that my role is less about creating and more about tapping into the rhythm of the universe and transmitting what’s already there; becoming the instrument, not the player.
What are three words you would use to describe your creative process?
Holding both/and . . .
Putting your work out in the world can be hard. Do you ever wrestle with perfectionism and/or get sidelined by criticism?
Oh you know it. I have years of songs that have never seen the light of day, albums that never got made, ideas that likely found their way to other voices because of deep-seated perfectionism. As I deprogram myself and make space for new ideas and creative processes, I find that I’m more able to love on the part of me that wants to make it all perfect or not at all.
What’s one thing you’ve learned about leading a creative team?
It’s really hard to have hard conversations. But in the end, it’s even harder if you don’t.
Favorite bumper sticker? It can exist or you can make it up!
Yo soy La Que Manda.
As I deprogram myself and make space for new ideas and creative processes, I find that I’m more able to love on the part of me that wants to make it all perfect or not at all.
