On June 21st, a hot new music video came out by a rising star that RMR needs to tell you about! I’m talking about VALÉ’s “fit mami.” I had the pleasure of getting the chance to interview this fierce Colombian artist to help you all learn everything you need to know about her and her art.
Like I already mentioned, VALÉ is from Colombia. Specifically, Barranquilla, and she effortlessly includes the sounds of her culture in her work. You’ll notice it in the instrumentals accompanied with modernized beats as well as in her lyrics since she uses a bilingual approach.
I really love seeing more and more Spanish-speaking artists do this because I think it really provides a beautiful inclusiveness for all Hispanics and Latinos, whether they’re fluent in Spanish or not while also providing non-Hispanics the opportunity to get a taste of the language and culture. As a Hispanic myself, the exposure is something that hit close to home for me and made my heart happy as I’m sure many others. While VALÉ didn’t start working in the professional realm of music right away, music has been a lifelong passion for her.
From trying out singing at her school choir, she learned that this craft is so much more than a hobby for her. This is something she genuinely loves to do and wants to do as much as possible. “I was like six years old just singing my little heart out. At first it was kind of like, you know, everyone in school was in the school choir. But then I was like, ‘Huh, I actually kind of – I do like it.’ […] I started doing singing lessons after that then kind of dropped it as every preteen does when they like something. Then I started doing music for real when I was 15.”
Now 21 years old, VALÉ has the kind of personality that’s perfect for entertaining as she even referred to herself as having an “en tu cara” energy in her performances.
This has only evolved as she’s grown. Her parents noticed her talent right away, and they knew she could have a really great opportunity to take her skills to the next level through a family member. “So I have a family member I went to visit when I was 15, and he was in the music industry for forever. […] At first it was just kind of presented to me as, ‘Is this something you want to just try out, like a session? See if you can write.’ And luckily, I could!” She mentioned, however, while this start may have been seamless, challenges certainly came later.
The Driver Era and VALÉ’s Inspirations
Ever since then, VALÉ has continued to make big moves in her budding career. Recently, she even toured for the first time, opening for Ross Lynch while getting experience and exposure that she hasn’t had before. This tour and everyone involved with The Driver Era has taught her so much about performing and with every experience, she has made sure to take in everything she’s learned not only about the profession in general, but about the kind of artist she wants to be for her audience.
“I kind of just learned to like grow up at a very early age. I was always around older people, you know, older producers, writers, my management. So I kind of had to like get to their level of professionalism and mental strength. […] I also got to see what songs performed best live, what songs people liked best, you know the whole spiel of like what I say on stage and whatnot. Just in general, it was like the greatest learning experience I’ve ever had. It was totally immersive, so it was amazing.” She could not ask for a better tour and way to evolve her charisma as an artist.
When asked if there’s anyone else she’d hope to work or collab with, she said her top artist would be Rosalía, stating, “She’s my queen, and I would die.” Other honorable mentions were Maye and Nathy Peluso. Her current top five most inspirational artists include Rosalía, SZA, Doja Cat, Kali Uchis and 070 Shake.
We’ve featured a few of these artists on previous Sonido Global articles, so let’s put the good vibes out there that one day VALÉ will do a collab with one of these fellow baddies, so we can spotlight it!
“fit mami” and Under The Sun
After having released a number of singles, she comes out with “fit mami,” a teaser for what’s to come with her upcoming debut EP, Under The Sun. “I think ‘fit mami’ is such a cool song. It’s all about, like, being empowered and having a nice time. And everyone on tour loved it so much. […] I think it’s gearing up to be something special for sure.”
“fit mami” is undoubtedly something you all need to add to your summer playlist right NOW. The music video itself is bright and colorful, which is hella on par for the 80’s aerobic/workout Barbie aesthetic VALÉ was going for. As a fan of 80’s visuals, she incorporates this characteristic pretty frequently in her videos. She had such a blast filming the “fit mami” video, and you can absolutely tell when you watch it.
She had a vision from the jump of wanting there to be a fun-loving, girly feel to the video that’s light-hearted and stress free, showing off, “Just a girl in the world, being a ‘fit mami.’” However, this isn’t an unusual approach for her. VALÉ is always involved in every detail of a song and video as she always pictures the video in her head as she simultaneously puts together a song.
Every visual from the set design to the wardrobe and makeup, she handles it with a lot of thought and intention. “fit mami” is adorable while also giving bad bitch vibes, and it’s truly something totally fun to listen and dance to! Speaking of dancing to it, there’s even a whole routine you can learn, and I really think it’s got what it takes to go TikTok viral.
Much like “fit mami,” Under The Sun has party girl energy that’s meant to be perfect for summer shenanigans, hence its title. This will be VALÉ’s biggest project to date as she has only previously released singles, and she mentioned loving just how much more of an immersive experience it was recording this EP rather than just one song at a time. “The story that’s being told is I’m a young girl from Columbia, I like to dance and I want you to dance with me!”
What makes Under The Sun a little extra special and intimate is the fact that it was all recorded and produced in VALÉ’s home in Barranquilla. She also mentioned having made, “oop,” her biggest song to date at the time of the interview in her Barranquilla home as well, so the blessings there definitely seem to be working wonders for her work. When asked if she plans to keep making projects in her Barranquilla home, VALÉ says she’ll actually be doing another writing sesh in the next week, and she definitely intends to keep doing it.
Future Endeavors
Speaking of the future with VALÉ, I wanted to see if there were any plans for a tour and other projects of her very own. The Colombiana says she and her crew are in planning mode and would hope to make that dream a reality at the end of the year with a few shows and some festivals by the next year.
Another exciting near-future endeavor will be VALÉ’s merch that will only further enhance the laid back, cool girl image she emulates. “I have a very specific taste for merch, and I think of merch that’s not, like, overly in your face […] but still, like, has to do with the music or like a song.” Things like baby tees, jerseys and hats are what we have to look forward to with this modest but adorable merch line.
Under The Sun will be released August 2nd, but until then, get psyched for this EP by streaming and watching “fit mami” on repeat this summer!
