Singer, Songwriter and Music Teacher

Vanessa Estrada

Hailing from Chile, Vanessa Estrada is a driving force in the Melbourne Latin music scene. Her music is compelling and moves the heart, soul and body.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Violeta Parra, Pascuala Ilabaca, Elizabeth Morris, Vanessa’s folk-rock-experimental sound is an eclectic mix of melodies and instruments. Multi- faceted in her approach to her art, she transports you through her soundscape with graceful guidance.

Her newest single "Canción De Despedida" which will be part of her debut solo album, is a testament to her storytelling. Her vocals and emotions take centre stage on the track as it touches on heartbreak and goodbyes. A poignant human experience that we all can relate to, told through the beat of the Chilean folk style “Cueca” and Argentinean “Chacarera” with gentle touches of Jazz, Electronic and Rock.

Vanessa will be releasing her second single and animated video clip "Agua libre" on April 30th, 2022 as part of her Chile tour, which will feature Chilean artist "Frecuencia Nativa" and Peruvian environmental activist "Nelidad Ayay" from the documentary "Hija de la laguna" (Daughter of the lake).

Vanessa expects to release her debut album by the end of 2022.

Canción de Despedida by Vanessa Estrada

Vanessa Estrada

Cancion de despedida, the song chosen to create this piece of work is an intimate and personal experience, which tells my story of love, farewell, letting go and moving on. It is the story of a woman having to overcome a rupture, a loss, being away from home. It is a story of resilience that I needed to tell through image as well as music. and movement, as I wanted to express the feeling with my whole body and create a real ritualistic experience of healing and empowerment. The song itself is a South American rhythm which mixes elements of the Chilean cueca and Argentinean Chacarera, since the moment I decided to produce a video, I had the idea of including the dance and the handkerchief as a symbolism of my own culture. With the director (Gabriela Gonzalez), and the choreographer (Kathleen Gonzalez) we explored the ideas of different and symbolic ways of saying good bye to a loved one. Through empowerment, movement, and specific elements of my own culture in the clothing, accessories and choreography. We had weekly meetings with Kathleen Gonzalez (choreographer) to produce the choreography, we studied the elements of the "Cueca" and the "Chacarera" dance, we created our own version of them and incorporated contemporary movements. We decided to use the hood and handkerchief symbols as a way of representing the "letting go" and "liberation" feelings. With Gabriela Gonzalez (director), we had weekly meetings to decide the location (Blue lake in Bundoora) and work on the script, the story, the outfits, the art. Gabriela and I share a strong connection with my story, and we knew what we wanted to express, therefore it was easy to make decisions. Neisha Smith did a fantastic work in creating the outfits and having an incredible input in the art of the project. The rest of the production team did an amazing work in understanding the needs of the work, the expectations and the sentiment in general. I am very thankful of every single person involved in this project. This work exceeded all my expectations, I am incredible grateful for receiving the support to create this beautiful piece of art. This project gave me healing, a voice, a space and opened so many new doors in my artistic career. I am extremely happy to be one of the artists of AHEAD OF THE CURVE program and have this extra support to exhibit my work alongside many other amazing local artists. Its so important for us independent artists to have this spaces and opportunities. Thanks to MAV and my amazing team for making this possible and believing in my art.

Vanessa Estrada

Artworks

Canción de Despedida by Vanessa Estrada

Projects

Ahead of the Curve