Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Ligia.
Hi Patricia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Well, it’s not a straight line in my case! I started playing/learning music at 9, piano and then switched to bass at 15. I loved bass so much that I started focusing on it right away. For the most part, I took private lessons with some of the greatest bass players in Uruguay, Nacho Echeverria and then Federico Righi. I was doing all kinds of activities as a little girl; sports, music, arts and crafts….trying it all out! … but mainly I grew up as an athlete, I was a synchronized swimmer, represented my team (Bigua) in national tournaments and my country (Uruguay) on international tournaments. I bring this up because later in my life I realized that most of my fundamental musical skills – as far as it may seem – were developed during this time while practicing this sport. The synchronized swimming discipline gave me focus and a powerful foundation and determination to work towards my goals/career. The way the sport interacts with the music is very much connected with the body. So when I started playing instruments most of the information was already in me… the feel, the groove, the tempo, the coordination, the intuition, the ears…
When I finished high school, it wasn’t obvious that I would pursue a music career. My family expected that I would get a degree in a “serious” more “real” career and make music on the side…as a hobby. And I kind of did. I took 8 semesters of industrial design at the Uruguayan Design School. It was not until my 5th semester that I realized that I wanted to pursue music; the urge was really big but I completed the courses anyway.
When I was done with that, I went on traveling to Brazil, I took my bass with me and spent some time there. For whatever reason, I always felt very related to Brazilian culture and music, so I decided I would go and study music in Rio de Janeiro. I traveled a few times there; I established a back-and-forth dynamic where I’d go and spend some time taking classes, performing, doing workshops, anything. Then come back to Montevideo and so on. I think that was the time when I connected with my professional call as a musician. I was already gigging a lot in Uruguay, performing around the country and sometimes in Argentina.
In 2016, I went to Nashville to participate in a summer camp directed by Victor Wooten; he has been a super influence on me…I got a scholarship from a cultural youth program back home and invested it in this residency. Three weeks, in the Wooten Woods, with Victor, Roy and Reggie, JD Blair, Derrico Watson, Bob Francescini, and many other amazing teachers! It was very inspiring and my mind was blown! It was the very first time I felt so great, close to my heroes and that’s when a door opened for me. On that occasion, I met Steve Bailey, who encouraged me to audition for Berklee.
One year later, in 2017, I did and I got accepted with a pretty good scholarship so I earned some money and moved to Boston in 2018. I had no idea how the educational system works, I came to Boston happy that I would do at least one semester at Berklee, and to me, that was already amazing! Haha, I was awarded with more scholarship while studying there which helped me financially in a very significant way plus I was doing a work/study program to pay for the expenses and all that.
While in Boston, I focused on Bass Performance and Jazz Composition. I graduated in 2021. I co-founded my band, Mestizas, and relocated to Miami by the end of 2021. Here I engaged right away with local artists and created my project Group’O. This year, I joined Karol G’s band which got me a little bit in and out of Miami.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been an interesting journey, like I said, not a straight line!!
I think my first big obstacle was to dare to pursue my career as an artist. Sometimes these are the most challenging obstacles; I had to knock down some walls, invisible walls, expectations from my family, my own “fears and demons”, to believe in myself and that I could make it all work out.
It is an ongoing learning experience, but to put my head out of the ground and decide I wanted to come to the US to try to expand my musical career wasn’t easy.
That decision kind of fell in front of me and I made it happen without a second thought because I felt ready to do it. I was already performing professionally in Uruguay. But again, it was almost 8 semesters of Industrial Design degree and many trips to Brazil that I dared to do so.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a female, left-handed bass player and composer; the minority of the minority of the minority haha!
I guess… it depends on the moment of life and what I have been focusing on, I mean what I was doing… I see now different “moments / eras” and how one led to the next one… Back in Uruguay, I was co-founder and co-leader of a collective called Croupier Funk. With whom we had released several albums and performed at major festivals around the country. Then, I created a group called Guanaco, where I was writing music and leading alongside with Pepe Canedo (drummer), this was more into the jazz fusion style.
Parallel to this, I have been in a Circus collective, El Picadero, for about 5 or 7 years, we have performed in auditoriums, theaters, and vareité shows and I have had the amazing experience of creating music and playing live to most of these shows. I learned a lot in the circus world…about the dynamic of a show, about entertainment, about music, about life! It was a very intense time and I am very grateful I was part of that scene during those years.
Today, I have a band called Mestizas. It’s a five-piece female group, that specializes in the fusion of styles and culture, flamenco, afro-cuban, Latin American, and jazz music. The band is formed by Esperanza Delgado on vocals, Paloma Cosano on flute, percussion, and back vocals, Ale Gomez on flugelhorn, percussion, and back vocals, Estefanía Nuñez Villamandos on piano and back vocal, and I play bass and do back vocals as well. We all collaborate to arrange and write music. Personally is one of my favorite projects, it’s like a boutique project that speaks to many people. I love what we all bring to the table and the results artistically are very unique. In 2021, we released our first album “El alma de la Olvidad” and single “Viento” which is based on an Uruguayan genre, Candombe, that I wrote while studying at Berklee. We also released an exquisite arrangement by Paloma of “La Leyenda del Tiempo”, a song of Camaron de la Isla based on Garcia Lorca’s poem. We are currently working on our second studio album and also putting together our second tour in Spain for summer ‘24.
I also lead a project called Group’O. Which explores different styles of instrumental music. This band has seen different lineups, and I guess it depends on where I am located the people that will be engaged. I love it because “O” represents a rounded, circle movement, where musicians will bring to the stage their take on music to create and perform. There’s a lot of improvisation and the repertoire varies almost every time! We have performed at the Norton Museum of Art (West Palm), Isabella Gardner Museum (MA), and local clubs and venues in Miami.
I have always worked and collaborated on various projects, either recording sessions or just live performances, I like to feel that I am adding my signature to whatever project I get in touch with. I am currently touring with Karol G, we just finished the Mañana Será Bonito Tour in the US, heading to LatAm and Europe in 2024. I looove being part of this band because it’s such a huge production! I am very happy to be part of a project of this caliber, representing latinas women on stage around the world! This is a very special opportunity for me and I am super grateful for it.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Support by listening to my music on digital streaming platforms!! Come to the shows! Buy our Merch, buy our albums! recommend, tag, etc 🙂
Get in touch on social media!
Pricing:
- Mestizas T-shirts $25
- Mestizas Tote bags $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mestizasmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricia_ligia_/?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@patricialigia2224 | https://www.youtube.com/@mestizasmusic2031
Image Credits
Ryze, Nat Santander, Gaby Deimeke, and Jose Manuel Fernandez
