Wanting to be an artist today can’t be easy — unless you’re born the daughter of Carlos Santana on the True Meaning of a Legend
The video for the “Switch,” directed by Taryn “Teek” Anderson, has an artsy feel to it, with STELLA wearing angel wings and wigs and making her way throughout an entire day of emotional turmoil. “I wanted to go through that first day when you wake up after you’ve broken up with someone and it hurts,” she says. “You think, ‘How am I going to go through this whole day?’ So it was about moving through those thoughts and emotions — do you call them back? Do you text him? Do you leave him alone? You can’t figure anything out so I wanted the video to show that pain. Then at the end, there’s a switch. You feel empowered after you realize ‘Wait, I made this decision, I chose to not be with you’ instead of just wondering ‘Why me?’”
STELLA shares that she wasn’t always so spiritual — or musical, for that matter. It took maturity, as it does for everyone. But being born into the family that she did certainly helped.
“Growing up we would always meditate as a family but I always thought it was boring; I wanted to go outside and play,” shares STELLA. “But eventually I understood it. If we saw a scary movie or something my parents would always tell us to pray, and ask for protection. So I grew up with this idea that I was protected and maybe it’s delusional but it seems to be true so far. They definitely instilled that in us and it’s ongoing. We’re always learning and developing more spiritually.”
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Music wasn’t just coming at STELLA from her father’s side. Her mother, Deborah, is herself the daughter of legendary blues guitarist Saunders King, and wrote a memoir about her journey toward spiritual fulfillment (she and Carlos were married for over 30 years, had three children, and separated in 2007). STELLA’s brother Salvador Santana is an accomplished musician and keyboardist in his own right, and while Stella doesn’t rule out a family collaboration in the future, for now she’s focused on finding her own sound. In fact, this dedication to herself is what inspired the album’s essence and title, she says.
“I don’t think selfish is a bad word or an insult necessarily. I’ve been called selfish in relationships and I’ve always taken it as somewhat of a compliment because I think that, especially as women, we’re taught to nurture other people and always be giving toward others but never to ourselves first. So I decided two years ago that I was going to end that relationship, I was going to pursue this dream and not get distracted. If I feel lonely or sad, I’m going to write about it — from the heart, like my dad always says. ”
Listen to more of STELLA on her Soundcloud page.