14 January 2-8, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Indigo Gal Victoria Blue makes a name for herself — literally. BY DAVID ROLLAND H ow does one come up with the stage name Victoria Blue? “I grew up listening to Alicia Keys, who played the keys, and Pink, who called herself that be- cause she loves the color pink. I liked the blues and rhythm and blues, so Victoria Blue, but there was also a Superman/Clark Kent secret identity thing,” the singer tells New Times on Christmas Eve before admitting she isn’t fighting crime during her time off. “I worked in marketing with brands that wouldn’t want my real name out there. I needed a stage name to be another person to hide from the corporate world. Once, one of my bosses recognized me on stage, and I had to pretend that wasn’t me.” Before marketing and before she took on the stage name Victoria Blue, the local bilin- gual singer learned to love music at an early age. “I remember seeing Whitney Houston sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl when I was four. From then on, I wanted to sing,” she explains. Luckily, her family was more than encour- aging. “We’re a church family, and my dad’s a pastor. He started a family band where I sang, one brother played drums, and another guitar. He took us out to the Beach to play, and all these people wanted to hire us for their parties. My dad was like, ‘We can do this. Fake it until you make it.’” So, at 11 years old, she got her first professional singing gig. “We got $75. I was so excited, except there was a kid from school at the party, which was a little embarrassing.” Tween awkwardness aside, that didn’t stop her from singing and writing in Spanish and English. “My dad is Cuban, and my mom is Puerto Rican, so I grew up speaking only Spanish. I prayed and talked to my parents in Spanish, and in school, I spoke English. It’s easier for me to write songs in English, but I love interpreting songs in Spanish. Spanish is so much more passionate. Amor means so much more than love.” She gets a little surprised and hurt when, because of her skin color, audiences don’t think she is Hispanic. “I wrote a song, ‘Morena,’ explaining my parts and where I’m from. Somehow, people are shocked that I sing in Spanish and don’t believe I’m Hispanic.” The new music she’s working on deals with seeking freedom from expectations. “One of the songs, ‘Volar,’ is Spanish for to fly. It’s a metaphor for being free and super grateful for the voyage. I’ve traveled a lot for the last couple of years. I thought a lot during the travels.” Some of Blue’s recent songwriting has taken place in Japan and Spain, far away from home. “I come up with a melody and put it in my voice memo,” she says. “I’ll sit with my guitar and figure out some chords. I’ll run to my producer, and they’ll make it sound better. One day, I’ll get good enough to play guitar on stage, but I’m not there yet.” Overall, she’s proud of the new material she’s produced. “I think it’s my best work yet. I was doing more commercial music — this is more me. I didn’t go with what’s trendy, but found a sound that felt real to me.” You might be able to hear a new song or two when she per- forms alongside a four-piece band at the Adrienne Arsht Cen- ter’s Thomson Plaza for the Arts on the first Friday night of 2025. The performance is part of the venue’s Island Groove Fest, which also includes sets by PinoGrillo and Calixto Oviedo (January 2) and the Cuban Jazz Train (January 4). “I’ll be representing my Cuban and Puerto Rican influences. La India, Celia Cruz. I’ll play songs by Chaka Khan and Stevie Won- der,” she teases. “My family will be there, so I’ll share stories of growing up in Miami.” Victoria Blue. 7:30 pm, Friday, January 3, at Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; ar- shtcenter.org. Tickets cost $20 to $30. [email protected] Local singer Victoria Blue will perform at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Friday, January 3. Photo by Zura Lagarde “ONCE, ONE OF MY BOSSES RECOGNIZED ME ON STAGE, AND I HAD TO PRETEND THAT WASN’T ME.” | CROSSFADE | t Music
