María del Pilar has made quite a journey since her last album, "Pilar Díaz." The former Los Abandoned front woman, on a suggestion from producer Gabrial McNair, who produced "Pilar Díaz," decided to use her birth name for her solo project.
"Between all of us in the band, Los Abandoned, we felt it was time to move on to see what else we could do. We also felt, individually, we needed to do some soul searching. I wanted to see how I could take everything I learned from the band experience to create a solo project. I would love to do another group project, it’s just a matter of time to dedicate to have that," Pilar said.
Thus Pilar was ready for the spotlight, Focusing on the versatility of her vocal range. The one-time voice of the Latin alternative youth movement is now a full-fledged woman and unafraid to sing about it.
Pilar's new video, "Motivation" from the debut album "Songs + Canciones I," was released on March 5, 2013 teasing the audience with a magnificent display of passion.
Inspiration comes from many sources for Pilar, "My parents. Life. Gosh, so many things. Other bands and musicians," Pilar said, "I think my dad is my biggest fan. And I am his."
Former Los Abandoned front woman, Pilar, returns to the spotlight with her solo project establishing herself as one of the more prominent female voices in the U.S. Latin Alternative scene.
Pilar accomplished many things while in the band with a few things that stood out in her mind, "Playing Vive Latino for the first time in 2005, it was my first time singing to such a huge mass of people that were singing back our songs. Performing on Conan O’ Brien. Traveling to Madrid, Spain to perform. Doing my first show in Santiago, Chile," Pilar said.
After much success with her former band Los Abandoned, María del Pilar decided to veer down her own path.
One main thing that changed for Pilar going from a band to a solo career was, "Your personal voice is reflected. Your own crazy vision is the only thing guiding it, for good or bad," Pilar said.
"Motivation" was directed by Mark "Cosmo" Segurson, an experienced visual artist with extensive experience in the world of animation, which is evident in his previous works with Cartoon Network.
It was recorded in Segurson's studio in Atwater Village, California.
The video is a fantasy world in which Pilar plays four different characters in an attempt to find her muse.
"Working with 'Cosmo' has been quite a creative and visual adventure. He captured the essence of the song perfectly. Mark and I are friends from a while back; we met in art school, so there is a lot of freedom to exchange ideas," explained María del Pilar.
Pilar presents her new album 'Songs + Canciones I', a collection of eight songs in both Spanish and English that reflects her essence as an artist.
"Motivation" was the first official English single released from the new album. The second Spanish single "En el Dancefloor" was launched last week and its video will be premiered in the next coming weeks.
"I am stoked living in this very moment. It is a very satisfying time in my life as an artist and as a woman. I made the right decision to pursue my music career and create interesting songs that are meaningful to me as an artist and songwriter. I feel energized and motivated to continue creating, writing and recording," Pilar said, and has already started working on volume II of 'Songs + Canciones.'
Pilar looks forward to "Finishing the trilogy of this album series, continuing to write music for films and TV. Maybe doing a side group project. Produce, mentor, teach. Be active in the music industry in whatever role necessary to continue inspiring people through music," Pilar said.
María del Pilar's album 'Songs + Canciones I' was produced by Vicente Sanfuentes, a Chilean DJ recognized for his work with Francisca Valenzuela, Gepe, and Matias Aguayo.
The album has received support from several of her friends in the alternative music scene in both Chile and the U.S. It includes a duet with Chilean indie pop star, Gepe and a collaboration with Filip Nikolic who has worked with Poolside and Bonde de Role.
"Songs + Canciones I" is the first album of Pilar's solo project which is part of a trilogy she will be releasing in the upcoming years. The album will be released on March 26th through the label Cosmica Artists.
"I think they will love it!," Pilar said.
Maria del Pilar on each track of her solo debut album:
Motivation
"Vicente (Sanfuentes) had already created this pattern of drumbeats and he emailed them to me during a break from one of our recording sessions. We had decided to take a few days off from the studio in order to find some inspiration. Curiously, this song was born outside of the studio. Vicente's email had the subject title "Motivation", in which he encouraged me to find the motivation to write and allow myself to let the lyrics come to me. And they did, immediately. In the song, I sing about finding motivation in the simple things in life such as our daily routines, our day to day. How we should value and appreciate those simple things that motivate us to live through each day."
En el Dancefloor
"One of the things I enjoy most is dancing. When I have an opportunity to do so, I go dancing with my friends. It is the perfect excuse to have fun, a beautiful and energetic exercise so to speak. In this song I talk about what it means to dance, to strut around the dance floor, to look for love or a partner, or just let off some steam. The dance floor is always a place where we can reach an emotional and physical high; it's definitely a magical place for everyone."
Huaso de Los Angelitos feat. Gepe
"Is a song I wrote for my father Jaime Gerardo, a tribute to all his adventures as an immigrant, father, musician, artist, and mentor. It is a letter of appreciation and gratitude for everything he has done for me. In order to include a Chilean male energy to the song, I invited Gepe to sing with me. My father had a Chilean folklore group in Los Angeles, CA and in their shows they wore traditional Chilean Huaso costumes; hence, the title of the song."
High Heels
"High heels are indisputably a symbol of women, of femininity. This is my tribute to women, to the camaraderie that unites us in good and bad times and allows us to share secrets, tips, and other things that men might not be able to understand."
I'm not Awake
"This song is about wanting to wake up from a life that is stale. It's a call to overcome those stagnant or dead moments in our lives that hinder us from moving forward. It's about turning a new leaf, leaving the past behind, and awakening in order to live in the present."
Things are falling apart
"Sometimes things must fall apart and we must hit rock bottom in order to realize that love is always present and will lead us forward. When things go wrong or not how we planned them, it creates confusion. Nothing worse can happen and we can't fall any lower. Everything looks like it is failing, it could be your marriage, career, personal and professional life...there's nothing left, the only real answer is love. Love is the perfect company; it allows us to better ourselves. We may not have money, a job, and our lives are saturated with problems, but we cannot forget that love is the solution."
Quién Eres
"The day you manage to get to know yourself as a person, artist, woman, man, etc., is the day you will possess the strongest weapon to face any personal or professional adversities. This song is a manifesto to the power we have within us. If the devil is waiting outside your door or if you fall, your only motivation and answers will come from within."
Miss Funeral
"Is a very special song, it is exploratory in every way. It was inspired by a very adventurous friend of mine and my grandmother, Lucy. I have long studied the music and folklore of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and other Eastern European countries. The songs native to these regions have a different and unusual tempo. Speaking in musical terms, this song is in 7, which is not the usual pace of Pop songs. As for the lyrics, they speak of adventure and free spirits who explore the world without precaution and find themselves in unforeseen circumstances, always landing on both feet!"
MARIA DEL PILAR ONLINE
www.maria-del-pilar.com
Listen / Escucha:
MOTIVATION
To listen to
'Songs + Canciones I'
on iTunes
Click here
Download / Baja:
MOTIVATION
TO DOWNLOAD
"EN EL DANCEFLOOR"
CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
