LA via NY artist Kelly Vargas has a message and sound that needs to be heard.
Eli Chavez
If fast-rising LA via New York artist Kelly Vargas has a signature characteristic, that trait that will define her style and career, it’s her refreshing candor. Vargas will not bs or sugarcoat stuff for you. Both musically and personally she is straight with you.
So, it might strike some as an odd choice that the first of four excellent singles Vargas will be releasing this year is called “Liar,” until she explains that in typical Vargas style the infectious pop gem is actually calling herself out for her attachment avoidance issues. Yep, she doesn’t cut herself slack either on being honest, part of her charm.
I spoke with Vargas, a soon to be force in the music landscape as a singer and songwriter (for others as well) with an engaging sound and lofty aspirations. “My music doesn’t just fit in one box. It’s many different elements. So I hope that at the end of the day, there are first generation girls that were born and raised like me in the United States, but their parents are from another country in Latin America. So hopefully this identity, being able to blend that American sound with Latin sound, will make them feel inspired and be seen,” she says.
Meet Kelly Vargas, soon to be star.
Steve Baltin: What drew you to “Liar” as the lead track?
Kelly Vargas: It’s the one I connected to the most emotionally. It felt like it represented me the most as a writer and as an artist and as a brand. So that was the one that I immediately didn’t have to think twice when I had a collective of four songs. I gravitated towards that one the most.
Baltin: When people write, it’s subconscious. So, for you, when the song comes out, were there elements of the song that you were surprised by?
Vargas: Yeah, I was surprised by the way it came so naturally, even though it was a large group of people that were part of the process. It wasn’t just me and a producer; I had a couple other writers on it. I was surprised that it became such a vulnerable song, and I felt like it connected to me the most and it felt the most honest part of me as an artist. So, it surprised me how It came out. I was kind of skeptical with the amount of people that were on the team because the more people that are part of the process, the more it can get diluted, I feel. But no, I felt like it really represented who I was.
Baltin: Were they people you knew well?
Vargas: The producer I’ve developed a really good friendship with and it’s been recent though, but I felt more comfortable with him. The two writers I had literally just met when they came in the room. But they did a really great job with understanding their positions and how to deliver the message that I was trying to convey at the moment. I was surprised how easy it clicked.
Baltin: What was the message the song was trying to convey?
Vargas: It’s a very introspective track. It’s very much talking about myself in a third-person way. It’s called “Liar,” and it sounds like it could be blaming somebody as a liar. But a lot of my writing comes from introspection of my experiences that I have in how I deal with it and how I heal within myself. So, if there’s something about me or someone that I am dealing with that I feel like I’m being hurt or it’s not being processed, well, I’m not healing. I write it into music. And that was a perfect example. I was seeing someone at the time, and I didn’t feel so comfortable in my own skin and the way it was unraveling. And I felt the need to gravitate towards a song, and writing about it. And it became “Liar,” which is literally me talking about myself being an anxious avoidant in relationships and how I can’t really attach myself to people easily because of the fear of being hurt. It was very vulnerable, because a lot of the time you can write about other people. You can be like, “Well, you’re a liar, you’re this, you’re that, you’re that.” But in this case I was sitting down and I was being honest with myself, “Who am I? What am I doing that’s wrong?” I wrote it into a song.
Baltin: What I found is the more vulnerable you are in your songwriting, the more people connect with it. So have you found out from friends you’ve heard the song it doesn’t come out until next Friday, but I’m sure you’ve played it for a lot of friends.
Vargas: Yeah, a lot of people first are asking, like, “Who are you calling a liar? What is it really about?” And even the producer thought the song was about specifically one person and it did come and stem from one experience but it’s stemming from so many other experiences. It’s like the domino effect. It’s not just one outcome, it’s like that outcome led from so many other past experiences that I haven’t healed from, and it became that. So, for me, a lot of people ask, “Who is this about? Where did this come from?” But it’s so simple. It’s really just me writing about myself and reflecting on my actions and who I am.
Baltin: The point of writing, I think, is you learn about yourself. So, when you started writing this and you think about the song being about yourself, what did you learn about yourself?
Vargas: That I have an anxious avoided attachment style towards everything, not even just like relationships, it’s like everything. It’s the classic you’re just fear of being hurt. It’s the whole idea of, “I’m going to say no before you get to say no. Because I’m not going to let you hurt me.” I can say no first, and it’s just fear. This is the third song I’ve written about my anxious avoidance attachment style. It’s a repetitive, and it’s in the lyrics, “Why does it keep happening?” I’m definitely putting in the work right now to figure that out. It’s a lot to do with inner work and healing and being able to trust other people and understanding that not everyone’s out there for your best intention. You have to start within yourself. You need to heal yourself to attract the best kind of person in your life, best friends, best whatever in your life. It all starts with you. You can’t be seeking that and not healing and then expect good things to come to you. I’m in the process of figuring that out, but it’s easier said than done.
Baltin: I was interviewing the band Maneskin and they were telling me about the song “Supermodel” and how it was inspired by weird LA parties. I asked them the weirdest party they ever went to and they said it was a party where there were models wrestling in Jello. So, what band would you wrestle in Jello and what flavor?
Vargas: Maybe, Amy Winehouse. I feel like I would’ve won, I’m not going to lie (laughing). The flavor would be green apple. I like the color, and I like green apple, White Claw, that’s my favorite flavor.
Baltin: All those weird LA experiences do inspire you. Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, it definitely impacts your writing and how you see things. I’m a big believer too in environment affecting writing and obviously you meet so many colorful people and you learn valuable lessons.
Vargas: Yeah, of course that’s not just in LA, but in New York, all over the world. I love to travel, and I feel like that’s how I learn the most about myself is traveling, just going and putting myself in foreign places.
Baltin: What are your favorite places to travel? Where have you learned the most about yourself?
Vargas: I would say when I travel alone is when I learn the most about myself because I physically have to go and put myself out there and meet other people. I traveled alone to Hawaii, and I’ve traveled alone to Costa Rica. So honestly, I think Costa Rica might be the number one answer, even though my family is from there and I technically know people there. I’ve traveled outside without my family and friends, and I’ve probably learned the most because I felt like I was going back to my roots.
Baltin: Are there things you’ve learned on these trips that you then see in your songs?
Vargas: Of course, yes. My background, I’m originally born and raised Long Island, New York, but I’ve lived in Massachusetts, I’ve lived in Spain, I’ve lived in Costa Rica, and I live in LA now. My music is a heavy representation of my New York background mixed with now LA and of course Costa Rica, because even though I wasn’t born and raised in Costa Rica, my parents were and my family, big portion of them are out there. So, I identify a lot with that culture. So, whenever I go out there, I literally see this is where my parents grew up. This is the reason why my family is who they are, because they come from this history, not from US history. They came and immigrated over here, but the Costa Rican history is ultimately what they know the most. I go back to that because I’m very American, at the end of the day, and even my music is heavily pop/R&B and not so Latin, but it has influenced my Latin roots and I like to learn that side of it because I don’t want to feel so disconnected to a big part of my identity.