Ali de León | West Orange

ALI DE LEÓN | WEST ORANGE

ALICE: We recommend listening to Songs on Site with headphones for an immersive audio experience.

MUSIC: SONGS ON SITE THEME PLAYS UNDER.
SEAGULLS FLY OVERHEAD. A TRAIN PASSES BY.

MICHAEL: From Cocotazo Media and You Don’t Know Jersey—

A BUS PASSES BY.

MICHAEL: —this is Songs on Site—

BIRDS TAKE FLIGHT. A CAR BEEPS. A HORSE (OR THE JERSEY DEVIL) RUNS BY.

MICHAEL: —where we explore the music and environmental soundscapes of the Garden State.

CONDUCTOR: Stand clear of the door.

MICHAEL: I’m your host, Michael Aquino.

COFFEE POURS INTO A MUG. SILVERWARE CLINKS AGAINST DISHWARE. KIDS ON A PLAYGROUND. A CAR PASSES BY. CRICKETS ON A SUMMER NIGHT.

MICHAEL: Hey, there. It's Michael Aquino, host of Songs on Site.

I want to take a moment to thank the sponsor of this episode, Luna Stage, a small professional theatre in West Orange, New Jersey. I’ve been associated with Luna Stage in various capacities—as a creator, performer, camp director, live music event host, stage manager, and patron—starting in 2000. When deciding on a location for this episode’s guest, Luna Stage seemed like a great fit, and you’ll hear why shortly. Learn more about Luna Stage at Luna Stage dot org.

This is the first of two episodes with Ali de León, a musician and trap artist from Jersey City, New Jersey. My wife and I first got to know Ali, who also goes by Alicia, when she was part of the cast of a bilingual family theatre production we were involved with called Mi Casa Tu Casa. We enjoyed working with Alicia so much that we asked her to be a part of the award-winning audio drama production called Timestorm, also produced by Cocotazo Media. From these two projects, I got to know the strength of Alicia’s voice and her passion for creating art in different forms.

MUSIC: “WE’RE FAR” PLAYS UNDER.

MICHAEL: Ali de León is an independent recording artist born and raised in Jersey City. She's a singer, rapper, and songwriter of Dominican and Salvadorian descent. Ali loves to experiment with different sounds and styles, including writing lyrics and performing in Spanish and English. Her song “UFO” was featured on the Netflix original series Gentefied.
Here’s my interview with Ali de León.

MICHAEL: Describe what you see at this site.

ALICIA: I see a lot of lights. I see an exit sign. I see a bucket. I see chairs. I see beautiful people out there. Um, a booth.

MICHAEL: What kind of booth?

ALICIA: Theater Booth.

MICHAEL: A theater booth.

ALICIA: A theater booth.

MICHAEL: Can you please introduce yourself?

ALICIA: I’m Ali de León. I was born Alicia Isabel Rivas. I have a twin sister, so I can never say I was born alone. Yeah, I'm from Jersey City.

MICHAEL: Where are we?

ALICIA: We are in Luna Stage in West Orange, New Jersey.

MICHAEL: And why is this space important to you?

ALICIA: My first professional acting gig was here. It was an experience that marked me because it affirmed that I could change people's view on a way that they might see the world. The role I was auditioning for—once they saw me—was, like—Ooh yeah, you brought something to the role that I didn't think I was looking for and that it needed. So that always stuck with me.

MICHAEL: What was the name of the play?

ALICIA: The play was Mercy and the Firefly by Amy Hartman.

MICHAEL: And how old are you?

ALICIA: Ooh, I was like 17, 18. Probably 18. Yes. I was a baby.

MICHAEL: Where in New Jersey have you lived?

ALICIA: Born and raised in Jersey City. I went to college at FDU, so I was there in Madison for a bit for four years ‘cause I dormed. But that's basically it.

MICHAEL: So you are a Jersey City girl, born and bred.

ALICIA: Yes, I'm a native.

MICHAEL: At what age did you start performing?

ALICIA: In my family, I think we're all performers, and we always danced and laughed and mimicked each other. And so I find that to be a way of performing. And so when I was around seven—third grade—that's when I started doing the choir, started doing plays and musicals.

MICHAEL: And you went to school, obviously, in Jersey City.

ALICIA: I did. I went to JW Wakeman School. Uh, but first I went to PS number eight on Franklin in Jersey City. And then, I went to PS number six until eighth grade. And then I went to McNair Academic High School.

MICHAEL: Was there a performance you did as a kid that stands out in your mind?

ALICIA: Oh, yes. The performance I did was Into the Woods, and I was the witch. I did not wanna be the witch. I was like—she's ugly. And my music teacher at that point—shout out to Ms. Mahoney. So she was like—no, this is a great role for you. And I'm just like, I wanna be a princess. And then she had me do the rap part of the witch in an assembly to try to get the kids to come see the play. So I did the rapping part, whatever. When the assembly was over, we went outside. Everybody's like—oh my God that was so cool. And I'm like—oh wow. Oh, thank you. Come see the play. Which is crazy to think about the change, right? The change of perspective. And then for the duration of the play, all the kids in the school, the younger ones that really believed that I was the witch, was like—Oh my God, it's the witch. Oh my God, it's the witch—like, in the hallway. And I'm, like—no, it was a role, but okay. Thank you. Like, I did a good job then.

MICHAEL: Exactly. That's what I was about to say. You must’ve done a great job because they were, like, believing that you are the witch. I'd say that sounds like it's the crux of your performing as an actor, and your performing as a musician, right?

ALICIA: Yes. Yes, yes. That story has always been important to me, but now I'm thinking about Luna, too, because the play that I did here, I had a rapping part. The beginning part of the play was a rapping part I didn't put that together. These roles kept coming, and they had me rap.

MUSIC TRANSITION.

MICHAEL: Describe your music in three words to someone who has never heard it before.

ALICIA: Heartfelt, passionate, raw.

MICHAEL: Wow. That's in different directions. And I like that.

ALICIA: It’s all about telling the story in my own words and in my own way.

MICHAEL: We share a background in professional acting, and we both perform plays in this theater. And for me, the path from acting to writing and performing music was seamless. How has being an actor influenced your journey to becoming a musician?

ALICIA: In acting, you get a role, and you're in a box, right? You're in the box of the role. You can't do anything outside of what that character is, what the role is. So for a long time, I was doing a lot of characters that had a lot of mental issues, very dark. And so I was tired. But I love the arts. I love being able to tell these stories, being able to touch people. And so then I said—I have to create, but not in this form. I mean, I started doing comedy, too, to lighten up, but I needed to express myself. So music was that, for me, was my outlet. I started just hearing melodies and harmonies, and I was like—Oh, I have to write something. I have to record something. So that was my transition into music, but it's always been a part of me. A part of my family. My grandfather was a guitarist. My dad plays the guitar. My mom sings, like…I just didn't think I would pursue it.

MICHAEL: So you sometimes rap in English, Spanish, or Spanglish. What do you love about singing in two languages?

ALICIA: I love that there's no limit. It's about a feeling. Um, sometimes I express myself better in Spanish, and sometimes I express myself better in English. Some words just sound better. Some words just hit that nerve, whatever you're trying to just feel. So I love that I have two languages that are part of me. And Spanish connects me to my culture, whether it's my mother's culture or my father's culture, ‘cause there's two different cultures, Dominican and Salvadorian. There's just something so special about that that connects me to the world now, to the world that came before me, and that's gonna go to the future. So I love it.

MICHAEL: It connects the two parts of you. That's a beautiful explanation.

THEME MUSIC TRANSITION.

MICHAEL: Tune in next week to hear Ali talk about what it was like to have her song featured on the Netflix show Gentefied and more. And now, enjoy “Mistolin,” written by Ali de León.

TRANSITION SOUNDS.

ALICIA: So this song is called “Mistolin” and I dropped the ‘s’ because a lot of Dominicans drop the ‘s.’ It's a trap song, which is a song de a calle—of the streets, right? Trap is usually something that comes out of the street. And I wanted to make a song that was still cool but also has a message. So in the song, we're keeping it clean. But I'm talking about those kids that don't really have the Ferraris and the Lamborghinis and the Jordans, but they love their life, and they live it to the fullest, and they have fun. It's just, kind of, like, having this wholeness and this happiness without all the luxury and glam that my culture, unfortunately, does praise.

MUSIC: “MISTOLIN” LIVE AT LUNA STAGE.

ALICIA:
Pone una bachata, un merengue | Play a bachata, a merengue
Llegaron los malos, los rebeldes | Here come the troublemakers, the rebels
No queremos foto con tu gente | We don’t want pictures with your people
We keep it clean, tamo mistolin | We keep it clean, we’re clean

Ten mucho cuida'o con quien te mete | Be careful who you hang with
Yo no soy tu pana al garete | I’m not your wild friend
Yo te digo to lo que mereces | I’m telling you what you deserve
We keep it clean, tamo Mistolin | We keep it clean, we’re clean

Despues del party is the afterparty | After the party is the afterparty
Tamo rulay | We’re relaxed
Sin tener ferraris | Without ferraris
Dandole duro a los drinks Bacardi | Pounding back Bacardi drinks

Somos de calle | We’re from the streets
No tenemos pa ser picky | We don’t have to be picky
Le damos a todos | We give to everyone
Somos como lo hippies | We’re like the hippies
Peace and love
Canta el quiri-quiri-kí-kí | Singing cock-a-doodle-doo
Hasta la cinco la mañana | Until 5 AM
Amenecemos aquí | We’ll wake up here
No hay verguenza | There’s no shame
Nosotros somos la vuelta | We’re the change

Y que y eh y eh y sigan mirando | And keep staring
Y que y eh y eh eh sigan hablando | And keep talking
Mientras que yo oh oh oh oh sigo bailando | While I keep dancing
No hay ma nah ah ah ah sigo gozando | There’s nothing else, I keep having fun

Tu eres un disco raya'o | You’re a broken record
Di que estas ilumina'o | You say you’re enlightened
Pero no corona'o | But you’re not crowned
Tu tienes el diablo clava'o | You mirror the devil
Por eso no as gana'o | That’s why you can’t win
Por eso ta tu frustra'o | That’s why you’re frustrated
Yo aquí, tu allá | I’m here, you’re over there

Pone una bachata, un merengue | Play a bachata, a merengue
Llegaron los malos, los rebeldes | Here come the troublemakers, the rebels
No queremos foto con tu gente | We don’t want pictures with your people
We keep it clean, tamo mistolin | We keep it clean, we’re clean

Ten mucho cuida'o con quien te mete | Be careful who you hang with
Yo no soy tu pana al garete | I’m not your wild friend
Yo te digo to lo que mereces | I’m telling you what you deserve
We keep it clean, tamo Mistolin | We keep it clean, we’re clean

Mistolin, Clean
No tenemos fin | We don’t stop
Seguimos bailando | We keep dancing
Somos super feliz | We’re super happy
En la vida macinando todo lo que es vivir | Scheming to do everything in life
No somos conformistas | We don’t conform
pero tampoco egoistas, baby | But we’re not egotistical, baby

Con dinero, sin dinero | With or without money
Tamo chilling | We’re chilling
Agradecios | We’re grateful
Como si fuera Thanksgiving | As if it were Thanksgiving
Soy la rubia Americana | I’m the blonde American woman
La suprema, papi | The supreme one, papi
Una bachata de Luis Vargas | A bachata by Luis Vargas
Que me importa a mi | I don't care

Y que y eh y eh y sigan mirando | And keep staring
Y que y eh y eh eh sigan hablando | And keep talking
Mientras que yo oh oh oh oh sigo bailando | While I keep dancing
No hay ma ah ah ah ah sigo gozando | There’s nothing else, I keep having fun

Tu eres un disco raya'o | You’re a broken record
Di que estas ilumina'o | You say you’re enlightened
Pero no corona'o | But you’re not crowned
Tu tienes el diablo clava'o | You mirror the devil
Por eso no as gana'o | That’s why you can’t win
Por eso ta tu frustra'o | That’s why you’re frustrated
Yo aquí, tu allá | I’m here, you’re over there

Pone una bachata, un merengue | Play a bachata, a merengue
Llegaron los malos, los rebeldes | Here come the troublemakers, the rebels
No queremos foto con tu gente | We don’t want pictures with your people
We keep it clean, tamo mistolin | We keep it clean, we’re clean

Ten mucho cuida'o con quien te mete | Be careful who you hang with
Yo no soy tu pana al garete | I’m not your wild friend
Yo te digo to lo que mereces | I’m telling you what you deserve
We keep it clean, tamo Mistolin | We keep it clean, we’re clean

APPLAUSE.

ALICIA: Yeah…

MUSIC: SONGS ON SITE THEME (INSTRUMENTAL) PLAYS UNDER.

MICHAEL: Thanks for listening to Songs on Site. I’m your host, Michael Aquino. Songs on Site producers are Michael Aquino and Dania Ramos for Cocotazo Media; and Ed Magdziak and Alice Magdziak for You Don’t Know Jersey. This episode was sponsored by Luna Stage in West Orange, New Jersey. Special thanks to Ari Laura Krieth, Liz Cesario, and Lee DeCecco. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. If you’d like to hear bonus content with the featured musicians, you can unlock it by supporting us at Patreon dot com slash Cocotazo M. We’ll be back in two weeks with the next episode of Songs on Site.

MUSIC: SHIFT IN THEME MUSIC (INSTRUMENTAL) CONTINUES UNDER.

ALICE: Audio editing, design, mixing, and theme song by Michael Aquino. Story editing, script writing, and additional audio editing by Dania Ramos.

The featured musician was Ali de León. “Mistolin” lyrics and vocals by Ali. Backing track by WizzerOnDaBeat. Learn more about Ali de León at linktree slash Ali de León music dot com. You can find a link to her website and our website in the show notes.

This episode was recorded at Luna Stage in West Orange and was produced in Essex County, New Jersey. Both locations are situated on the traditional territory of the Leni Lenape people.

As always, thanks for listening.

KIDS ON A PLAYGROUND. A CAR PASSES BY. CRICKETS ON A SUMMER NIGHT.

ALICIA: It’s just the things about having a lot of notes…

MICHAEL: I know, my notes thing is filled home notes, creative notes…

ALICIA: At least you got categories. I’m all over the place.