- After graduating from college and moving to Los Angeles, the young woman from Caracas toured Europe as a bassist for British singer Harry Styles.
In Valeria Falcón’s Instagram feed, several publications stand out in which she plays with international artists. At just 23 years old, this Venezuelan composer has been able to demonstrate her talent both in the United States and in Europe, the headquarters of two major music industries.
That talent is much better appreciated in the small improvisation and interpretation sessions that he also constantly publishes on that social network. In some of the descriptions he asks to put on headphones so he can clearly hear the bass.
It visually impacts your skill with the instrument. In seconds he goes from fast to slow rhythms and his repertoire ranges from pop to salsa. He proudly displays his single “Vulnerable”, since both the lyrics and the music are his own. The song is available on various platforms streaming.
He recently toured Europe with singer Harry Styles. The young woman played bass and sang some of the Briton’s songs on stages in the Netherlands, England, Hungary and France.
A path carved from childhood
Valeria grew up in Caracas in the middle of a musical family: her mother is a singer and her father a guitarist and producer, so it was comfortable for her to enter that world. She began by taking classical music classes at the Emil Friedman College music academy, where she also attended her regular studies.
I was always surrounded by music, my parents took that path for me to start learning music and I always saw it as something natural, “says Valeria in an interview for El Diario.
His first instrument was the cello, also from the string family. In her adolescence, her parents suggested that she learn to play bass, although she also learned guitar, which years later became a tool to develop as a composer.
He remembers that when he finished high school he felt very nervous when making the decision between pursuing a musical career or opting for a more traditional profession. “The reference of my parents helped me a lot to decide in those moments that gave me a lot of adrenaline, like deciding the race. I saw them and they inspired me, that’s why I decided to study music at the university”, he indicated.
He applied to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, United States, the largest music college in the world. With her talent she got a full scholarship for the Instrumental Execution career.
“Music is a very broad career in which it is important to develop the musical ear and technique with the instrument. Of course, what I do is execution, but there are many options to learn such as production, music for films or songwriting (musical composition), but in all of them it is very important to know and listen to a lot of music”, explained Valeria.
Transition to the professional world of Valeria Falcón
During the last semesters of the university, Valeria began to play with a group for corporate and social events such as weddings, this allowed her to have an economic livelihood and the possibility of performing on stage.
Last year (in 2021) I finished university, so with my talent and a lot of effort I managed to move to Los Angeles, California. Arriving in a new city, I had more opportunities to play with well-known artists,” he commented.
One of the artists with whom Valeria has been able to play is Maye, another young Venezuelan who is embarking on the American music market. She has also shared the stage with Hawaiian singer Lily Meola.
“The most exciting thing about playing with these artists is that they perform the music that they wrote and produced, original music, and that fulfills me a lot. To think that you are capturing that idea that they had and taking it to a live presentation is something very special, ”said the singer-songwriter.
In the short term, Valeria plans to continue taking the opportunities that come along to play with international artists. However, she will work in parallel on her career as a solo artist and composer.
music creation
“Vulnerable” is the result of years of work and musical training. His promotional single is on various platforms streaming and the Venezuelan composer has shared several excerpts on her social networks.
Although this single is available in a more accessible way, he frequently posts some of the lyrics or sounds that come to mind on his networks. He also asks his followers what they would title some of his songs or what they think of the beat.
Right now I write mostly pop and R&B. I really like to combine Latin music with American music, I feel that all that mix defines me even though it is very broad, ”she detailed.
Some of his current references are Rosalía and Nathy Peluso, although he enjoys experimenting with soul, blues, Cuban timba and more Caribbean rhythms.
Valeria defined her guitar lessons at the age of 15 as a key moment for her facet as a composer. She indicated that this experience allowed her to learn more about harmonies and added that each knowledge she acquires within music gives her the impetus to compose. In the videos she has also shown her ability to play the piano and the electric keyboard.
“To compose sometimes I have the idea of the chords and then I put a melody on top of it and it develops little by little until the song is created. Other times it has helped me to read about how other authors did to write”, details the bassist.
Classical music, he adds, is also a base that he always returns to in the creative process. She comments that her cello stayed in Venezuela when she went to Boston. However, she has thought about buying one so she can get back to practicing that instrument occasionally.
Relationship with Venezuela
For me it has been a very difficult process, because I left Venezuela in a situation in which everyone lived with uncertainty and it was difficult for me to be here and see everything that was happening in my country. I miss my family, my house and I feel very nostalgic but at the same time I feel that I am moving forward and I feel that by making an effort I also brought the country forward,” Valeria said.
In the five years he has been living in the United States, he has only been able to visit Venezuela three times. She stressed that the difficulties of traveling such as the lack of flights and the restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic have limited her in this regard.
“Most of my friends have family close by or at most live in another state and for them it’s just a flight. I have to take three or two if I’m lucky,” she added.
For this reason, he always tries to keep in touch with his family and some friends who remained in Venezuela. She admitted that she tries hard to make them feel that she is present despite the distance.
Social media has strengthened his connection to the country, as he constantly receives messages of encouragement from Venezuelan fans around the world. “I feel that Venezuelans get excited when they see that someone outside is doing something cool and that we are countrymen.”
In these spaces he has also been able to notice how the public not only appreciates the main artists but also their musicians and this art in general.
This receptivity for music diversity He has also felt it with his single “Vulnerable”. All this set of experiences of hers make her reflect on her path in music. She knows that in Venezuela there is a lot of talent that is trained alone, in groups or orchestras, so she recommends that these people insist as many times as necessary to achieve their goals.
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Valeria Falcón, the Venezuelan composer who makes her way in the international music industry to the rhythm of the bass