November Artist of the month - GLITTERFOX
I heard of these magical, musical, mamas through some mutual friends we had. And then, I listened to their soul filled music and was genuinely moved to tears. And I don’t say that lightly. The amount of power, presence, and potency that radiates out of their songs is out. of. this. world.
Solange and Andrea, the two members of the band Glitterfox, have an incredible and dreamy backstory too. After a few years of playing music together in Long Beach the couple decided they wanted more adventure in their lives. Andrea was working as a psychiatric music therapist, and Solange was a roller skating receptionist. They eventually decided to sell and give away 95% of their belongings and moved into a van. They traveled the country for two years playing music and making great friends along the way. During their years traveling the two fell in love with the Pacific North West and they are happy to call Portland, OR home.
Check out their words of wisdom!
1) Please tell me a little bit about yourself, including your full names and pronouns.
Solange Kaye Marie Igoa (she/her): Solange is from Bakersfield, CA. She moved to Long Beach, CA at age 18 and began to make a name for herself as a busker on second street (Long Beach, CA). Solange and Andrea met at the Portfolio Coffeehouse Open Mic in August 2012. We started dating and almost immediately started playing shows together as well.
Andrea Walker (she/her): Andrea grew up in Charlotte, NC. She studied music therapy at Radford University (Radford, Virginia) and moved to Long Beach, CA in 2010 after graduating. Andrea worked as a psychiatric music therapist for five years in Long Beach, CA, before leaving her profession to tour full-time with Glitterfox.
2) What inspires your work and creative process // What moves you the most? // What does creating do for you?
Solange is always in a creative process. Whether its music, art, jewelry, anything. She is creating 24/7. Andrea has been writing songs since she was a teenager. She found her voice and style as a songwriter after leaving the South in 2010. When she arrived in California, Andrea started writing songs that sounded like the South, songs that sounded like home. The style found an audience on the west coast and she's been writing that way ever since.
3) Do you ever feel vulnerable or fearful putting your work out there? How do you overcome it?
Solange always feels vulnerable the first few times she's singing a new song, but she just keeps doing it until the fear goes away. Andrea gets excited when sharing new material with audiences.
4) Do have any advice or words of wisdom for other creatives?
Don't be afraid of "writers block." Some of my (Andrea's) greatest leaps as a writer have occurred after periods of feeling like i had writers block. One thing that really helps is to carve out time in the day to write. My favorite exercise is the "song in an hour" exercise. Set a timer for one hour and literally write an entire song with verses, a chorus, even a bridge in one hour or less. Trying to work quickly can oftentimes provide a shortcut around the censor that most of us have in our heads.
5) What do you want your music to unlock//evoke in people?
Some additional info the could be fun is a little of our back story as a band and couple.
After a few years of playing music together in Long Beach the couple decided they wanted more adventure in their lives. Andrea was working as a psychiatric music therapist, and Solange was a roller skating receptionist. They eventually decided to sell and give away 95% of their belongings and moved into a van. they traveled the country for two years playing music and making great friends along the way. During their years traveling the two fell in love with the Pacific North West and they are happy to call Portland home.
You can check out all of their music, tours, and adventures on their website here , or follow them on their Instagram here! And of course, check out their music on their youtube channel here, and be sure to subscribe!! You’re not going to want to miss them if they come to your city.