Rising Music Star Angelena Bonet of Crystal Heart Records On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Ming Zhao

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.

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.

Angelena Bonet is an Australian multi-award winning singer-songwriter, documentary filmmaker and humanitarian. She has her own production company Crystal Heart Productions and has created five documentary films, their original soundtracks and music videos, plus two web series Heart Of The Matter and The Angelena Bonet Show. She writes, directs, edits and produces her work in their entirety, including co-writing and singing the soundtracks and describes it “purely as a labor of love”! Angelena’s work includes a documentary feature film tetralogy consisting of Angelena: Change The World, Angelena: Heart Of The Matter, Angelena: Light At The End Of The Tunnel and Angelena: Warrior Woman. She has also created a documentary short film Change The World which recently screened in Hollywood, Sweden, Italy, France, South America and Japan. Angelena is proud to share her personal story of triumph over adversity and her special songs, which have won over 300 film festival awards worldwide so far, including numerous ‘Best Inspirational Film’, ‘Best Social Justice Film’, ‘Best Original Soundtrack’ and ‘Best Music Video’ awards. She has also been the recipient of the ‘Humanitarian Award’ at the Jane Austen International Film Festival in the U.K. and the ‘Human Spirit Award’ at the DOCS Without Borders Film Festival in The Bahamas. All her films feature the Original Music Soundtrack she co-wrote and sung from her heart and soul with her late fiancé, Erick Deeby. He had written and recorded instrumental pieces of music for her between 2005 and 2007, then suddenly and unexpectedly passed away three days after they got engaged in August 2007. She then wrote the lyrics and melody to his music after his devastating death and during her time of deepest grief. She wrote the album like chapters of a book and feature songs such as Change The World, Tragic Fairytale and On My Way and cites the writing process as cathartic and organic.

She promised her late fiancé whilst in a coma that someday, somehow she would finish their special project and she has kept her word. Her highly successful documentary film Change The World is now available on YouTube. Her online talk show Heart Of The Matter has also won the Social Awareness Award (Award of Excellence) at the Vegas Movie Awards and it was her interviews that inspired the VMAs to create that specific category. She interviews inspiring women all around the world and from all walks of life and is dedicated to having women’s voices heard and is also available on her YouTube channel. Angelena has been a Jury member of The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) for the past four years. Her singles On My Way, Tragic Fairytale and Change The World from her multi-award winning original soundtrack are all available on iTunes, Amazon and all leading online music stores. From Australian international model to multi-award winning singer-songwriter, documentary filmmaker 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 in the suburbs and it was a very normal childhood. I am the youngest of five children and have a twin brother so there was always something happening! I loved reading as a child, and still do, and the long summers were spent in my backyard pool, at the beach and playing with my best friend, Karen, who lived next door. I had my grandmother’s piano in my bedroom and my great grandmother was an actress and dancer in the Royal D’Oyly Carte Opera Company that toured South Africa, married a Director and had my grandfather there before returning to Sydney. Music and the arts are very much in my DNA and was a huge part of my upbringing. I 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 remember having such a magical day. 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. I loved school, particularly music and English classes and was a social butterfly! I then went to Business College at eighteen to study a Secretarial and Travel & Tourism course and was discovered at a hair salon that year and asked to model for a shoot that appeared in Vogue Australia. I then modelled part-time while studying and got my first office job as a secretary the following year. I signed with 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 and was named ‘The New Australian Supermodel’ on national news when I returned to Sydney after modeling in Milan.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

It has been an organic journey for me and becoming a professional model was what opened doors to dancing in music videos, acting in TV and Film and putting into practice all the skills I had honed growing up. I met Erick in my twenties and we spent so much time at his recording studio where I got to watch his bands record, mix the tracks and shoot music videos. I would go with him to buy recording gear too so I was absorbing it all and learning about the music industry. We then began collaborating on our album end of 2005 when I returned from modeling in Milan and he became my mentor. I really worked on my songwriting as well as my recording technique and developed over the next couple of years as an artist. He believed in me, knew my potential and really encouraged me to find my own voice. When he passed away it was very difficult to deal with. I was in such deep grief and shock because it was so sudden and only three days after we got engaged. I was also terrified of the intensity of the pain and how I was ever going to recover. I could never have imagined I would be writing the lyrics and melody to the instrumental pieces of music he had written for me with him gone. The music was my sole focus as I had promised him while he was in a coma that I would finish our special project and having that promise to keep was what essentially saved my life. So over the next few months I just wrote every word and note from my heart and soul and then realized each song was like a chapter in a book. As each song was written I noticed I was healing and my emotions were being given an outlet and I am extremely grateful to Erick for this magical gift. As much as I don’t like admitting it, I don’t think I would be here without having a way to channel my emotions. As I was healing I then felt strong enough to return to work and began modelling again. In early 2010 I then signed with a talent agent in New York and moved to Toronto, Canada. I fell in love with the city, the people and loved working in their TV and Film industry. I hosted the FIFA World Cup Show that year and was on an episode of the TV Series ‘Ghostly Encounters’. I came home in 2012 for a visit and six days later I was a victim of a horrific violent crime in Melbourne. Once again my life was turned upside down and I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the crime and had to also deal with the police investigation. This experience changed my life and today I can say for the better. It completely opened my eyes to the pain of this world and the cruelty that some human beings are capable of inflicting and also opened my heart with a feeling of immense compassion for all of us women who have suffered. To say I was disgusted with my perpetrators is an understatement and I’d never felt such rage. Once again I was suicidal and this time I really didn’t think I could go on. I also lost loved ones afterwards because of their denial as they too had been manipulated by the main perpetrator and that was when I decided enough was enough and I was going to go public with this injustice. I was told by one of my case workers at the time that sexual violence against women is a silent global epidemic and that 1 in 3 women and girls will experience some kind of abuse in their lifetime. I couldn’t bear to think of another woman going through similar suffering and I felt a very strong desire in my heart to help other people. This was before the #MeToo movement began and no-one was talking about sexual violence but I found my courage and made the commitment that I would not be silenced, nor would I own any shame for their behaviour. I then began my humanitarian work in 2013 by aligning myself with ethical non-profit organizations that support women and girls. I believe that when we come together, with united voices, we can change the world. I started my production company Crystal Heart Productions when I returned to Toronto in September 2014 and I put all my energy into this. I wanted to channel my skills in front and behind the cameras into a show for women that had purpose and meaning. And that is how my vision for my talk show Heart Of The Matter was born. It was created to allow women to not just be seen but heard and in turn inspire each other. When I won the ‘Social Awareness Award’, the category that Vegas Movie Awards created after watching my show, I was truly touched because this project means so much to me. To contribute positively to society is what is really important to me. My journey has been very challenging and painful but also really beautiful and magical. I have gone with the flow and always followed my heart and woven my life into my art and I am very proud of what I’ve been able to overcome.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I was vacationing in Los Angeles in 2008 and went to Burbank to a live taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Jay came out before the show to warm up the audience and asked if anyone wanted to come up on stage and say hello. I naturally put my hand up and he picked me to come up! I was so excited to meet him and we had an amazing rapport and I felt right in my element. He asked me what I did for a living and I told him I was a model and aspiring singer who has written an album. He noted that I had an Australian accent and made reference to the late Steve Irwin, whom he had had on his show as a guest many times over the years. He then asked me to sing something so I sang my song Downtown a cappella. Hearing the audience applaud was a special moment and I was invited back to the show a few weeks later on my birthday and got to meet Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian U.K. star Ben Barnes. Feeling completely at ease with Jay on his set was another television appearance that had an impact on me and inspired me to create my own talk show Heart of the Matter. As I mentioned earlier, my journey has been organic and when I look back I can see how many experiences have influenced and led me to now.

It has been said that 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.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I am super excited to have released my single Tragic Fairytale! It was the first song I wrote, on the way to my twin brother’s wedding six weeks after Erick passed away. I was thinking how his passing was such a tragedy and my life had been a fairytale and I thought ooh what a great title for a song. I could hear the tune in my mind and all of a sudden I tuned into my heart and had the first and last lines written. I then filled in the rest like a jigsaw puzzle and told the story of Erick and I had it written within fifteen minutes. It was a moment I will never forget and this song is so special to me. It has an element of hope and the positive message that true love can never die. Grief is a natural human experience and very difficult to cope with but when we understand that our tears and pain are an expression of love, we then go through the process and keep our memories safe in our heart. I have also just wrapped Angelena: Warrior Woman, the fourth documentary feature film in my tetralogy series that chronicles my life from the very beginning. I have released all my films on Vimeo On Demand and will be available on Amazon Prime in early 2023. I am now in pre-production of my new documentary but unfortunately can’t reveal too much at this point. Needless to say, it’s all about women empowerment and will feature new songs from my catalogue. Once again, this creative process is organic and brings me so much joy because when I begin I don’t know what the finished product will be until I get going. I feel very blessed to channel my heart through my art and cannot wait to share my new film with you all!

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. My father encouraged my education and instilled in me a sense that I could be anything I wanted to be. My mother was a physiotherapist specializing in children with cerebral palsy and I remember going to her work as a six year old and when she introduced me to the children I could see the light in their eyes and how much they loved my mum. She told me they are just like me and everyone is just as special as each other. That truth has stayed with me ever since. 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.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. 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.

2. Choose your boyfriends carefully! Many men want a model on their arm but they don’t have the confidence to cope with the attention she gets everywhere she goes. I have dated some men that were very threatened by my career on the rise and tried to pull me down and become controlling. I wish someone had told me that not everyone has a big heart and are quite superficial, egotistical and all about their image.

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 lost many a modelling job because I wouldn’t sleep with the client but that is what I am most proud of. 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.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not burn out?

My advice for colleagues in my industry to thrive rather than burn out is be very clear that you’re in this business for the right reasons. If you are in love with the arts and very creative then you will be able to persevere and deal with the set backs and long hours. Getting clear on what genre you resonate with and honing your skills is also imperative. I produce all my work in their entirety and even though it is a ridiculous amount of work, I love the whole creative process and how it unfolds organically. Filmmaking is definitely not a nine to five job so being passionate about what you’re wanting to create is the number one ingredient so you have the drive to persist with your project. Don’t be afraid to take risks either because being in your comfort zone as an artist is never a good thing. Being uncomfortable is where the magic happens so believe in yourself. Trying to find some balance is a tricky thing but taking time out to recharge the batteries and take care of yourself will ensure you don’t burn out and have the energy to keep creating.

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 countries around the world is something so special to me. 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 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.

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!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson quote is one by Audrey Hepburn:-

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

I think those words of hers are magical, wise and true. And this came from one of the world’s most naturally beautiful women and it really touches a chord in my heart. If everyone lived by this mantra, could you imagine humanity’s potential? Inner beauty is what shines through and kindness and love is what makes the world go round. Being in the entertainment industry, physical beauty is vital but I really feel it’s important to remember that beauty is only skin deep and it’s what is on the inside that really counts.

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 a private lunch with a Beatle. But which one would I invite? I’m a big fan of George Harrison, who did some of the most impressive songwriting in the history of the Beatles. I would definitely love to meet Lennon! But Sir Paul? One of the most celebrated musicians and songwriters of all time, Paul McCartney is also an active philanthropist and a man I think would make excellent lunch company. He’d have stories of rock and roll, sure; stories of travel, stories of songs and stories of The Beatles. There’s no-one I can think of that could surpass meeting this incredible Beatle.

How can our readers follow you online?

People can follow me at the following links -

Website — https://www.angelenabonet.com

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/angelenabonet/

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAngelenaBonetShow

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/angelenabonetofficial

iTunes — https://music.apple.com/us/artist/angelena/79166872

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!