Marcela Barry’s alternative R&B sound is what our playlists have been missing
Singer Marcela Barry‘s sound is what we need to guide us through this tumultuous year of uncertainty.
She fills the ears of her listeners with music that makes sense, and with music that allows one to have their own experience with her raw vulnerability.
Her voice isn’t the one thing that defines her; she is a woman of immense potential and talent. She creates from the center of her vision, and Barry has a hand in every little detail of her artistic endeavors.
From the personal touches of using spaces from her childhood and her life to sitting in the editing room, she is making sure her labor of love for the past two years sounds just as she dreamed it to be.
Barry describes her music as “alternative R&B,” and when asked who she makes her music for, she says she makes it for people that actually want to listen and understand her story, essentially making her art universal. Which isn’t hard to do – her truth spills out of her velvet infused vocal chords captivating all that listen.
Her newest single, titled “Drag Me Along,” is off of her up and coming EP. It features a plethora of stunning woman graciously moving through time while Barry’s voice creates a landscape of imagination.
Barry is breaking into the world of music with an enviable energy that is loud and clear. She has intensely added her own soul into her work and everything is 100% created by her.
I had the chance to sit and talk with Barry about everything from the process of making truthful art to her subway commute that morning. We are so happy we can share her latest music video for “Drag Me Along.” Check out the exclusive interview and music video below!
If you could describe your passion in three words what would they be?
Vulnerable, bold, and thoughtful.
Now describe yourself in three words.
Genuine, passionate, and intelligent.
You’ve been making art for such a long period of time, how did you begin your descent?
I was always singing and creating. I think what got me started was realizing what I was doing. I’ve been writing songs since I was very young but to me it was singing whatever I felt like singing in that moment.
I started playing piano when I was seven and soon after that is when I thought, “oh I can just take the lyrics and melodies that I’ve been coming up with and accompany myself.” It all happened organically. It wasn’t something I decided to do from one day to the next; it just kept evolving, as I got older. I became increasingly obsessed with it.
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Was it easy to break into the creative world of making art as the true artist that you wanted to be seen as?
To be real, I’m still in that process. I’m making the music that I want to be making; I’m putting in work. This is a male dominated industry though and people are intimidated and act funny when a woman delivers work of a certain caliber.
The songs I make and anything I’ve released has been born in my brain. Trusting my ideas and myself is of the utmost importance to me. I think that has been crucial to my journey so far, and I plan on sticking to that as I move forward.
You talked about making work organically that your creations have evolved over the years, are there specific moments in time when you access your most creative self?
Definitely in my solitude when I’m reflecting. I always remind myself to be sure to find time to sit with myself. That’s when I can really flesh out ideas and create work that is fully formed that I’m proud of.
You are constantly creating and making, where do you find this enviable drive?
My drive stems from being totally invested in my music. This is what I’ve always known and what I’ve been working towards since day one. There’s no question about it it just simply is what I do. I feel lucky in that way because it’s beautiful to feel so sure about something.
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How does it feel to be a freethinking individual within this climate?
There’s some times this pack mentality that I think can really cause people to become stagnant. There really is very little room to move forward if we’re all just doing whatever the person next to us is doing.
To grow and to change is a natural part of our individual experiences, and I don’t think you get to enjoy that part as much unless you’re moving to your own beat, forging your own path.
Where do you gather your most inspiration?
My inspiration is always from personal experience. I’m inspired by hearing music that moves me. Language is also super inspiring for me. Sometimes I’ll overhear a conversation on the subway and someone will say something and maybe a few of those words sound really nice to me.
I’ll take it out of context and make a new sentence out of it and sort of go from there. Regular human interaction can be really inspiring.
How have your roots defined your views, your voice?
My Mother is from Honduras and growing up I would go to school over there for two months out of the year. I’m really grateful that she made sure I knew where we come from. I spent a ton of time with family and friends while I was there but I also had a ton of time to myself to write. Knowing my culture has definitely inspired the way in which I create.
How was it directing your own work?
I really enjoyed it. The entire process was really euphoric for me. I really had butterflies each day of shooting and during the editing process when I watched it all come together. It was wild to see a vision that I had gone over so many times in my head become something that others were able to see too.
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How did you conceive the idea for “Drag Me Along?”
“Drag Me Along” was a song that came very naturally. In hindsight it was a chaotic time for me. I think I was living in extremes a lot, going through a lot of changes. I think a lot of the song speaks for itself. I wasn’t necessarily the happiest I’d ever been.
I’m a very passionate person when it comes to my relationships and my art. I think writing drag me along allowed me to be vulnerable. It allowed me to express feelings that I wasn’t necessarily willing to share with anyone.
What was your creative process/journey leading you to the music video?
The first thing that came visually for drag me along was the color scheme. I knew I wanted a fiery color scheme. You know how there’s different colors throughout a flame? I wanted each frame to be different parts of the flame, that gradient has always resonated with me.
Like I mentioned before this song was very vulnerable for me and the beauty salon in the video is the beauty salon I grew up going to. Everybody at that salon is like family to me and it’s a safe place. It felt appropriate to have such a vulnerable song take place in this safe space.
This song has a lot to do with isolation. I wanted to showcase the sisterhood of that environment while at the same time being honest about how I was feeling when I wrote that song.
Best piece of advice you ever received?
My mother told me I had to make myself strong from the inside out once and that’s always stuck with me.
What’s next for you?
I’m in the process of recording my first EP. It’s called “Fever Dream.” Drag Me Along is the first single off the project. I’m really hype about it; it’s the most important thing to me right now. I’m putting a lot of heart into it and it feels right.
Photos by Abbey Gilbert
