Music Star Angelena Bonet Of Crystal Heart Productions On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Guernslye Honoré
Learning your craft is so important if you want to able to bring your vision to fruition yourself. I wanted to express my creativity myself so teaching myself to edit film was vital to making this happen. There are no short cuts to success or greatness and being passionate and doing the work is key.
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Angelena Bonet.
Multi-award winning documentary filmmaker, Angelena Bonet, has produced a documentary short film Change The World, a feature film tetralogy and her soundtrack and music videos in their entirety which have collectively won over 300 international film festival awards. She founded Crystal Heart Productions in 2014 after suffering two life changing tragedies in the hopes to make a positive difference in others lives. Bonet interviews inspirational women all around the world and from all walks of life for her online talk show Heart Of The Matter. She has won numerous ‘Best Inspirational Film’, ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Original Soundtrack’ awards along with the prestigious ‘Humanitarian Award’ at the Jane Austen Film Festival in the U.K. From Australian supermodel to multi-award winning documentary filmmaker, singer-songwriter and humanitarian her message is one of peace, love and unity.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in Sydney, Australia and first appeared on national television at the age of four on a preschool show called Romper Room with my twin brother. It was filmed at Channel 7 Television Studios near where I lived and I can still remember having the best time. It no doubt had an impact on me. I began ballet lessons that same year and piano lessons at six. Dancing was my passion and I studied jazz and tap from the age of ten. I then continued my dance studies as well as singing and drama at The Australian College of Entertainment during high school. When I was eighteen I was discovered at a hair salon that year and asked to model for a shoot that appeared in Vogue Australia. I then modelled initially part-time while studying and got my first job as a secretary the following year before my career took off.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?
I was scouted by a top Sydney modelling agency at twenty and things just took off from there. The very next day I was booked on a television soap opera Breakers where they wrote me into the script and I was on that show, which aired in 50 countries, for the next two years. I was then on the cover with a ten page spread of the three biggest selling issues of Inside Sport magazine (Australian version of Sports Illustrated) and was named ‘The New Australian Supermodel’ on national news when I returned to Sydney after modeling in Milan. My career also took me to New York, Los Angeles and Canada where I have based myself since 2010. I then hosted the FIFA World Cup Show and acted in Ghostly Encounters that same year and after experiencing the sudden passing of my fiancé and then a victim of a violent crime I decided to create my production company, Crystal Heart Productions in 2014 to produce content that empowers women and allows us to have our voices heard. My first love has always been music and coming from a musical family, it is in my DNA. I learned music from very early on in my life and had won numerous dancing awards so creating my album was a natural and organic step in my evolution and journey. At my core I am an artist and expressing myself through music and film is what touches my heart and soul.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting story that has happened to me since I began leading my company was when I met American Playwright and Activist, Eve Ensler. I had given a public speech at one of her One Billion Rising events in Sydney then she came out here to give a talk at the Opera House. One Billion Rising also had an event that same weekend and I spoke at that too and she hugged me after I addressed the room. It was such an honor to meet such an inspiring woman who has done so much for the global women’s movement. She thanked me for my words and I thanked her for creating a revolution and bringing so many women together from around the world. This is what led me to “Break The Chain” and the catalyst for me to start producing my films.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started my modelling career and shooting with different photographers, I was doing a lot of beauty campaigns and fashion editorial. To fit those sample sizes you have been so thin and I tried to diet to reach that unhealthy weight and I realised that I wasn’t prepared to starve myself or jeopardise my health to fit some warped idea of beauty. I stayed my naturally slim shape and my modeling agent discovered that the swimsuit and lingerie clients loved my look and they are the markets I really excelled at. It was wonderful for me because I could do what I love but still eat hamburgers and pasta and live without constantly eating lettuce leaves and counting calories. I was not prepared to give up carbs because the body needs them. I do not advocate for size 0 and encourage women of all ages to embrace their natural body type and be the healthiest you can be while enjoying foods they love in moderation. There is no way I could have made four feature films, one documentary short film, seven music videos, two web series and everything else I have achieved without nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Food is medicine and fuel and restricting calories can negatively impact our healthy and beauty.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have been blessed to have had many great people in my life and teachers over the years but the one person that I am most grateful for helping me get to where I am today is Erick. He changed my life and enriched it in such positive ways. To have unconditional love is a rare thing on this planet and I don’t take that for granted. He knew my potential, he believed in me and I love the tunes he wrote for me. When he passed away I got to see how strong I really was and had to finish our project on my own. I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone and have since grown and learned so much about myself. Once again I got to put in practice all that I had learned from him in the studio and producing my album on my own at Trackdown, Fox Studios was definitely an experience I will never forget. I wanted to make him proud and complete our project and keep my promise. And I have!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I have just released my new single “Downtown” which is available at all online music stores. I have just wrapped my sixth film “The Dragonfly Dreaming Project”. It’s a documentary short film which has won three awards at the Vegas Movie Awards and the Nicomedia International Film Awards in Turkey. I am also still interviewing inspirational women for my web series Heart Of The Matter which are available on YouTube.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
In my song Change The World one of the lines toward the end says “why is it all about how we look?” I wrote those lyrics when I was a model and I still feel the same today. Being one of Australia’s successful models, particularly swimsuit and lingerie, I was constantly judged by my looks and I received both positive and negative treatment. It was a challenging time to navigate but luckily I was raised by loving parents who taught me equality, didn’t value me for my appearance and taught me self worth. I found the modeling world an interesting education and got to see how fickle people can be and the importance placed on physical beauty. My point of view hasn’t changed in time because I have always been that down-to-earth friendly Aussie girl who sees everyone as equal. The fashion industry gives us a very limited idea of what they consider to be beautiful. You can clearly see that when you watch a Victoria Secrets Show — all the models virtually look the same! And they represent about 1% of the global population but at the same time they dictate to women that this is the ideal. From my point of view, “physical beauty” isn’t what makes someone beautiful. I have met and worked with people who possess physical traits that magazines deem as desirable but when they have an attitude or see themselves above other people they immediately appear ugly. I’ve also seen the dangerous lengths some models resort to to lose weight and become a size 0. Let me tell you, it isn’t pretty. Inner beauty such as kindness and compassion for others is what shines through and makes someone glow and has nothing to do with age or ethnicity. When you only focus on someone’s skin, you miss an opportunity to connect with another human being sharing the planet with you.
All of our journeys are sacred and need to be respected. I have met so many incredible people and it’s amazing what you can learn from them when you take the time to talk and listen to them. Everyone has a story, paths cross for a reason and life shouldn’t be taken for granted. I think many people may have learned that truth this year during the Covid19 global lockdown. Connecting with our family and friends is the most important thing and it has nothing to do with looking “perfect”! If society is to progress then we need to look past our appearance and see the person inside. No-one is better than anyone else. No sex, no race, no religion. Just respect everyone for who they are and this place will be amazing. Celebrating our uniqueness and individuality is something we should all be striving for across the board, not just in the Film and Television industry.
As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?
As I have preciously mentioned, losing my fiancé suddenly and unexpectedly was so traumatic but so life changing. I turned my pain into my power and it is what drove me to finish our special album, then produce the music videos and include our songs in my soundtracks for my films. We cannot control what happens to us but we can control how we choose to react. I always say that for me it’s all about turning tragic into magic and I know he would be so proud of me.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1. Learning your craft is so important if you want to able to bring your vision to fruition yourself. I wanted to express my creativity myself so teaching myself to edit film was vital to making this happen. There are no short cuts to success or greatness and being passionate and doing the work is key.
2. I think the most important thing is to surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people, including family members. Many women become very jealous of beauty, talent and someone in the limelight and can become very toxic and vindictive. I wish someone had really instilled this message in me as a young woman because I have a tendency to see the best in people and make excuses for their bad behaviour.
3. Keep practising your instrument daily. I learned classical piano as a child and had a piano in my bedroom. When I got older and busier I wasn’t as diligent with my practice as I once was. I wish someone had told me that no matter what, make time each day to practice and keep your dexterity.
4. Learn the business. I think this is a hard one for many artists because we would rather put our energy out being creative, not dealing with the business side of things. I wish someone had told me the ugly side to the beautiful business. I never sold my soul and can look myself in the eye and got my jobs on merit alone.
5. Become self sufficient. I wish I had someone tell me years ago to hone skills behind the scenes as well as in the front of the cameras. I found this out later in my career and it has been a magical experience to grow as an artist and teach myself to edit film. I just didn’t know in the beginning of my career how important it was to be in control of your art and destiny and not rely on anyone else.
Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?
The story behind the music and how the album came about is from the heart and touches people. I’ve been transparent with my journey and written the album in chapters like a book. Mine is a unique story and the music is contemporary and upbeat. “Change The World” is the title track to the film and is powerful and the truth resonates with people all around the world. We, as humans, all experience the same things in different ways and we all want peace, love and unity. Music has the ability to transcend cultures and language and unite us as one. And when you write from your heart and soul, it touches others.
With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?
You don’t! There is no balance in this industry and it’s definitely not nine to five. But that doesn’t mean you don’t take care of yourself. To produce the amount of work I have in the past 8 years wouldn’t be possible without self care. Nutrition and exercise is crucial for me to create so I have the energy to think and put the long hours in. Also taking care of my spirit and mental health are super important. I try to keep some boundaries on social media and not over share my private life. Some celebrities are ok with the world knowing their every move but I like to maintain some sense of normalcy and private time with my family and friends away from the spotlight. I think balance is something we are all striving for but with our modern lives being so busy and work hours increasing it is becoming more difficult. Maintaining a positive attitude and making time for self care is definitely my focus so I can continue to create my art and help others.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Creating Change The World and inspiring people around the world and touching their hearts is a wonderful gift that I am very grateful for. I have deep compassion for myself and every other woman who has suffered sexual violence and I am honored to use my voice for good and speak for those who can’t. My spirit couldn’t be silenced and to now be heard in every country is something so special and is very hard to describe. When I look back at what I have endured and the miracle of surviving the murder attempt to now winning these special awards is something I could never have imagined would happen! I vowed to make a stand and leave this world a better place than I found it and I am committed. Women are now finding their voice and self-worth and it is fabulous to see. I feel future generations will look back at this point in time with fascination, shock, and dismay and also awe at the courage women have shown by standing up and speaking out about the injustices and violence they have suffered since time immemorial. The social fabric is changing and I’m hopeful the momentum will continue and begin to move more quickly. I see the future in a positive light. I believe change is possible and that we are at the dawn of a new day. As more and more women are in leadership positions, the world will naturally become a more inclusive one and love will become the focus again. Violence will no longer be a silent global epidemic, all girls will receive an education, and helping others will become our primary goal. We have set the wheels in motion to ensure future generations have a safer and more equal world. My message is one of peace, love and unity and being an example of how to turn tragic into magic is the legacy I am creating.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I would love to have lunch with Joanna Lumley. I just love her energy and find her so fascinating and interesting. I would love to hear all about her incredible career, and the travel show she now hosts. She is the epitome of a strong, intelligent woman with a fantastic sense of humour. She would make the best dinner party guest!
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
Readers can connect with on:-
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/angelenabonet/
Website — https://www.angelenabonet.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
