August 10, 2021

Paloma Mami | Weaving and Dreaming, It’s All the Same

by Madison Douglas

A.A. SPECTRUM coat and STERLING KING earrings. — **A.A. SPECTRUM** coat and **STERLING KING** earrings.

Paloma Mami splashed onto the scene with her song “Not Steady” in 2018, and now she blesses us with a return and new album, Sueños de Dalí. “I’m honestly so happy that it’s finally out,” the 21-year-old shares, “and that my fans finally get to have a little piece of my mind. I love making my fans happy. It’s the best feeling.”

Born in New York, the Chilean-American singer-songwriter spent most of her formative years in Santiago, Chile after her family relocated when she was sixteen. “My move is the reason I am where I am today,” she shares. “Moving to Chile put me in a mindset that was like: well, nobody knows me here, I might as well do anything I want... and that’s literally how I started my music.”

GUCCI jacket, pants, and belt. — **GUCCI** jacket, pants, and belt.

Paloma connotes a cool nonchalance in the course of our interview, mirrored in the seamlessly smooth transitions from Spanish to English found in many of her songs. “It came naturally ever since I started writing,” she explains. “I think it is because of the fact that on a regular basis in my household, there would be so much Spanish and English, that I could be mid-English conversation with my sister, and then just end up speaking Spanish.” Paloma also notes that “in music, a line just fits perfectly in Spanish, and other times in English, and it works out so magically.”

PRADA shirt, LEO pants, and STERLING KING earrings. — **PRADA** shirt, **LEO** pants, and **STERLING KING** earrings.

PRADA shirt and STERLING KING earrings. — **PRADA** shirt and **STERLING KING** earrings.

Paloma attributes her sound to the fact that she grew up in a household that listened to a lot of salsa and reggaeton, but living in New York, she was able to learn a lot about jazz, hip-hop, and R&B, and her music fuses it all. Sueños de Dalí is a culmination of this in the shape of feel-good music. Each song is a relaxed, low-key blend of R&B and light, dembow rhythms. Written with her creative partner, she stylishly weaves over and around the soundboard, never drawing too much attention to the project’s bilingualism. “I was always looking for someone that could help me with my Spanish,” she shares, “and help me express myself the way I wanted to, and creating this album with Roa was literally as if we were telepathic.”

A.A. SPECTRUM coat, WHO DECIDES WAR pants, PARIS TEXAS boots, stylist’s own bra, and STERLING KING earrings. — **A.A. SPECTRUM** coat, **WHO DECIDES WAR** pants, **PARIS TEXAS** boots, stylist’s own bra, and **STERLING KING** earrings.

A.A. SPECTRUM coat, WHO DECIDES WAR pants, stylist’s own bra, and STERLING KING earrings. — **A.A. SPECTRUM** coat, **WHO DECIDES WAR** pants, stylist’s own bra, and **STERLING KING** earrings.

As for a reopening world and the potential for touring? “I’ve been performing my own songs in the shower every day since I finished the album,” she laughs, “so I really am super hyped to get on stage.” With her first performance in Mexico this summer, she shares that she can’t wait to perform “I Love Her” and see the reaction. “The energy in that song is so hype!” she concludes. “I can’t wait to go crazy.”