Jackie Mendoza Announces Debut Album, Galaxia de Emociones

The California-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jackie Mendoza announces her debut album, ‘Galaxia de Emociones’, out March 3rd on ZZK Records.

With her hypnotizing voice and vivid lyricism, Mendoza makes fantastical, intimate electro-pop propelled by ukulele-based dance grooves. ‘Galaxia de Emociones’ (Galaxy of Emotions) sees her exploring a great range of feelings: depression, celebration, outrage, numbness, hopelessness, and thrilling love. She uses each emotion as a portal to convey the intricacies of her experience as a queer, first-generation Mexican American woman, who actively defies and criticizes machismo and the Christian culture she was surrounded by in her youth.

With ‘Galaxia de Emociones’, Mendoza proves there is both power and tenderness in embracing the fullness of your being and not doubting your instincts that might have been discouraged by society.“This album is about finding the courage to not only face my emotions, but also sharing them by singing them out loud”. Mendoza says. Co-written and co-produced by Mendoza and frequent collaborator Rusty Santos (Animal Collective, Panda Bear), with a contribution from Grammy Award-winning producer and accordionist Ulises Lozano, the music cruises from shimmering indie pop to accordion-laced electronic norteño.

Having grown up between her birthplace of Chula Vista, California and Tijuana, Mexico, the 29-year-old bridges these two worlds with dynamic soundscapes that pull from Latin pop, electronic music, and indie pop. She creates a musical universe that exists beyond strict borders of genre and geography, giving her the space to traverse the vast expanse of her interiority. Mendoza first started performing in 2014 as the vocalist for Brooklyn dream pop bands Gingerlys and Lunarette. She then broke out as a solo artist with her 2016 pop hits ‘Islands’ and ‘La Luz’, which showcased her imagery-packed, yet deeply introspective lyrics.

On ‘LuvHz’, her 2019 adventurous debut EP that was initially inspired by a painful breakup, she turned her personal experiences into songs that observe greater truths about the world around her. As a result, the project became a broader reflection on varying forms of love, in relationships with your partner, your culture, and the natural environment.

‘Pedacitos’ (Little Pieces) is a letter to the friends she has lost, revealing what she wishes she had told them. “This song reflects on how depression and addiction have affected my friends and family, some of which have died by suicide, and how it is a mirror to my own struggles with mental health”, explains Mendoza. The song is sung in Spanish on top of melancholic layers of ukulele, flickering synths, and a pulsating beat. In the accompanying video, created and animated by Jo Shaffer of The Ophelias, Mendoza falls in and out of a dreamlike world, animated by Shaffer, where the lines of reality are constantly blurred. Inspired by the music video for Evanescence’s ‘Bring Me to Life’, it combines uncanny, static urban landscapes with twisting camerawork.

“When creating Galaxia de Emociones, I was seeking the power within to heal myself and express my reality through music”, says Jackie Mendoza. “There are endless emotions, some of which I can’t put a name to; but the one I could clearly see and learn to focus on is love. Written in times of political turmoil, and a global pandemic, I found love and power within myself to create songs that speak to my truth and vulnerability, encouraging listeners to accompany me in looking within and connecting with their own galaxy of emotions”.

Pre-order or pre-save ‘Galaxia de Emociones’ here.