Zyanya’s Journey

Discover how step by step Zyanya Santillanes is opening the doors of her promising career.

For those who are new to my work, for a while now I’ve been helping and supporting young talents through my photography, specially inside the art world.

One way of discovering them has been practically through word of mouth, asking some of my friends inside the music scene (because of my past in it) or through other photoshoots. That’s how I met Zyanya (Thanks to Zully!). And let me tell you, the future of this amazing singer will be without a doubt, full of great surprises.

FA- Hello and welcome Zyanya!. First, tell us a little bit about you. Where does that voice and talent comes from?

Zyanya- Thanks a lot. It’s a long story!, this comes from generations before me, from both my dad and mom. We are families that from one way or another, have been involved in music for a long time. Specially from my dad’s side, my grandfather was a Bassoonist in the Jalisco Philharmonic. He also created a versatile group where his sons where involved and each one played a different instrument. Everybody learned directly from him (he was a music teacher too).

FA- So it has been part of a distinctive inheritance.

Zyanya - That’s right. For me it’s all about my dad. He was focused on the Sax and has been/is part of some known bands in Guadalajara, like Plastiko, Troker, Fanko, and others. I was born when he was 21 years old. He tells me that when I was a little baby, he realized that my voice was going to be my instrument. Even I was in tune when crying!.

FA- I guess your debut was at a very young age.

Zyanya- When I was 8 years old, one of my uncles asks me to sing for a project called Mariachi Rock-O. They were looking for a kid that could record a Michael Jackson’s cover song. One year later they contacted me to do a live show. For my surprise it was inside the Degollado Theatre. For a 9 year old it was something really meaningful. Just by being there on the rehearsals, without a crowd, and looking to the immensity of that place, was something really special.

FA- Did you have any previous live presentations before that?

Zyanya- Only at school. Nothing that could even compare to this one. Even my grandpa said: “It took me 20 years of my career to perform at Degollado, and you are doing it at 9!”. Imagine how I felt!. My love for art started from that day on.

After that, I also participated in small events alongside my dad. It was with Troker and they did those shows for kids at Papirolas Museum.

When I was 12, a cousin and I joined the family’s versatile. We travel to small towns and different private events every 15 days. This was until I reached 14. I started living in El Paso, Texas. While being there, I joined the school’s choir and started to learn theory. I participated on regional contests, where I won, and also at state level.

FA- For how long did you stay there?

Zyanya- Only for a year. But I took advantage of it the most that I could. I won a recognition as Best Soprano Freshmen of my generation.

After that, I came back to Guadalajara and got into the Free Music University, where I studied Musical Execution. In that place is where I started to connect with a lot of people with same interests and the same spark to achieve something through music.

FA- Which projects did you participate in, while being there?

Zyanya- My first band. Not everyone was in the University, but they knew each other. Our name was Polyphonic. We lasted from 2016 to 2019. I loved that era, we were on tour and recorded 2 EP’s. I consider myself a person that creates and know how to flow with a team.

FA- Did you already had some material as a soloist?.

Zyanya- Not really. Polyphonic was my first real experience, where everybody was involved on every part of the process. It was a great tool for me composition-wise. It was until 2020 that I started as just Zyanya.

FA- What about the challenges from being on a team to just you now?.

Zyanya- I can’t deny that the process needed some adjustments. The practice began with rap and hip-hop. I listened and composed with beats and melodies that I found on Youtube. It was all a test of trial and error. But never giving up.

FA- And when you required original music for each song…?

Zyanya- My boyfriend has been a essential key. He is a pianist and music teacher. So, when I was in doubt of certain chords, he always has guided and explained to me what is the best direction to take for each song.

Another thing that happened, totally circumstantial, was all the pandemic. We know all the bad news that came with it. But that isolation brought a stronger connection between artists around the world. I realized that I wasn’t the only one that wanted to keep moving and creating. So I started to make collaborations with more people.

My sound has been changing little by little, and I’m letting it to flow naturally, navigating through Trap, Soul or whatever makes me feel that a certain song could need.

FA- Are you pointing to a certain style or path already out there?

Zyanya- Not really, and that’s the interesting part. I have been talking and participating with people from different scenes. It’s that collectivity that has make this experience something special.

R&B is the main base for my music, but I’m open to experiment with other genres where there can be an interesting mix to create something even more original and expressive.

FA- What about your current source of inspiration besides those collaborations you have been doing?

Zyanya- Argentina. It has been all about that country and the music movement of it . I researched Spain, Mexico, but there’s something about the Argentinian scene that has caught my attention. Nathy Peluso, Cazzu, Chita, are 3 of my main inspirations. Their music is simple but very stylish and refined. From my point of view, it’s a really advanced scene, specially when it comes to its sound.

Something that is clear for me, is that I need to continue exploring. Just to keep moving and evolving.

FA- I think that an advantage that every new generation is the immediate connection and advances that comes with it, when researching/experimenting with sounds from all over the globe. That was also a subject I talked with Zully. And I’ve noticed that curiosity even more with artists like the both of you.

Zyanya- Yes of course. Obviously here lies what the public discovers by itself and the things that are trending. We are daily bombarded by so many stimuli, that it is our job to identify and use them as a source of inspiration, no matter where they come from.

There was a time in my process, where I got into Neo-Soul music. Hiatus Kaiyote is an Australian band that also has been a huge inspiration for me, and it’s like you just said, that connectivity makes us discover new things on a daily basis.

FA- And what about future song releases?

Zyanya - It’s gonna be a series of singles and I want to continue collaborating for the next months. I’m also planning a future LP. Soon you all with listen what I have been working on.

FA- Then let’s get everyone prepared for your arrival!.

Zyanya- Yes!, it’s going to be a trip. Something out of what we are used to listen and see. It’s going to be really awesome and I’m pretty sure people will like it.

Follow Zyanya through: Instagram

Expect her debut on all platforms very soon!.

To see more photos of this shoot, go to the Portfolio section.

Click here for the Behind The Scenes video (new section!).