Rising Music Star Paloma O’Leary On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Edward Sylvan

Love yourself. You need to see all the great qualities you have and appreciate them, because only then can you attain your full potential.

As a part of our series about rising music stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Paloma O’Leary.

Whether she’s volunteering for organizations such as Shakira’s Pies Descalzos Foundation in Colombia, interning at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, hosting ocean conservation groups for student lectures or recording new music, Paloma O’Leary’s passion for helping others and her desire to make the planet a better place is evident. Her music is sure to motivate her listeners to find their own truth and ways to make their mark on the world. Most recently, Paloma was invited to sing the national anthem at the Wizards vs. Knicks basketball game at CapOne arena as well as DC United at Audi Field in 2021. The young singer-songwriter’s versatile talents do not go unnoticed and “Siren Song” marks the beginning of an illustrious career dedicated to spreading a positive and impactful message for her generation and the world’s future.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born and raised in Washington D.C. with my sister, Carolina, and my brother, Nico by my parents Bill and Pilar O’Leary. I have always lived in a Spanish-speaking household since my mother is Colombian-American! Both my mother and abuelita (grandmother) who is from Bogota have taught me the importance of knowing another language and embracing my Latina heritage. I’m able to connect with two different worlds and bring my two perspectives into everything I do — like my songwriting!

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

Music has always been a big part of my life. Ever since I can remember, my house has been filled with music from old school rock to jazz standards to mariachi music and Latin pop tracks. My mother also shares a similar love for music. I can remember all those times she and I belted out to Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, and Carlos Vives in the car when I was little. My family not only showed me the beauty of music but also all the joy it can bring and how it unifies people, no matter who they are or where they are from. My mom, taking into account my love for music, asked me to do a little solo for an album she was releasing to promote her new Spanish language academy, Isabella & Ferdinand, and from the moment I arrived at the studio, I was hooked. I can still picture the little ruffly blue dress with the flower on it I wore to the recording studio because I needed to dress the part of the pop star I told myself I was — I was recording in a real studio after all! It was such a huge thrill for me and from that day on, my music journey began.

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

I think the most interesting story is my first song I released, “Frenemy”. I wrote Frenemy to help express my feelings about one-sided friendships that ultimately left me feeling really hurt, and this song was an outlet for me to let go of all those negative emotions. The song became everything I wanted in more, incorporating Spanish with a Latin pop feel. I didn’t expect it to get much traction, but as of this May of 2022, Frenemy has over 28,000 streams on Spotify! Matt Squire (Panic at the Disco, etc.) was the producer for the track and he was so great to work with. I was really happy and proud to see all of my hard work pay off with a song and it has really inspired me to do more with my music.

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?

I’d say it was more like a funny experience, but when I was first starting to write my own music, I would write songs that were “parodies”, if you will, to popular songs by some of my favorite artists at the time such as Ariana Grande. Although the songs were not my finest work to say the least (!), they taught me how important it is to be original. Once I started writing original melodies along with lyrics, I began to see real progress in my writing.

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

I have my first EP coming out at the end of May which I am incredibly excited to release. The tracks address relationships, friendships and ocean conservation using water as a metaphor for these themes. Stay tuned!

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 film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

There are three important reasons as to why I think diversity in the entertainment industry is so vital: stereotypes, recognition, and relatability. People only know what the media puts out, so when there are stories of stereotypes among a specific community, it can strip them of their culture and be hurtful to them. It’s important to acknowledge not everything you see is true. You need to take away from your own experiences rather than from someone you don’t know, because assumptions can be very harmful. Also, many cultures are not represented enough in entertainment and that might cause confusion for some children or even teens — I think this is particularly true of Latino culture. It’s important to include all sorts of diversity in entertainment so that kids can have something to relate to as they go through the long and hard journey of growing up. As a Latina myself this is incredibly important to me.

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

One, don’t listen to hate. People are going to say mean things, unfortunately, that’s how it is. Instead, focus on the positive feedback you’ve received and how you feel about the art you are putting out into the world.

Two, be true to who you are. Trying to be someone else would prevent people from seeing all your unique talents and capabilities. Don’t hide that!

Three, when in doubt, your family is there for you. Your family is such an important gift in life and you need to cherish it as much as possible because no one will support you like your family.

Four, don’t hold back. Occasionally we need to take risks, and although it may be scary, most of the time it will end up going your way, so don’t be intimidated.

Finally, five, love yourself. You need to see all the great qualities you have and appreciate them, because only then can you attain your full potential.

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

Don’t push yourself too hard. Music should not have a specific timeframe, because if it does, that might take out the magic of it. Every song is meant to be unique, and by rushing writing a song, you might not be able to create something that is original to you, creativity can be a long process and that is completely ok.

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. :-)

I think a movement I would like to inspire would be one where people talk about their old insecurities that they came to love over time. So many people have insecurities that are weighing them down and preventing them from seeing the amazing human they are. If I could inspire a movement like that, it would be a dream come true because I believe life is too short to pick apart everything you don’t like about yourself, and rather try to see what you can become or how you can grow.

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?

The person I am most grateful to is my mother, or as we call her, the “Momager”. My mom has always taught me the significance of working hard and I could not be more grateful to her for instilling both persistence and resilience in me. Even when things seem very challenging and I almost want to give up, she pushes me to persevere. She is my rock and my hero, I could not have gotten where I have today without her.

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

One of my very favorite quotes is by the French author Anaïs Nin — “I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.” I love this quote in part because I love mermaids (my mother has always said I was probably one in a previous life), but mostly because I believe in the importance of being true to yourself and in avoiding superficial people and things. So many people my age are into image and popularity rather than working on what is true and authentic about themselves.

Another one of my favorite quotes is by the poet Maya Angelou: “When people show you their true colors, believe them.” I live by this quote because it is really easy to keep making excuses for people in our lives who are in reality deeply wounding us. When someone is making you feel bad or confused about yourself, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself if this relationship is healthy for you. If you put yourself first, you will not only be able to help uplift others but also become a better and happier person. Putting your mental health first is not in the slightest selfish, and being around toxic people is not a good use of your time.

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 think if I had to choose one person it would be Shakira. She has always been such a huge role model for me because she is a singer-songwriter of Colombian heritage like me and has had a lot of global success as an artist, yet she still remains such a humble and kind human being and gives back to her community. She is authentic in the image of herself she puts out and she inspires me so much with everything that she does. I’ve been lucky enough to volunteer for her foundation, Fundación Pies Descalzos (the Barefoot Foundation) which builds schools for vulnerable communities across Colombia.

How can our readers follow you online?

I’d love for your readers to follow me! I have a website www.palomaoleary.com and I am on Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and many more platforms, all you have to do is search up “Paloma O’Leary” and I should come up!

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