From soloists to full bands to a cappella ensembles, there are incredibly talented student musicians who call ASU home. In the spirit of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts, The State Press invited some of these students to perform their music in our basement newsroom on the Tempe campus.
Plush World T.V.’s Alexis Molina, a literature senior, is the next artist to be featured in SP Sessions.
Molina started performing as a solo artist. However, she said several of her friends have started backing her up at shows.
She said music is her way of self-expression and performing has helped her build confidence. Molina said house shows and open mics are great venues for new artist, and she has found herself performing these kinds of venues often.
“I hated performing alone with an acoustic guitar," Molina said. "I feel like a female artist going on stage with and acoustic guitar automatically loses half the audience. I bought an electric guitar, and I think that helped me gain some confidence. It's hot pink, because that’s the cheapest model. It's super cute.”
Molina said she thinks it is important for more women, people of color and members of the LGBT+ community to feel like they can showcase their art freely to improve representation.
“If you like creating music, the only thing you can do is put yourself out there. Just do it, even if you mess up.”
Her music is experimental and deeply personal. Molina said the loss of her mother at a young age is a big influence on her life and music. Her first album, Virgen Love, was released as a nine track cassette in March. The title was inspired by her mother, who was named after la Virgen de Guadalupe, and reflects experiences like coming into womanhood, which Molina said she would have liked to be able to talk to her mother about.
Check out statepress.com for upcoming SP Sessions videos coming soon.
Reach the reporter at jicazare@asu.edu or follow @sonic_429 on Twitter.
Like State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
