Ceci Juno in Times Square; a dream that the Ecuadorian singer-songwriter achieves without a record label: “At the end of the day we are artists who do not have investors”

This year has been quite an emotional roller coaster for the singer-songwriter. Ceci Juno. He released his second album Temporary, went on tour in five countries, accidentally went viral, went on mexican television, opened the concerts for Mon Laferte in Ecuadorsigned as a songwriter for Warner Chappell Musicand in “the last minutes of the game” he appeared on the fence of Spotify of times square; “A goal” that all her followers shouted with the emotion of seeing her climb on the music field.

Ecuador present on Spotify: the singer from Cuenca Luz Pinos was the cover of March in the Equal Andes list of the platform

“It has really been a spectacular year for me, difficult, definitely, but at the same time I think that all the results and fruits are coming together”expressed in a phoner with this journal.

In the middle of Shakira and Julieta Venegas, the face of the Ecuadorian appears on the gigantic digital billboard that is imposed on the building built on the streets of Manhattan, in New York. “It’s something that I knew could come, but there is definitely nothing that can anticipate the feeling of seeing you there, so big, showing yourself to the world.” declares.

The Ecuadorian is part of the list Equal Andes, a list within the Spotify platform that was launched on International Women’s Day and in which you can listen to the content of female creators in 178 markets; in an effort by the platform to amplify the voices of women musicians, composers, performers and producers.

Music review: Ceci Juno unburdens herself in her new single ‘As usual’

In November of this year, Juno received the news that she would be the cover of the playlist Andes, making it the representative of this region. “It’s Spotify’s efforts to put women’s voices up in the world,” considers.

“At the end of the day it means that Spotify is appreciating our work and we feel that we can be that representation for other women who may be starting down this path. For me it is definitely not just anything and I take it very seriously ”, add in the call.

A year ago the interpreter of Clean slate She is based in Mexico, where she seeks to continue expanding her musical career, in the company of her husband, who is also a musician. Sebastian Barniol.

How is Mexico treating you?

Well, very… very good. The truth is that I am very happy, it is a country that is definitely very open, very friendly towards foreigners, I think they have a special appreciation for music in general, but also for music made by foreigners and the truth is that at all times I have felt very welcome.

Precisely everything happens in the middle of TemporaryWhat has this album offered you?

Phew…! of everything, because first of all, because on a personal level it is a very important album for me. like i always said this album narrates a quite important transformation that I went through since the pandemic, until now. I think this album was a way to document all these changes that I was going through. I started releasing this album with a lot of satisfaction.

On a professional level it is an album that has given me a lot, it has given me a lot of visibility, which is something that of course is important when it comes to having an independent project. An album that I released from Mexico, so it definitely worked as a cover letter.

In the middle of the conversation, Juno indicates that her entire tour was self-managed, a system that some independent artists opt for. What concerns this self-management?

It really is quite common in the scene in which I operate, at least. I am surrounded all the time by friends, independent artists, who are going through the same thing; at the end of the day we are artists who do not have investors, nor a label that is behind our project, nor a capital that really represents.

Beyond the financial part, We are projects that build everything from scratch. Maybe people think that being an artist simply requires releasing music. But behind wanting to release the music there are a lot of other forces, how to compose the music, record it, the production, the visual part, the launch or promotion plan that comes with this, appearing on social networks and becoming public figures, collaborations with different professionals, knowing the business part for our project .

I really always say that we do the work of many people, in one.

The Ecuadorian Ceci Juno surprises on TV Azteca with a song about a debt and a renowned Mexican bank

How would you describe Cecilia Jurado of 2022? Which version of her came to light?

If I have to super summarize, I feel like I end 2022 being a very awake Ceci, very aware, very grateful, very connected with what I want to achieve. I think that something that has characterized my year is that it has been a year of so many lessons that I have not been able to ignore.

I feel that I am ending this year very aware of everything around me and that in one way or another has fed or influenced many of my decisions. I feel that I am very connected with myself, with what I expect from myself, with what I expect from my project, with what I want to become, I feel that it has been a very transformative year.

What are those plans for 2023?

For the following year, collaborations are coming, video clips are coming, projects that have to do with Ceci Juno are coming, but they don’t necessarily have to do with music, they are simply projects that I have wanted to do for a long time. There is also a neighboring project that is not going to be called Ceci Juno, it is something else entirely. One hundred percent sure that he will see music by my side. (AND)