Maria del Pilar Gives You ‘Motivation'

Maria del Pilar is bringing her Spanglish electro-pop to Bar Pink

Cosmica Records, home to Tecate's two-time Latin Grammy-winning Carla Morrison, has signed a new Chilean American alt-pop artist Maria del Pilar (MDP). She will be delivering her brand of Spanglish music this Friday at Bar Pink. MDP was formerly known as Lady D, the frontwoman of now-defunct alt-pop group Los Abandoned, which formed in L.A. in 2001 and put a twist on everything we loved about bands like No Doubt and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Maria de Pilar was named one of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2012 issue. So, she's definitely on my radar as artists to look out for. Last March, she released a 10-track bilingual electro-pop album, Songs + Canciones I on iTunes. I caught up with MDP recently to find out what's her “Motivation.”

Dita Quiñones:
  There's a few but quality acts coming out of Chile making amazing Latin alternative music. How would you describe the influence of Chilean culture on the current music scene?
Maria del Pilar:  I love how it is finally making musicians be OK and comfortable integrating the folkloric aspect of Chilean music. It's so rich and abundant with so many colors to create unique songs. Gepe and Pedro Piedra are definitely two of my favorites. They know how to mix pop and folk. Plus, we're all buddies -- I am also super proud of them.

DQ: 
What's new in your music making for this year?
MDP:  Lots of touring! Writing and producing my next album. Also, writing music and songs for other artists and TV projects.

DQ:  How do you feel being on Cosmica, the same label as Latin Grammy darling Carla Morrison?
MDP:  It's such a good place to be an independent artist.

DQ:  What message do you want most to come from your music being an American Latina?
MDP:  To be proud of being a U.S. Latino -- of having both cultures to draw inspiration and energy from. To create life of music that is bicultural and bilingual -- I think I help create the soundtrack -- the connection to many people's lives.

DQ: 
What can we expect at your show on Friday at Bar Pink?
MDP:  Energy and a kick ass show! I love the people in San Diego, and they are such a great crowd. I am looking forward to connecting with the fans and give people a nice break from their everyday things.

Follow Maria del Pilar. She performs this Friday at Bar Pink.

Dita Quiñones is a multimedia journalist born in Tijuana with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. Her main goal is to uplift and inform so that the Latino and Hip-Hop community get knitted into the fabric of American history. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, FOX News Latino, Poder, VidaVibrante, and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter.

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