December 10, 2020

Meet Vallery Salas

Local Stories

Today we’re excited to introduce you to Vallery Salas. We were introduced to them by one of our community members and content partners – Tasha Jay. Check out our conversation with Vallery below.

Vallery, thanks for taking the time to share your story with us today. So, let’s start with your personal story – what can you share with us?
Music and Film has always been a part of me. Since I was a child I knew I loved being on stage. It didn’t matter what stage, big or small. All I knew was that I wanted to be on it. When I was a freshman in Highschool . I thought it was so amazing that someone in our school was the leading role for a hit show in Nikelodeon. (Paola Andino) I remember thinking I wish I could be an actress, and then I said, well why can’t I? I’ve been in musicals, my theater and dance teachers loved my facial expressions, and I said well why not? It took me 2 years to find the right path to began this career, I was scared, mostly because artist by the age of 17 have already made it, and I had just began my training. My Senior year of Highschool, One of my classmates Diego Bravo who is also an amazing and talented artist, began to upload music videos on YouTube. Diego and me used to talk all the time about becoming singers in sophomore year, When I began to see his vocal growth, I kept asking him, where are you taking lessons. He referred me to Createvation. There I met my amazing mentors, who we owe all our talent too. Tasha is my current vocal teacher at Createvation and I was honestly scared at first. Tasha’s teaching skills were strict, but I loved that. To me that meant she cares about her students. Tasha taught me how to give emotion to my singing. Most people believe that artist are born with the talent, but we are created, and Tasha is one of my creators.

Thanks for sharing that with us. How about obstacles and struggles – has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. Most people assume that you just got lucky, or the stars aligned, but there is hard constant work behind that luck. The obstacles I’ve had to face for this career are like no other obstacles I’ve had before. They are very unique. I remember I had an audition for a big agency the day of my graduation. Last year I had to prepare for an audition memorize 2 scripts, learn vocally 3 songs (which thanks to Tasha I managed to learn) the week of my showcase performance. This year I had my first Anxiety Attack, the day after my attack my agent calls me letting me know I had a callback, and I had to memorize 2 monoluges, tape and edit before the end of the day. 2 years ago I had an audition and callback the week of my showcase, while going through a break up and trying to maintain a new job. But what hurts most is when you are so close , but you never hear anything back and your back to square 1. This path isn’t easy as I’m sure it isn’t for anyone trying to pursue their dreams, but your job is to be prepared for the opportunities.

We’d love to hear more about your experience with Tasha.
Tasha came into my life very unexpectedly. Something I noticed right away was that she was very organized, my first class with her, she handed me a binder ready with my name and everything. Her way of teaching is one of a kind. Tasha taught me how to read and handsign solfège, her knowing that this technique would help me reach the notes I needed to hit with ease. I was amazed by this, and until this day we still use it. A very important lesson she has taught me is to sing with emotion. As singers sometimes we forget. We are to focus on breathing , and hitting our notes without going sharp or flat. However Tasha continues to remind me the importance of adding color to your voice. It’s no longer another person covering this song. It’s Vallery’s version of covering this song. Tasha relationship with me is very unique. It’s a perfect balance between younger sister and older sister, yet there is still respect between student an teacher. I vividly remember, Once we were preparing for our summer showcase at Createvation. One of our mentors Luis said ” okay guys be here at 5pm tomorrow” Tasha turned around to me and said ” You here that, 4:30 FOR YOU” we both laughed, but we also both knew she wasn’t playing. I am so blessed to have her as a teacher. Before my performances I know she is nervous just as I am, and when I’m on stage I know she is happy with the work we created. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her, she has helped me develop into the artist I am today.

Our lives and careers sometimes throw extremely difficult challenges our way. Do you have any advice for someone facing what they feel are insurmountable challenges?
This career is a marathon not a sprint, patience is key. Learn to embrace the Learning experience. It’s a beautiful time. Sure it might be painful, but learning is beautiful, especially if you love what you are doing. A person once told me becoming an artist is like winning the lottery, one in a million. Nearly impossible. True, not everyone becomes an artist, but the ones that do never quit. The only way you can fail is if you quit.

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