The world in which we live determines how we understand ourselves and how others understand us. But what happens when there is a disconnect between cultural and individual identities?In our monthly series The Blend, writers from multicultural backgrounds talk about when to think about these people. dominant stories and how it affects their lives.
In the last 1980s, in the early 1990s, my parents emigrated to the United States from Colombia and built a space full of Spanish love and music. My mom says that “playing music in a space helps keep other people away from spirits,” so she had songs of salsa, cumbia and vallenato floating in the air.
The music of my training years was an addition to my parents’ personal tastes and any other pop music on Top 40 radio, such as Britney Spears. But even in elementary school, I learned that I didn’t know what other people called “American classics. “”Yes, I knew who the Beatles and Billy Joel were, and my mother enjoyed Elton John, but we played Shakira more than classic rock at home. Now I know that the microcosm I observed as a norm in culture is not a transparent American look in general, but in my New Jersey suburb, culture seemed homogeneous to me.
Because I’m a first-generation American, I felt like I had to catch up on American culture. Short infighting to be “American” but also original enough for your network is felt through many bicultural people. as a child I did not concentrate on feeling closer to my Latinx culture, because I already knew the most outstanding artists and writers in our country, learned Spanish and enjoyed Colombian cuisine; however, I did not perceive my parents’ immigration history or our Latinx Culture because I chose not to attach myself to it.
But what seemed to be the biggest division in my bicultural identity was my lack of confidence in my Spanish skills. While I basically practiced my Spanish every time I spoke to relatives on the phone or conversations at home, I have temporarily been frustrated by my broken prayers because my Spaniard had an apparent American accent. For this reason, I have never tried to practice Spanish officially outside of school, and I have not sought entertainment to read or watch in Spanish (except for a new one here and there) And, apart from my parents’ music, I paid no attention to Spanish music.
However, like many people, the soundtrack of my life has been replacing over time. As a teenager, I immersed myself in YouTube, where the lyrical videos of the mid-2000s were the backbone and my biggest source of musical exposure. my distraught teen found solace in pop, independent and select music, sting hours to Tumblr to republish photos, quotes and MP3 files from my favorite English bands.
But in college, as I started earning more Latinx and POC friends, it actually helped me gain confidence. I had other people to communicate with about things that were only similar to our cultures. We communicate spanglish, tell stories and share our dishes. I was even though everything seemed to be myself in my own right because I was surrounded by other people who can simply relate to feelings about the culture to which they were meant to bond more.
Then some time after my school career, Becky G, one of the first American artists that I am a fan of, started looking for her Mexican roots and recording music in Spanish, and that replaced everything for me. fan, I felt an original connection with someone who was making a song in my parents’ language. It is dancing, exciting and only in some other language. I am proud of myself to perceive what is said in the song and to be able to memorize and sing. .
Gradually, I began to pay attention to the most popular Latin music stations in my area, with artists such as J Balvin, Nicky Jam, Ozuna, Karol G and others, all of which are familiar names for those interested in Latin, Latin pop or reggaeton, but I can honestly say that I would not have met any before 2018.
However, the Spanish artist who has had the most effect on my self-esteem is Bad Bunny. Not only has he earned my awareness and loyalty through his incredible music, but also through his distinct progress in redefining masculinity and his preference for using his platform to protect women’s rights, LGBTQ issues, and the community. Puerto Rican. Although the musical transition of Becky G allowed me to enter the globality of Spanish music, Bad Bunny was the first artist with whom I felt involved in all the tactics that American artists I heard that I could not approach.
Ever since I heard his music, I feel like I can have artistic opportunities in my life to explore my bicultural identity. Music has allowed me to meet and interact with other young Latinx people who are bicultural and have life experiences. I feel welcome in your music but also in your message as a person. As I remain informed and act on the disorders of the latinx network politically and socially, I can also turn to an artist who is on the same track as me.
After just two years of integrating more Spanish music into my life, I now have more security to communicate or send messages to those who enjoy WhatsApp, percentage of social media posts in Spanish and incorporate jargon into my conversations more than ever. Better, my Spaniard does not describe my Latinx identity (or someone else’s) – it was vital to me, because being bilingual was something I had never followed by fitting in a fan of fresh regueton and Latin pop artists, like Bad Bunny – I feel like I’m understanding my parents’ outdoor cultural identity.
The steps I have taken excite me through the new tactics imaginable to further expand my identity, now I realize that I was intimidated to pay attention to Spanish music because I don’t think I would perceive it or locate anything that resonated with me. The fact is that I never had to force myself to pay attention to Spanish music or check compatibility with any mold that was in my head, I just needed to locate the right artist whose messages and lyrics resonated in me.