By Cameron Butler
Editor-in-Chief

As the spotlight shines on musically-gifted HWC student Natalia Perea, we find that performance is nothing new for Perea and her nascent singing career.

The 20-year-old student songstress is currently pursuing her Associates in the Arts at Harold Washington College, with plans to study abroad in Mexico for her future Bachelors in Music.

Perea is known as the entertainer in her family, and first sang on stage at just 12 years old.

“I remember being very nervous. It was such a long time ago, but I remember being very nervous. I remember being mainly excited because I had never done something like that before,” said Perea. “When I was a kid, I was always dancing, but I never sang, that’s something totally different. I just remember thinking: I’m gonna sing my best, and hope it goes good.”

Taking the stage today is different for Perea.

“Now when I take the stage, I am more confident in myself, and I’m just ready to put on a show. Now that I’ve had experience, I know how to get the party going,” said Perea.

Today, Perea performs traditional Mexican music, such as the Mariachi and Ranchera genres at festivals and other events in Chicago. But she is hoping to expand her musical palette while in college, including American styles such as Jazz, Blues, and Rock ‘n Roll.

Along with vocal warm-ups, Perea prepares for her performances by drinking warm tea and keeping a cough drop on-hand.

“I really like to perform Ranchera and Mariachi style music, just because it’s very powerful, it tells a story. I have a lot of fun with those,” said Perea.

Perea explains that after the Mexican Revolution, the famous Mariachi style of music became popular, originating in the Mexican state of Jalisco in the 18th century. Perea also described the inception of Ranchera music:

“Ranchera music, derived from the word ranch, originated in the rural areas of Mexico sometime before the Mexican Revolution. It started off with a person singing and another playing the guitar. It's known for songs of patriotism, romance, and passion,” said Perea.

Growing up, Perea’s sources for musical inspiration also acted as her teachers, with 20th century Mexican artists such as Chavela Vargas, Lola Beltrán, Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Juan Gabriel introducing her to proper stage presence, as well as singing with emotion.

“Chavela Vargas, she is a woman that I look to a lot as a teacher. She died in 2012, but she was a woman who was very alone in her life. She was able to transmit those feelings to the crowd, and the crowd was able to feel that same feeling and passion,” said Perea. “Hearing her music, I wanted to be like her, being able to make people feel something when I sing.”

With Perea’s musical career just getting started, she has yet to find a steady guitarist to accompany her Ranchera performances.

“No, I wish, but maybe when I get to know someone, I’ll be like ‘hey let’s play’, but right now, no,” said Perea.