Interviewer Assistant / Support (4:25)

Hey.

Chico Curly Head (4:26)

Hey. Thank you guys for having me today.

Kusha Navadar (4:28)

Totally. Thanks for being here. So you were born in Panama, but you moved to the US when you were around nine years old, right?

Chico Curly Head (4:34)

Yeah, like, right on the 10 mark, honestly. And yeah, I moved from Panama to Atlanta, Georgia.

Kusha Navadar (4:41)

What brought your family there?

Chico Curly Head (4:42)

I mean, it was a mix of everything. Like, my mom's dream was always to live in America, first of all. And then the second thing was she always wanted a better lifestyle for me and my brother. So when it came to that, she kind of was just like, you know what, we're going to leave. And she convinced me that it was only going to be like three months. And then, yeah, three months turned into five years and then six years and on and on. Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (5:06)

Do you remember what your very first impressions were of Atlanta?

Chico Curly Head (5:10)

Yeah, I was like, this place is cold. I was like, this place is cold because in Panama is a very tropical humidity place. So it was like, we have no cold. There's no winter in Panama. So I was like, yeah, this place is cold. And then the first mistake I made was losing my jacket at the airport before getting out.

Kusha Navadar (5:27)

So, yeah, lesson quickly learned.

Chico Curly Head (5:30)

Yeah, very quickly learned.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (5:32)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (5:33)

You know, in previous interviews, you've mentioned that you initially had dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, which is something you and I have in common, because I had that same dream. I'm sure many people did. What position did you want to play or what position did you play?

Chico Curly Head (5:47)

I mean, okay, so I played varsity since a freshman in high school, and I originally started off in the midfield as a winger, but then in high school, for some reason, I really liked defending, and I ended up playing left back. And then slowly the coach transitioned me into a center back, and I just ended up getting really good at defending. But I would say I can play really well the midfield and defense wise.

Kusha Navadar (6:12)

What side of the midfield were you?

Chico Curly Head (6:14)

I was in. Well, I was back and forth. I was on the winger, as a winger, and then I was Playing, like, Centro, a defensive midfielder. Okay, got it.

Kusha Navadar (6:23)

And how often do you still find time to play today?

Chico Curly Head (6:25)

Oh, I play every two to three days.

Kusha Navadar (6:27)

Oh, really?

Chico Curly Head (6:27)

Every two to three days? For me, it's like a routine, and it's like a sign of discipline. Obviously, whoever knows about sports, like, you need a lot of discipline in sports. So for me, it's more of a discipline. It's a habit, honestly.

Kusha Navadar (6:42)

And you know that discipline translates pretty well to a music career. It does definitely need discipline there. When did you. When did you pivot to the music industry? How did your upbringing influence your musical style as an artist?

Chico Curly Head (6:54)

I mean, it was an accident, I'll be honest, because I had nothing to do with music none of my life, honestly. I've always, obviously enjoyed music from a fan point of view, but I never, ever thought about doing music until a friend of mine named Joshua invited me to his house, and he was like, hey, some guys from our school are coming to my house to record music. I don't know if you want to come through and hang out. Boom. I was like, sure, why not? I mean, I don't have nothing to do. It's a Sunday. Sure. Next thing you know, I'm over there, an hour passes by, and they're like, hey, do you want to, like, try to make a song? And I'm like, sure, why not? I don't know why I say yes, though. Like, I still don't know why. Something was telling me, like, sure, why not? Let's do it. So I made that song, and on the spot, I made a SoundCloud, and I was like, okay, made a SoundCloud, did the step by steps, uploaded the song on SoundCloud. By the next day, that song had a thousand streams. By the second day, 2,000 streams and then 3,000 streams. And at that time, obviously, SoundCloud was known for, like, kind of like an explore page.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (7:58)

Yeah.

Chico Curly Head (7:59)

Overall, there's no, like, it's not, like, Spotify and Apple music. So people were just, like, listening to. And it was like, yeah, this is pretty cool. And I was like, yeah, this is really cool. So that whole summer, I just ended up with being with those friends, experimenting in music and just learning. And that's how I got into music.

Kusha Navadar (8:17)

Okay, so, like, let's take a few steps back from there, you go to your. Your friend Josh's house, right? And there's a mic in front of you, and Josh is like, okay, do you want to try to sing?

Chico Curly Head (8:25)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (8:25)

Was it singing? Was that what had you sung before that?

Chico Curly Head (8:28)

Or was That I had never sung before.

Kusha Navadar (8:30)

Really?

Chico Curly Head (8:30)

Maybe in the shower.

Kusha Navadar (8:31)

And so did you just make up a melody on the side? What was that?

Chico Curly Head (8:34)

Yeah, I legit just made up a melody on the spot. Like I remember, I was like, so like what do I do? And then I remember I didn't even have the headphones in to record. I just had like holding them and I could hear it. And I was just like, just came up with the melody and then filled in the lyrics as I was going. And then we didn't even mix the song. Wow. No mixing, no master. I literally created the soundcloud and uploaded the song.

Kusha Navadar (8:58)

And so the next day, you open up your laptop, you turn on your phone, whatever, and you see a thousand streams. I guess. How did, how did that feel to see that so many people, strangers were streaming your music?

Chico Curly Head (9:09)

I mean, I was like, this is pretty cool. I was like, is this how artists feel or is this what happens when you upload music? I had no idea. I had zero idea. And then I just started experimenting And I remember during those months I would watch videos on like, okay, how to like properly upload your music and distribute your music and just learn. I remember just watching so many videos for hours about learning because I was like, this is pretty cool. And I didn't know that like anything.

Kusha Navadar (9:38)

Let me ask you this then. And this, this might be a penetrating question, but let's say that you had opened up your laptop and that you had seen that it was not a thousand people that saw it, but like one or nobody saw it. Do you think you still would have wanted to keep going in music?

Chico Curly Head (9:51)

Oh, I mean, I don't, I don't know. That's a tough question, but probably not because like I had a scholarships for soccer and I played soccer my whole life. So it's very hard to leave something that you've done your whole life just for something that you're experimenting in and just trying for fun. But probably not. I don't know, cuz I. Even when I was doing music and everything, like was going good, I was still playing soccer because that's, that was my plan and I didn't plan on changing my plan. So. Yeah, and then at the end, I just, I remember I waited till the last day to tell my coach, like the decision because I had multiple offers and I was like, I'm gonna do music because something is telling me that I should do music.

Kusha Navadar (10:32)

Yeah, you were following the signs, I guess.

Chico Curly Head (10:35)

He asked me, he's like, are you positive? Are you sure? And I was like, I'm not 100% sure, but this is what my mind, my heart is telling me right now. So that's what I'm gonna do.

Kusha Navadar (10:46)

Yeah, it was a real leap of faith there. I mean there was definitely data to say at least a thousand people. Two thousand by two days in listeners. If you're just joining us, we're talking to Chico Curly Head, the singer, the musical artist, the new project Never Ending Road. TR out. Now we're talking to Chico Curly Head, Atlanta based Panamanian singer. The EP again is Never Ending Road Trip. I want to hear some more of it. So we're going to listen to a single from the ep. This song is titled Many Nights. Before we get into it, what inspired the title for your new ep and can you tell us a little bit about the origin story of the song?

Chico Curly Head (11:18)

Yeah, like the title of the ep, honestly, it sums up the whole project on these are things, these are situations, these are moments, people that inspire this project. These are things that I'll never forget and they'll never like. It'll never leave me, it'll always be with me. That's why it's called a Never Ending Road Trip because it kind of feels like a cycle that just kind of repeats itself over and over and over. And I think many people have been in that position in different ways where it just feels like it'll never really end. So that's why it's called Never Ending Road Trip.

Kusha Navadar (11:53)

And what's the origin story of Many Nights?

Chico Curly Head (11:54)

Many Nights? So this is about a person that I really, really care about and I hadn't seen this person in a very long time. And before making this song, I didn't know. I struggled to express myself and I suck at expressing my feelings. So like this was like the song that I was like, yeah, you still have some work to do and personality wise about how to express yourself properly. So this song was basically that. It was like a recognition of that.

Kusha Navadar (12:24)

Let's listen to a little bit. But here's. Here's Many Nights. That was Many Nights from Chico Curly Head. And in the song we just heard and in a lot of your music, you seamlessly switch between Spanish and English. What's the secret to you for performing in both those languages?

Chico Curly Head (13:13)

I'm still trying to figure that out myself. But honestly it's just like the lifestyle I've had. Spanish being my first language and then English being my second language. It's something that I never thought I could even do because I mean, I remember first time I arrived I was like Yeah, I don't know how I'm gonna learn this language.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (13:33)

Yeah.

Chico Curly Head (13:35)

Oh, I struggled pretty hard that first year, for sure, in many ways. But I remember after that first year I was like, I really want to learn English. And I tried my hardest to learn really good. And I will focus in my classes really well. And people are, like, shocked about that. And I'm like, yeah, that's the crazy thing. I am shocked about that. I still don't know how I'm able to do it, but, like, it just kind of happened on its own. And I always give the example. Like, I remember when I would think in Spanish, and now I don't think in Spanish. Like, I could only think in Spanish.

Kusha Navadar (14:13)

Do you dream in English now too?

Chico Curly Head (14:14)

I do, Yeah, I do. And then the Spanish thing, like, every Latina mom at home has one rule, and that's Spanish at home. So there's no way I was gonna forget Spanish in any way. And yeah, I mean, when it came to my music, I was like, yeah, this is who I am. My mom is Panamanian, my dad's American. And I was like, this is who I am. I'm both. And I always said, I was like, I want to be that voice for that teenager, that. That person who. Who doesn't just feel connected to just one culture, but to another culture. And that's what I represent with my music, honestly.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (14:53)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (14:53)

You know, a lot of your songs are about love and relationships. How's the idea of romance fascinating for you as a singer, songwriter?

Chico Curly Head (15:01)

Oh, I mean, I think. I think for all of us, right? I mean, love can be like such a complicated thing or it can be a beautiful thing too, and a bad thing for. For others. But I just speak from the heart. I speak from my experiences, and I speak in a way that I feel like it can connect with anybody without necessarily being specific about, like a specific thing in the relationship. I speak, like, in a general way with people are like, yeah, I know what he's talking about. I felt that before, or I'm going through that now.

Kusha Navadar (15:36)

You know, you're also a father to a four year old. What effect has being a parent had on the music you make? Do you share your music with your son?

Chico Curly Head (15:42)

Of course. I mean, he actually picked a song out for this EP that came. Came out. Never Ending Road Trip, which is Keep it pushing. And he's the reason why I put that song on the project because he loved it so much. He would ask me to play it all the time. And I was like, I mean, kids tend to react to lullabies and very catchy rhythms in music. So I was like, I mean, the way he's reacting to it, it's really catchy. And that turned out to be one of my favorite songs from the project, honestly.

Kusha Navadar (16:10)

Really?

Interviewer Assistant / Support (16:10)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (16:11)

Well, that's good because we're not gonna hear it now, but maybe there's gonna be a surprise at the end of this segment. But for now, I'd love to listen to another one, the song Copa Divino. Can you tell us about the lyrical inspiration behind this song?

Chico Curly Head (16:22)

Yeah. So this song was definitely inspired by Panama. The rhythm in Panama is very Afro y, very reggae. And this song, I wrote this song while being in Los Angeles with a good friend of mine named Rafa. I call him Rafa. And I remember following up the message behind Many Nights, which was, I need to figure out how to properly express myself when I need to. And Copa Avino was the follow up for Many Nights in a way that, again, expressing myself to that person the proper way that I need to express myself.

Kusha Navadar (16:59)

Well, let's listen to a little bit of it. Here's. Here's Chico Curly Head's Copa Divino.

Music Segment / Song Vocals (17:13)

You let me know you know what I'm on. We've been r die for so long I don't mind you keep me up late at night.

Kusha Navadar (17:45)

You mentioned Rafa, and collaboration in your music is really, really important. For this ep, you worked with your producer and engineer, Rafa Alvarez, who has worked with artists like Kaytranada and Kalani. What was something unique that he added to this project that you really liked?

Chico Curly Head (18:03)

I mean, Rafa always has this touch of, like, giving an opinion, an idea, and just to try it out. And Rafa has picked up my voice and my sound really well over the last few years that we've worked together. And I think what was key to this whole project was the genuine conversations that we were having in the studio, which helped with the whole topic of me expressing myself. I think he made it very easy for me to express myself in the studio. That made it very easy and comfortable to make these songs.

Kusha Navadar (18:34)

Honestly, what kind of preparation did that look like before you even entered the studio? I mean, were you journaling? Were you doing collaborations with him over Zoom? What would it look like?

Chico Curly Head (18:44)

I mean, we. We spent, like, two weeks in LA together, just, like, talking and working together and just doing, like, regular things, going out to eat and stuff like that, and. And those things don't happen very often, honestly, with a lot of artists and producers. So, like, me and Rafa have developed this relationship where we always like experimenting and always trying, but we make it so genuine that it don't. It doesn't ever feel like we're working.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (19:10)

Yeah.

Chico Curly Head (19:11)

It just feels like we're two friends making music. And again, he's a big reason on why I was able to express myself the way I was in this whole project is honestly thanks to him.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (19:22)

Wow.

Kusha Navadar (19:23)

And for you, what does your approach look like? I mean, when you talked about going to your friend Josh's house, you said, just started humming a melody. But is that how it is now? Do you start with lyrics ever first?

Chico Curly Head (19:31)

Yeah. I mean, yes, I have. Honestly, I have started with lyrics a couple times, I believe many nights I started with lyrics, so that was like, one of the rare times where I started with lyrics, but everything else. Yeah, I start with melodies and hummings and kind of try to get a feel, a vibe of, like, the beat, what we're working on, and then from there. Yeah, I piece it together. Honestly.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (19:53)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kusha Navadar (19:54)

I'm looking at the clock. We ought to wrap up here. But I'm wondering, what's the most significant lesson you've learned in your music career so far? And what advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

Chico Curly Head (20:03)

Definitely what I would tell anybody, even if you're not a musician, honestly, it's the only thing that really, really matters is how good of a person you are to people. That's what really matters at the end. Forget fame, forget the attention. It's not worth it if you're not a great person because people will look at you disgustingly. So if you're a great person and you have great things going on for yourself, that's even better. So the only thing that really matters is how great of a person you are in general. Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (20:35)

Is that something you would say you learned from the start or through the collaborations that you've done along the way? Has it just solidified in your mind?

Chico Curly Head (20:42)

That was just. I think that's always been in me, even while playing soccer. Is just a great person. Just how great of a person you are to people.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (20:51)

Yeah.

Chico Curly Head (20:51)

That's what I've learned in this young life of mine.

Kusha Navadar (20:54)

Why it's beyond your years. You know, I'd love to go out on a song from the EP Neverending Road Trip. This song is titled Keep Pushing. Saved it for the end. Seems like it's the best song to save for the end. How does this song describe this moment in your career?

Chico Curly Head (21:10)

I mean, this is everything. This song was to remind myself to always keep going, no matter what. So for you out there that need some inspiration and motivation, this song is for you. Honestly?

Interviewer Assistant / Support (21:19)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (21:20)

What do you think was about it that resonated with your son?

Chico Curly Head (21:25)

I think the energy behind it too. And he just. He just like. I remember seeing his eyes lit up every time he would hear it and he was just jumping in and acting like if he was performing the song. So I think he's probably gonna love music as he gets older, honestly.

Interviewer Assistant / Support (21:38)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (21:39)

Would you love it if he became a musician?

Chico Curly Head (21:40)

I mean, I would support him in anything he does, but if he makes music, then amazing. I can help him even more.

Kusha Navadar (21:46)

Yeah, exactly. Or soccer. Or soccer.

Chico Curly Head (21:49)

Or soccer.

Music Segment / Song Vocals (21:49)

Ye.

Kusha Navadar (21:50)

We've been talking to Chico Curly Head. His new EP is titled Never Ending Road Trip. We're gonna listen to it, but before we do that, we're gonna say thank you. He is currently in town for the Latin Alternative Music Conference's indie showcase that's tonight at 8:00pm at Dram in the East Village. Chico, thank you so much for joining us.

Chico Curly Head (22:10)

Thank you guys for having me here. Honestly, I'm just grateful. I'm just grateful.

Kusha Navadar (22:15)

It goes both ways. Let's listen to keep it pushing. Here it is.

Music Segment / Song Vocals (22:33)

Working, working, working. Cause I'm trying to keep my dreams up Trying to keep myself from falling down and losing faith in life Why I gotta keep on dealing with these demons? Pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing Working, working, working Got no time to kick had to lift myself up I'm just trying to keep the dream alive Why I gotta keep on dealing with these demons? Working, working, working. Cause I'm trying to keep my dreams But I'm trying to keep myself on falling down and losing.

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