We’re looking forward to introducing you to Santana Vigil. Check out our conversation below.
Santana, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Recently, The two bands I’m apart of have been deep in fundraising and benefit opportunities !
In this tumultuous time we’ve been trying really hard to keep our community both local, and aboard accounted for.
We’ve been been gifted the opportunity to organize successful events in our scene here in Minnesota, raising money for people in need and raising awareness to the unlawful raids by ICE in our country and the genocide that is happening in Gaza.
It means everything to continue to do our part no matter what.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello!
My name is Santana “Santi” Vigil ! I am a Musician based out of Saint Paul, MN,
The two bands I’m in right now are Virginia’s Basement, and Cute Intentions !
We’ve been steep in community support as of lately and are hoping to inspire other bands to do the same !
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Definitely my mother, Virginia Mendoza !
She never gave up on me even with me being a rather bad kid growing up.
Into my teens I did get worse and my education ended up taking a spiral but even then, My mother never gave up on me.
Now in my adulthood, She’s been and still is my biggest fan. It pushes me to enable that same level of support to all my friends and the scene I’m apart of.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I used to be extremely embarrassed and ashamed to even be in the skin I was in.
As a POC there’s a lot of pressure growing up to be “white”
to talk a certain way or look a certain way that almost demonizes the person I was born to be.
As an adult I really try to be true to my roots and my people, my culture, and especially my family.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
It has to be! Especially in the field of performing music, You’ve got to put your heart out there or no one will listen.
I’m an idiot in my bedroom, So why would I hide that from the world !
It’s my truth and I want people to believe in me for me, I don’t want to hide anymore
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Every single time we have a gig, I’m always moving with precision, it activates a part of me I cant find anywhere else. That’s how I know that this is the thing I am meant to be doing, and to do a little good for the world as well? Have to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/virginiasbasement
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiasbasement/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirginiasBasement
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@virginiasbasement
Image Credits
Katy Kelly
Yoshi Parral
