Tracy Cruz: Overcoming Obstacles and Living out Her Dreams

This article was written by Danielle

From her presence to her music to her life’s path, Tracy Cruz has become one of the most extraordinary musical wonders. Wherever she performs, she astonishes and mesmerizes. People often ask, “How does that big voice come from such a little lady?!” (She’s only 4’10) Hailing from San Jose, California, this Filipina Soul/Jazz/R&B songstress has been captivating people with her voice since the tender age of 12. 16 years later, Tracy Cruz has an album underneath her belt Feel’osophy, sang background for fellow soul songstress, Ledesi, and has opened up for the Black Eye Peas. Blending her favorite distinctive vocal styles to create her own rare sound, she has created an album that represents her struggle that she translate sas beautiful, and reflects the different high and low emotions that plagues us as humans.

Urbane Perspective Magazine: Tell the Urbane Perspective readers a little bit about yourself including when did you first fall in love with music?

Tracy Cruz: I’m a full-time singer, songwriter and performing artist from San Jose, California with a 9-piece Soul/R&B band called “That Mama”. I’m also a wife and a mother of two. I just released my full-length debut album called “Feel’osophy” and have been performing around California to to promote it. I first fell in love with music when I was two years old. I remember my mother and grandmother used to sing everywhere they went and they always looked so happy. Once I tried it for myself, I completely fell in love with music because singing allowed me to express my emotions in an enjoyable and creative way. Then I understood my love for music when I was five years old. I heard Whitney Houston’s song “Greatest Love of All” on the radio and I was completely fascinated by her rich, soulful voice, heartfelt lyrics and beautiful melodies. From then on, I sang that song everywhere I went and to anyone who would listen-that’s when I knew my love for music would permanently be engraved in my heart for the rest of my life because singing became a part of who I was.
UPM: Explain the concept of your album, Feel‘osophy? Where did you come up with that album title?
Tracy Cruz: My album “Feel’osophy “ is the study of emotions through musical sounds and words. The title “Feel’osophy” was inspired by the word “Philosophy”. My “Feel’osophy” is that music affects us in a very emotional way. A specific song can trigger emotions of sadness, joy, excitement, anger, disappointment, etc. Since my husband/producer Allen Ross and I wanted to capture a specific emotion in each of the songs on the album, we decided to purposely use different vocal stylings, sounds and musical arrangements. For instance, we wanted to take the listener through an emotional journey of passion through “Emotional Love”, wonder through “Blue Eyes”, hope with “Don’t Leave” and excitement with “Expression Sensation”. I came up with the album title “Feel’osophy” six years ago when I was taking a Philosophy class in the university I was attending at the time. I was really inspired by the discussions we had regarding life and that experience impelled me to write poetry and songs on a daily basis. I wanted to create an album that demonstrated my perspective on music and how I believed it to be an emotional catalyst in our daily lives.

UPM: What are your favorite songs on the album?
Tracy Cruz: One of my favorite songs on the album is “Nothing in this World” because it was the very first song my husband and I ever made together. It holds a very special place in my heart because it always reminds me of the first time we connected through our love for music. The other songs that I like are “Emotional Love”, “Blue Eyes” and “Amigo because they all contain smooth, feel-good grooves which I can listen to at any time of day and they also put me in a really good mood.

UPM: What artist/producers/musicians have you worked with in the past and who did you work with on this album?
Tracy Cruz: The artist that I’ve worked with in the past is Kanetic Source, who was a former emcee of the Grammy-award winning Hip Hop/Latin group Ozomatli. We recorded a song entitled “For You” for my EP “Illuminate Love” back in 2005. For my album “Feel’osophy”, I worked with several artists from California including my husband/producer Allen Ross, Michael Thomas (bassist), Brian Braziel (drummer), Julian Hoover (guitarist), Mid*One (emcee/singer), and Lonnye Dotson (R&B vocalist).
UPM: Did you write any of the songs yourself and if so, what inspiration did you draw from?
Tracy Cruz: Yes I wrote or co-write the songs with my husband. I wrote songs based on my emotions, memories, thoughts and dreams. I was inspired to write songs that truly reflected what I thought and felt at the time. Back in 2007, I wrote a lot of encouraging songs such as “A Better Day” and “Weathered Down” because that was the time of my life where I felt the most insecure about my music. I had just given birth to my second child and I often wondered if I would have the time, energy and strength to complete my full-length debut album and to fully pursue my singing career. I also wrote and co-wrote songs that discussed my strong passion for music, the love I have for my husband and children, my appreciation to my fans, being true to yourself, and so forth. All of my songs are very personal and are definitely influenced by real life experiences and issues I’ve had.

UPM: Describe some of your most important career accomplishments
Tracey Cruz: My most important career accomplishments are completing my full-length debut album “Feel’osophy” and receiving 3 Muse’s Muse Awards for “Best R&B CD Project”, “Best Lyrics Female” and “Best R&B Single Female (for the song “Nothing in this World)”. I have also had the opportunity to share the stage with several amazing artists such as Ledisi, Apl. de Ap. of the Black Eyed Peas, Jaguar Wright and Martin Luther.

UPM: What unique experience or qualifications separate you from other artist out there?
Tracy Cruz: I was born in Quezon City on the island of Luzon, which is located in the Philippine islands. At the age of two, I was already drawn to the alluring sounds of R&B/Soul music from Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. At the age of five, I moved to the United States and settled with my family in San Jose, California. From then on I took every moment to study American music by taking singing and dance lessons. I also entered various state talent competitions and school talent shows, joined choirs and bands (from elementary to college) and performed at church functions and community events to enhance my vocal and performance abilities. I believe that being from another country separates me from other artists out there since I’m able to combine my Filipino musical influences with American R&B/Soul music to create a distinctive, rare sound. I often use the song structure of popular Filipino love songs to create my ballads. I also believe that the tone of my voice and appearance separates me because my big voice doesn’t match with my small 4”10” frame. People often expect a soft, high-pitched voice to come out of me instead of the heavy, deep and rich voice that I have.

UPM: What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are at now, and what obstacles do you feel are still in your path?
Tracy Cruz: The obstacles I had to overcome were believing in myself enough to sacrifice a 9 to 5 job to pursue a full-time music career. At first, I was really hesitant and insecure because I knew there were no guarantees that I’d make a successful living from it or break into the music industry. But I couldn’t see myself doing anything else! I really wanted to write and record songs, sing, and perform for the rest of my life. I know that in order to make my dreams a reality, I have to put a lot of my energy, time and work into my music and to do the very best that I can without being distracted by my insecurities or uncertainty. The obstacle that I feel is still in my path is being in the situation where my husband and I have to do everything from promoting the album to booking the shows on our own without enough funding. We have to work ten times harder to get the music out. Also another obstacle is convincing people in the music industry to accept my music and image for what it is and to give a Soul singer of Filipino descent a chance to shine!
UPM: What motivates you and how is it contributing to your growth as an artist?
Tracy Cruz: God is my motivation. I believe He gave me the gift of music for a reason so I want to fully utilize my gifts to inspire and touch the lives of other people in a positive way. I want my songs to encourage people to give love, appreciate life, pursue their dreams, share their talents and use their inner strength through trials and tribulations. Being able to create music is a true blessing because the songs you make can change a person’s life or significantly impact the community and the world. I want to constantly improve my singing, songwriting, and performing abilities so I can continue creating high quality, timeless music and be able to inspire my audience with every album and every show. My husband and family also motivate me to reach my goals because they fully support what I do and often make sacrifices so I can pursue my music full-time and be able to perform at shows.

UPM: What are your plans for the future as far as touring, writing, recording?
Tracy Cruz: I’m currently writing and recording new songs for my second album, which I plan to release in the Fall of 2010. I have begun working with other artists and plan to write for other artist’s albums as well as collaborations on my new album. I’ve been invited to be an opening act on a 10-city tour, which will start in mid-October of this year and I hope to promote my current album and new, unreleased songs.

UPM: What lasting impression do you want our Urbane Perspective readers to take from you as an artist and your music?
Tracy Cruz: Pursue what you love to do in life and put your heart, soul and mind into it. Be brave enough to take risks to achieve your goals and don’t consider your disappointments as failures, rather use those experiences to motivate you to improve and work harder. Don’t let your talents go to waste. Completely nurture and utilize them then share them with others. Always be true to yourself! If you are a music artist, create songs that reflect who you really are, the experiences you’ve been through, and what you feel and believe; that way people can appreciate your music for what it truly is. I hope my music touches your heart in some way and you’re able to relate to the stories that I tell through my music. Stay inspired, stay focused and stay on your path as you walk towards your dreams!

The obstacles I had to overcome were believing in myself enough to sacrifice a 9 to 5 job to pursue a full-time music career. At first, I was really hesitant and insecure because I knew there were no guarantees that I’d make a successful living from it or break into the music industry. But I couldn’t see myself doing anything else!