Podcast Summary: All Of It – Alisa Amador Performs Live from 'Multitudes'
Date: June 13, 2024
Host: Kusha Navadar, in for Alison Stewart
Guest: Alisa Amador
Main Theme
This episode spotlights singer-songwriter Alisa Amador, celebrating the release of her new album Multitudes. Through live performances and candid conversation, Amador shares her artistic journey, the complexities of cultural identity, and the healing power of music. The episode emphasizes the challenges and triumphs of creating honest art, especially as a bicultural artist, and the universal longing to belong.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Alisa Amador’s Background and Breakthrough (02:50–03:57)
- Host Introduction: Amador’s impressive career, deeply rooted in her family’s Latin folk music heritage, was at a crossroads in 2022 when she almost gave up music.
- Breakthrough Moment: Winning NPR’s 2022 Tiny Desk Contest marked a turning point, revitalizing her music career and public recognition.
- Current Projects: Release of her album Multitudes, upcoming performances, and anticipation of a national tour.
2. Live Performances & Song Meaning
"Extraño" – Exploring Identity (04:12–06:51, Discussion 06:51–11:15)
- Performance: Amador opens with “Extraño,” the album’s first track.
- Language & Double Meaning:
- Host (06:51): Notes the richness of “extraño”—meaning both “strange” and “I miss” in Spanish.
- Amador (07:25): “That double meaning of ‘yo extraño’ is like, I miss, but it’s also a poetic way of saying, me, the strange one.”
- Cultural In-Betweenness:
- Amador reflects on growing up as a child of Puerto Rican and Chicano parents in Boston. The struggle with language loss is symbolic of broader feelings of not perfectly fitting anywhere.
- Amador (09:13): Shares her experience in an Argentinian songwriting class, feeling mournful about losing fluency and belonging.
- Universal Resonance:
- Amador (10:18): “Songs I write from a place of grief about not fitting in become ways to celebrate in-betweenness… this is actually something to celebrate and lift up as an American story.”
Family & The Power of Shared Music (11:15–14:10)
- Family Band Sol y Canto:
- Amador describes her parents’ Latin folk band, known for storytelling through pan-Latin rhythms and on-stage translation of lyrics to engage all audiences.
- Amador (12:54): “From a very young age, I had a deep understanding of the magic of a concert and why it must be preserved. It’s one of the last gathering places we have.”
- The Magic of Live Performance:
- Music as a rare communal experience that fosters presence, healing, and honest magic.
- Amador (14:10): “It’s like an honest magic... The realness and the vulnerability brings everyone together.”
"I Need To Believe" – Grief & the Artist’s Path (14:49–19:54, Discussion 19:54–24:26)
- Performance: Amador performs “I Need To Believe,” a song born from grief after losing a friend, and the struggle to find her voice again.
- Lyrics Reflect: Tiredness on tour, self-doubt, and the pressure to “belong.”
- Creative Block and Healing:
- Amador opens up about intense writer’s block tied to loss and insecurity.
- Amador (14:51): “The writer’s block I experienced was connected to grief, to losing a close friend very suddenly… I basically relearned how to write songs.”
Coping with Insecurity and Artistic Vulnerability (20:31–22:33)
- Letting Go of Perfection:
- Amador (20:31): “I’ve just tried to let go of thinking about whether or not it’s good and pay closer attention to whether or not I’m honoring the story or whether or not my heart is present with it.”
- Emphasizes the value of a heartfelt but imperfect performance over technical perfection without feeling.
- Finding Joy:
- Amador (21:49): “It’s always in other people for me … in the audiences I’ve gotten to meet while touring.”
- Credits vibrant audiences (like Lake Street Dive’s) for fueling her artistry with openness, honesty, and joy.
Building Connection & Advice to Emerging Artists (22:33–24:26)
- The Difficulty of Connection in the Post-COVID Era:
- Amador reflects on challenges and the necessity of real connection in the music industry.
- Practical Advice:
- Amador (22:57): “Take care of yourself and hold on to what really feeds you.”
- Highlights the trap of trying to fit into others’ expectations or industry molds, which can “break” an artist.
- Amador (23:17): “Being yourself is the secret to life and to a sustainable career.”
- Describes the toxicity of code-switching and shape-shifting to gain approval, especially as a child of immigrants.
Upcoming Performances, Closing & Final Song (24:49–End)
- Tour Announcements and Web Info:
- Upcoming show dates (including a free Manhattan performance July 11).
- Amador (26:01): “Alisamador.com will give you all the answers you need.”
- Performance – "Milonga Accidentada":
- An “existential lullaby” embracing contradiction, which closes the segment on a reflective, poetic note.
Memorable Quotes
- On identity and language:
- “Yo extraño is like, I miss, but it’s also a poetic way of saying, me, the strange one… anyone who is a child of immigrant parents or who has emigrated themselves… there’s so many ways to be in between and to feel like you don’t fit.”
— Alisa Amador (07:25)
- “Yo extraño is like, I miss, but it’s also a poetic way of saying, me, the strange one… anyone who is a child of immigrant parents or who has emigrated themselves… there’s so many ways to be in between and to feel like you don’t fit.”
- On magic of live music:
- “From a very young age, I had a deep understanding of the magic of a concert and why it must be preserved. It’s one of the last gathering places we have… Even if just for one song or for an hour, that’s a deep, important part of everyone’s healing and self-care.”
— Alisa Amador (12:54)
- “From a very young age, I had a deep understanding of the magic of a concert and why it must be preserved. It’s one of the last gathering places we have… Even if just for one song or for an hour, that’s a deep, important part of everyone’s healing and self-care.”
- On overcoming artistic insecurity:
- “I’d rather a performance that’s a little off, or has a moment with a flub where your heart is totally in it, than a performance where it’s technically perfect but has no feeling.”
— Alisa Amador (20:31)
- “I’d rather a performance that’s a little off, or has a moment with a flub where your heart is totally in it, than a performance where it’s technically perfect but has no feeling.”
- Advice to creatives:
- “Being yourself is…the secret to life and also to a sustainable career…when you try to be someone else, it can’t go for that long.”
— Alisa Amador (23:17)
- “Being yourself is…the secret to life and also to a sustainable career…when you try to be someone else, it can’t go for that long.”
Notable Moments & Timestamps
- [03:57] Amador arrives in-studio and opens up about hearing her accolades described on air.
- [04:18–06:51] Performance: “Extraño” (discussed at length after)
- [06:51–11:15] Discussion: Language, identity, and the meaning behind “Extraño”
- [11:21–14:10] Family history: Sol y Canto, and live music as communal magic
- [14:49–19:54] Performance: “I Need To Believe” (followed by discussion on grief and art)
- [20:31–22:33] Insecurity, vulnerability, and finding joy in music and community
- [22:57–24:26] Advice for newcomers: self-care, resisting external pressures, authenticity over assimilation
- [26:13–29:08] Performance: “Milonga Accidentada” & upcoming performances
Tone
The episode is intimate, reflective, and inspiring, balancing honest discussions about the pains and rewards of making music with personal anecdotes and live performance. Amador’s warmth and vulnerability, paired with the host’s empathetic interviewing, make for a deeply engaging listen.
For Listeners
If you missed the episode, this summary captures Amador’s music and message: the beauty in being “in between,” the power of honest connection, and music’s essential role as communal therapy and celebration. For more on her music and tour dates, visit alisamador.com.