Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you a songwriter? Are you looking to turn your
songwriting passion into a full time gigig? Whether you are
just at the start of your songwriting journey or a
seasoned industry professional, this show is made for you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
We will welcome to the Songwriter Show, bringing together songwriting, news, interviews,
and communitating. Now welcome your host, Sronto.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Thank you so much for tuning in, and welcome back
to the Songwriter Show right here on Reality Radio one
oh one point nine. I'm your host, Soronto, so a
solo music artist who's been writing lyrics for as long
as I can remember. Words are just so important to me.
That's why I love hosting the show for you every
single Tuesday evening. I believe in my heart that every
song is a story. Tonight, I'm so super excited to
(00:47):
have Glenda Benavitez on the show. She's an award winning
singer songwriter celebrated for her soulful vocals and deeply resident
lyrics that inspire audiences around the globe. As a Grammy
nominated artist and Coordinate Academy voting member, Glenda actively contributes
to honoring and elevating excellence in the music industry.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
And now welcome this week's special guest guests.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Welcome to show, Ganda. How are you good?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
Hey, how are you Toronto?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I'm doing great. I am almost embarrassed to be doing
a show with you because your voice sounds so awesome,
Like it's like sultry, sexy, soulful. And here's me like
getting over a cold and probably like raspy, but I
will try to bear with it.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
So it's all good. You're awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Thanks. So tell us a little bit about I think
your main instrument is your vocals, right.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
You know, it has been.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
I mean I started on guitar when I was you know,
right around twelve, and that's been kind of an instrument
that I've fiddled around with. I do play mandolin, but yeah,
it's you know, I have mastering in is vocal vocal technique,
you know, singing, songwriting, that.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Kind of thing.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So you got to do sometimes what you're really good
at people, So that's that's important.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
That's awesome. So what was your first musical memory.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
As a kid hanging out with my dad in the
car and I was writing. I was standing next to
my dad in the one of our vehicles. We were
driving down the road. And one of the songs came
on banned a Goal, that was what it was. I
remember that and we were singing it together.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Uh huh, that's awesome. So is your family musical themselves?
Speaker 4 (02:33):
No, not at all.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
I came from a blue collar worker people, you know,
kind of down to earth and just salt of the earth,
really humans.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
When you look back on your beginning, was there something
that kind of really made you kind of go into
this field, something that pushed you over the edge, you know?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Not really.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
I mean I was fortunate at that time to have
had had music in schools, so everybody could, you know,
pick up an instrument or whatever, you know, and just
one thing led to another, and then I just always
had the ability to sing, so it just kind of
led me down that path.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
And the next thing I know.
Speaker 5 (03:13):
I was in swing choir, and then I was in
the next choir and the concert choir, you know, and
you just keep going, and then you you hit high
school and you go, oh, I want to be in
a band. So that's kind of where kind of where
it all came down, and then you just keep going,
you know, at least I did, and I was again
I'm going to say it again, I'm fortunate to have
(03:33):
family members that said, yeah, go ahead do it.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
You know, they didn't.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Say want I got to get a real job, or
why would you want to do that? You know, I
never had any of that, So I was definitely an
artist from early days.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
That's wonderful, Glenda. I can't tell you how many people
are told get a real job, like what do you
mean you want to do? Yeah, so that's fantastic that
they supported you.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Yeah, I think so too. And they didn't know anything
about it.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Nobody saying in our house, yeah, we had some music,
you know, your basics, you know stuff.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
But it wasn't like they were against music or they
they loved it. But it wasn't like.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Got to have music, or I'm a singer and nobody
was nobody.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And I did not grow up in Los.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
Angeles, so it wasn't one of those easy street moments
where you know, you know, you get to know so
and so, and I'm.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
In the music business and they're in the music. Next
thing you know, you're singing for Disney. You know, he's
never it was never like that, Yep. I had to
work for everything.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yeah, So tell us a little bit about your songwriting process.
How do you get started? Are you like starting with
a melody? Are you starting with lyrics? Like? How do
you do it?
Speaker 5 (04:42):
Well, it's different every time, Like right now I'm working
with a gentleman, another Recording Academy member from France. And
how he how I'm doing it with him? Is he
sent me the music. I said, well, this is the
genre that I sing in that I'm interested in writing in.
And he said, oh great, because I do that genre,
which is we're doing blues, I can also do rock.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
I have that edge.
Speaker 5 (05:06):
So and then he sent me some tracks with you know, nothing,
just music. And then what I did is I go, okay,
what is a song telling me? What's what do I
want to sing about? What do I want to talk about?
And I kind of start from there and then I,
you know, sometimes it takes a minute. Sometimes it takes
a long minute. So it's taken me three weeks now,
(05:27):
I've been really trying to but.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
I think I settled on a few things.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
Something wicked this way come so that's my blues thing
and so and then I just keep working the melody
until I think it's strong enough, and I work in
the words and that type of thing, So that's this
that one. Sometimes it's you know, and like another shift.
You can also I'll get the melody already with some
then I'll work on the lyrics and then I'll give
(05:53):
that to whomever I'm working with at the time and
say can you put some music around this in structure?
So that's usually how I do it.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
You said something that really got my mind racing. You
said that your vocals can have that edge in a
rock song, and I'm like, oh my god, I'd love
to hear that. That's that's awesome.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
Yeah, yeah, that's my next track. So we're racing towards
Grammy's we Gotta, we gotta get. I gotta get everything
mixed and mastered and you know, ready to submit at
the end of August, so deadlines.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
So is there a musician that you would really love
to jam with dead or alive? Like, who comes to mind? Prance, Ah,
that would be awesome.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
Yeah, he's I think he's one of my top favorites.
And there's a reason why everybody knows of his name,
so to speak, because he does it all. You know,
he did it all and and he was just prolific,
you know in his writing, expression and melodies and songs.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
And pulling people together and doing things on his own.
It's just he was He was the artist for real,
that's what our is.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
And he was so fortunate and driven that he actually
turned it into a business.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
So he's a great model.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah for sure. Is Yeah, what's a typical day like
for you?
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Hmmm? Well, I which is horrible.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
I get up at seven thirty hard, I'm not.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
It takes me like I wake up at seven thirty
and then I have to lay there for at least
a half an hour and reprogram myself my own thought process,
you know, like listening to something really positive, visualizing, experiencing experience,
you know, inside my mind to try to make sure
I'm not thinking about doom and gloom and which is
(07:44):
a natural default to me. So I work on that.
So I exercise my mind and my spirit, and then
I get up and get my clothes on, take a shower,
do my stretches, do my two mile walk, come back.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
And then I start my day.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
And that could be anything from having any conversation with
you to you know, writing something or doing my vocal lesson,
which I'll do after I get done talking with you.
Some things are pretty set, but some things are very
flexible just because I'm the artist in me. You know,
It's like, now I don't feel like doing that right now,
I'm going to move over here and do this. The
one thing about that, though, is I never not do it.
(08:20):
So if you are going to be the creative and
you are going to have a structure, you need to
follow it. But you need to follow it however your
creativity flows.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
It's not like if I say I'm gonna sing today,
then I sing. It may not be at one o'clock,
even though it's in my schedule. It's because I keep
a schedule. So even though it's in a schedule, I
check in and I go.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
You know, I i'd rather.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
Actually, I've been running all day, so I want to
eat or I want to just rest. I want to
close my eyes for a few minutes. Then I'll do
it at you know, twenty minutes after. You see what
I'm saying, stay, it stays in there. And I would
say that to any artist, and you being in ours too,
and you already know this, but you really make discipline
and structure your friend, because they are Otherwise nothing will.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Happen yeah, definitely for sure. So tell us about this
song that we're going to hear in a minute here.
What inspired this one?
Speaker 5 (09:16):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Yeah, thanks, We walk on past.
Speaker 5 (09:19):
It came out of a story actually, a really good
friend of mine had, if I can share it with
you really quickly, he was driving to work and he
pulled into a gas station. This was in San Jose, California.
He pulls into a gas station and everybody's there pumping
up right at like eight am or something, and he
looks over and he sees this guy dragging himself across
(09:41):
this cement like the tarmac there.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
He was like, what's going on? And he looks he
looks around, and everybody's like, la la la, la, la
la la. I'm just going to keep looking over here
and doing my gas, you know.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
And he's like, this is ridiculous. So he runs over
there and he goes, are you okay?
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Can I help you?
Speaker 5 (10:00):
And so basically, long story short, he helps the guy
get some some water, get some some some food, calls
an ambulance and while everybody else was ignoring that it
was happening and this is definitely, you know, our larger culture,
what's going on. He was so mad about it and
so horrified that that was going down. He wrote this
(10:20):
amazing like story article whatever, and I read it and
I was like, oh my god. And so I really
wanted to write a song about how we all walk
on past. You walk on past, I walk on past,
we all walk on past, so you know, looking at responsibility,
accountability for each other as human beings. And that's really
what prompted that song. And so I had to write it,
(10:43):
and it's evolved.
Speaker 4 (10:45):
Over over time. Yeah, and we released it this last
year or so.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Yeah, awesome, all right, Glynda. Well let's take a listen.
We'll come back and talk tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Okay, great, thanks, all right.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Everybody check this out.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
Here we go.
Speaker 7 (10:57):
Ah, another lonely woman, another homery child.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
We walk on past, ride of it up, another brooking.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Soldier, another homeless maid.
Speaker 8 (11:34):
We walk on past, the bride of it all, another
missing father, another sister gone, and we.
Speaker 9 (11:51):
Walk on past all. The ride of it off, the
temple killing, another temple, welcome path, the riding of ear,
(12:15):
and now walk on bet.
Speaker 7 (12:20):
You work on best.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
And we'll welcome best.
Speaker 10 (12:28):
Rattle it.
Speaker 4 (12:34):
Another jee broke the.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Another libry told, welcome best, the ride of.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
It the way will.
Speaker 8 (12:55):
I best ever consolet, she will say, And now I'm
gone past on the brittle it.
Speaker 11 (13:09):
Past?
Speaker 12 (13:11):
Can you look on?
Speaker 4 (13:15):
Can we knock on best?
Speaker 10 (13:19):
The battle of it? The mass hat so had?
Speaker 5 (13:44):
And you look on past pass, so pass, and we
walk on past.
Speaker 11 (13:52):
The bottom of it.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Well, thank you so much for sharing that song, Lenda.
That was wonderful.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Oh you're so welcome. Thanks for playing it.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
You're very welcome. Is there something that you care to
admit on the air, as like one of the biggest
mistakes you've made in this world of music that you
wish you didn't make, or something maybe you can protect
some of the younger people that are just getting started
the industry.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Yeah, oh that's a good one. There's so many.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
I think the first thing that popped into my head
when you were sharing that was mindset. It's really mindset,
and you really have to be taking care of yourself
on a deeper level, not just like oh, yeah, you know,
I'm doing this or I'm doing that, but like more
like eating righte like really like if you really want
(15:16):
to take that journey in a more prolific way to
really work on the mindset, you know, body mind spirits,
like so important, like all of it all, It's all important,
and that's where you can get the fruits of your
you know, your gifts or whatever. You can just dig
in and go, oh, that happened, like just like what
happened with my friend, you know, look for those things.
(15:37):
Be involved in your community, help somebody, be in service,
look around, pay attention, be accountable. Like I know these
are words that probably most of us have heard, but
but actually really doing that. And I would say that,
you know, we really need, all of us need to
kind of come together and be ourselves truly, you know,
(16:00):
and really look and see what that means for you.
You know, we're all unique individuals that are all connected.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Absolutely. Do you think it's gotten better in the industry
or do you think men and women still don't get
the same opportunities or the same pay for the same gigs.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
That too, is a great question.
Speaker 10 (16:19):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
I was never in that mindset of like I got
paid less. I probably did, and I didn't know it,
but I just I never was standing in that position
of like I'm a woman, I'm going to get least.
You know, I never thought about that, and I'm sure
it is and I'm sure it happens, and I'm sure
it's still doing it, but I still refuse to think
like that. I see myself as a person, so I
(16:41):
don't I don't think of I don't know. It's just
not in my mindset, right, It's just not in there,
which is I think good because otherwise I'd probably be
angry and crazy by now. And I try to make
my own opportunities, you know, Like right now, I'm I've
designed and created a multimedia experience. So it's it's it's
(17:02):
called a Soul on Fire, and it's music, it's visuals,
it's storytelling, it's me singing live and just really creating
this experience where people can kind of sit there absorb
it and at the same time, well, there'll be spaces
inside where everyone will have a journal and we'll get
to write down like questions because I pose questions on
(17:24):
the screen.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
But it's kind of like a musical.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
So it's very interesting and I'm really excited about doing
it and designing. I've designed it so we'll get it
out there. But but yeah, I'm creating my own opportunities.
I think that's what we all have to do. Actually
find your lane, work on it, and then you know,
and then just you know, create from there. You know,
don't don't take don't buy into the old model. I'm
(17:50):
going to be famous, I'm going to be this, I'm
going to be that. I'm sorry, that's not happening, and
I'm not coming from Oh, just doesn't happen for me.
Speaker 4 (18:00):
No, that's not it.
Speaker 5 (18:01):
It's it's each of us. Each of us have a
place and a and an art, you know, of something
to express. So we just got to find that and
it evolves over time. So I would say, that's what
I would say. Just find your passion and stick with
it no matter what. Keep your eye focused.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Great advice. I wish I could tell you that. I
take that. I'm involved in a lot of different things,
probably a little add a little bit, just never satisfied.
But I think that's great advice. Stay focused. Otherwise you
get distracted and you have your hands in a bunch
of things.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
You have to do anything right, So you're right, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
Well, and if you're younger too, well, if anytime, I
guess you just want to you want to. I think
what you're doing is good too. Though, you know, you
got to sample, you got to get out there. You
got to do stuff because it evolves you as a spirit,
you know, it really does, and it gives you more
insight to be a better songwriter.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Right, if you only did one thing, I think. I
think what you're doing is fantastic. Well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Yeah. Is there a musical risk that you took that
paid off?
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:03):
I mean I sat back and went, I want a
Grammy and I go, oh, how to do that?
Speaker 5 (19:11):
How do you do that? It's like I've been in
the music business for thirty odd years, you know, so
out of curiosity, I got online and I went, how
do I become a Grammy winner? And it said you
got to join the Recording Academy And I went, oh,
that's really how it started. And you know, it's just
(19:32):
spent one insightful journey into the music industry and it's
not what it seems, but it's it's been really fun
and deepening and scary and pizzes you off all at
the same time.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah, that's funny. I did the same thing. Yeah, And
I tried last year, but you have to have two
sponsored members and I only had one. Yeah, And then
last year or the last application per I had too. Yeah,
So I'm waiting to hear. I don't know. I think
it's the end of the year. Yeah, June, at some
point I'm going to hear if they researched me and
if you know, I'm worthy to do it. But I've
(20:10):
been trying to do that for a couple of years,
and I think most people don't know about that.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
Yeah they don't. You have to look for it, but
that but that's fine.
Speaker 5 (20:18):
I mean, you know, it's like one should not be
handed everything, you know, one one should You know what
I'm saying. It's like, because I was thinking about that
for myself too, It's like, oh, well, it's a club.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
It's a closed club.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
It's like, you know what you needed to ask the
right questions right to get the open the secret door.
You need to ask, Oh I want to be I've
been a professional musician for thirty odd years.
Speaker 4 (20:41):
Why shouldn't I be getting a Grammy? And then you
know what I'm saying, So you're like looking for it.
Speaker 5 (20:46):
You're like, oh, okay, well oh that's not just that simple.
So yeah, good for you, and congratulations for getting your
two sponsors and recommendations is what they call it. And yeah,
and we'll see if they you know, they have a
param I didn't make it in the first two my
first two sponsors, and then I had to fill out
my my end of it and I did not get
(21:08):
in right away. And my my music partner said, because
he got in. He's a he's a mastering recording engineer,
because I submitted him because he's a badass.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
And I thought, why didn't I get in? And he goes,
what did you write? And so I showed him what
I read. He goes, no, you did. They don't want
to resume.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
They want to know why you should be in here.
And he said, like, you're this, You're that, you you
you support people, you you do nonprofit work, you know.
And I was like, oh, so I did it again
and I and I put in the real stuff, you know,
the authentic stuff that's really important, and uh and that
(21:50):
was that's that was what's got me through the door.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
And then that's when the journey starts.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Last question, what's your favorite eighties?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Jam?
Speaker 5 (21:59):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (22:00):
My favorite eighties jam? I would say it's probably Prince's Controversy.
I think that's eighties.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah, okay, awesome, Yeah, So tell us where people can
buy your stuff's treatment, where can they find you online.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Yeah, hey, guys, support arts before it dies. No, the
best way to find me.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Is glendamusic dot com and you can you can google
my full name Glenda Benavitez B E N E V
I D E S.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And you'll you'll see me.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
You'll see my podcast, you'll see my my of course,
my YouTube channel with everything on it, and and my
website has everything in all my projects and my books.
Speaker 4 (22:41):
I'm a I'm an author.
Speaker 5 (22:43):
I've written four books and now the first one was
a Courage to find your Fire and Nicknite Action in
your Life, which I love.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
And what else about me?
Speaker 5 (22:52):
I support a nonprofit that I love, and it's called
One Tree Planted. So anytime you purchase anything of my
my merchandise, my music, you can get that through I
think through my site on band camp or something like that,
and you can.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Yeah, I think it's a band caps hosting it.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
And the great thing about that is that I see
who's purchased and then I plant for them. So basically
I take a dollar off of whatever anybody buys. I
go to One Tree Planet and I purchase. So we're
up to about four hundred trees now.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
So that's awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. I want to thank
you so much for being on the show tonight.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
I really appreciate you too, and you know, thanks for
being in the art world. And good luck in June
and we'll see you around campus.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Hopefully too.
Speaker 10 (23:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
So thank you to all the guests tonight for being
on the show with the two of us tonight. We
hope your unique story gets heard around the world too.
Thank you so much, and please join us every Tuesday
evening as we uncover the inspiring journeys behind this kind
of music. Have a great night, everybody. I love you all.
(24:06):
This is a story about control.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
We all dream big, but we live so small, always
hiding what we create the most, like the truth away,
so no one knows. The sirens, sweet melody, cold from
the shadows, She whispers to us reason phads among the
(24:33):
flickering lights.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
We lose ourselves behind these walls.
Speaker 12 (24:40):
It's easy to post lies, it's easy to swipe.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
What's not easy, it's cleaning up the riggage. What's night easy?
Speaker 6 (24:53):
It's it's easy to ride this We don't mean with as.
Speaker 10 (25:00):
Raato it seas it time.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Tomorrow gives us a fine ancience. Love today has our
many cigarettes.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
First stress and say lossing recovered in this bdance.
Speaker 10 (26:03):
It's strange.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
Don't make us kinder, just all, But it's d to
lay change.
Speaker 10 (26:10):
On the path.
Speaker 12 (26:13):
Like this stuck on armies and the Cristal hands color.
It's easy to pull thee. It's easy to slide clean
what easy it's.
Speaker 6 (26:30):
Cleaning up the rad bitch, nighty easy, it's good.
Speaker 10 (26:36):
It's easy to buy this Rado made with cash, Rado crap.
Speaker 6 (26:44):
It's easy to time.
Speaker 10 (26:46):
Look, get back in gas.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
Rado and wait, no no no, you don't need it
(27:29):
any more. No no no, you don't need that ship any.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
No no no no no.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
No no no, dear, we're slave. Still chase, no answer
(28:18):
the race. Caught in the loop, Chase in the taste street,
specially burn. We never learned this. It won't last, but
we stuber turned ross to the gow of a screen.
We can't go chase in the thrill.
Speaker 10 (28:28):
That'll never make us whole.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Caught in the loop, we can't break the code.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
It won't last for the soub we never know.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
It's easy to buy it, easy to say. It's never
easy when you chaste in the hype last sleep on it.
We'd rather be addicted to all these devices as.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
On hot is all rises we click for worthless boilous.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Price and that digital advatar disguises.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Lusting for surprise, suffusing coup devises up until the son
Rod's a more than new parentdces.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
I'm really okay with these sacrifices. Why why the hell
did the adults let this shit happen?
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Thank you for listening to The Songwriter Show. To keep
the momentum going, head over to www Dot songwriter show
dot com and join our free music community of artists, songwriters,
and producers.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
That's www.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Dot songwriter show dot com.
Speaker 11 (30:23):
Any anything, many and Alma hanging hello, Hello, No hang
(31:42):
hang