Who is Carmen DeLeon? If you don’t know her, you will soon. In August, the Latin music princess released her debut single “Volverás,” a testament of self-love and appreciation for the “gift of goodbye.” Translated in English, the song’s title means “you will come back,” yet, the song itself could be easily perceived as a bright and sexy dance song with its reggaetón influenced and guitar-heavy sound.
With the intention of making music that inspires her listeners to dance, in her 19 years of life experience, DeLeon has an entire history of triumph and tragedy to support her passion of bringing happy vibrations to her fans. As The MouthSoap prepped to meet the blossoming star over Zoom, a beautiful, young DeLeon appeared on the screen with high energy and an endearing smile.
Donning a baseball cap, natural face, and a cute leopard pajama crop top with sky blue shorts, DeLeon comes across as a down-to-earth, girl next door type with an inner glow that let’s her peers know she has the “IT” factor.
Finding Carmen’s voice…
Born and raised in Venezuela, a country that has struggled with economical instability, civil unrest and political corruption, DeLeon began singing at four years old. “Since I was little singing has always been a dream for me,” she said in the interview. Her dad was her support and always believed she would be a superstar. So, when the opportunity arose for her to try her hand at a singing competition, her dad was front and center in supporting her. It’s a good thing he did. DeLeon would travel to Madrid, Spain to audition for The Voice and actually make it onto the popular television franchise. It wouldn’t be long before DeLeon realized that she was in love with performing and connecting with a live audience. The adrenaline of the crowd cheering her on reassured her that this was her life purpose.
She has no regrets…
DeLeon would make it to the finals of The Voice, only to lose the competition. However, she doesn’t have any regrets. In fact, the bilingual singer was happy because she ended up landing a deal with Capitol Records and Universal Music Latin Entertainment. Her time on the show helped her evolve enough to gain confidence in making her own music. She felt more comfortable telling her own story and recording her lyrics to a beat.
Working with the genius Tainy…
The newfound confidence and freshly inked contracts would vlead to her first single being released in 2020. The process of creating her debut single “Volverás” was an exciting one for DeLeon. She collaborated with Puerto Rican hip hop producer Tainy, who she says was “amazing to her” as he embraced her sound. When she first heard the track, she nearly melted with excitement and, hilariously, couldn’t hold back, shrilling with joy while in the studio with Tainy, who she refers to as a “genius.” DeLeon hopes to make more music with the super-focused producer in the future.
Carmen’s debut single…
Although DeLeon has the presence of the girl next door, she possesses a very warm, old soul that only experience can mold. She knows what it means to feel worthless, being a victim of bullying for four years. In the making of “Volverás,” she chose to capitalize on her pain from the past to create something positive. Based on a moment in life when she felt heartbroken or what she calls “friendshipbroken,” “Volverás” expounds on the lesson of self-love and letting go of toxic people. “I’m not letting you destroy my life with negativity,” she says. When asked if she believes in karma, she said she doesn’t like the idea of someone wishing bad on another person. However, DeLeon stresses that, at the the end of the day, “you gotta love yourself.” Even with this very mature message, she insists that her listeners vibe to the youthful energy of the song and “twerk.”
Watch the Music Visual for “Volverás”
Carmen’s courage to be herself…
Believe it or not, Carmen DeLeon has to navigate the scary paradigm of social awkwardness, just like any teen or young adult would. “Everyone in this world has insecurities,” she said. “Everyone has bad moments and good moments. It’s ok not to be ok.” On the set of the “Volverás” video, a bubbly Carmen was overly eager to greet everyone. But, when Carmen said hello to the people backstage, they were glued to their phones. Not one to have a dull moment, DeLeon came up with a bright idea to liven up the set. She asked everyone to do a Tik Tok video. They agreed and before she knew it she had made new friends…
Speaking of new friends, when people think about Carmen she wants them to think…
Clearly, DeLeon is family-oriented. In an adorable moment of the interview, she showed off photos of her family that just so happened to be right next to her during the interview, giving the impression that she couldn’t wait to share the screen space with pictures of her loved ones. Very cute! It’s all about family for Carmen. She wants her fans to feel that same energy when they’re at her concerts, meet-and-greets, and virtual chats. Every fan, listener and person represents an extension of her family. She wants listeners to know that she’s approachable, she’s not some type of “alien,” as she puts it. She’s a human being and her fans are her friends.
Carmen DeLeon is just like me and you…
Throughout the interview, The MouthSoap found out how charismatic and comedic DeLeon could be. All of the airs of being a Latin music star were for a moment disguised by her very relatable stories and observations. Here are the things that make DeLeon just like me and you.
-She hates the fact that she has acne, although the acne is barely visible.
-She has stage fright and was super shy growing up.
-She moved around a lot when she was younger and this made it hard for her to make friends and also made her a target for bullying.
-She fans out over Jessie J, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who see she’s as inspirations.
-She thinks that sometimes she’s not a great dancer. However, she has photos to prove that she has taken every dance class imaginable at the behest of her mother.
Carmen’s will to overcome the big “A”…
Adversity is inevitable. Greatness would not be possible without it. Deleon’s challenge came about three years ago when she had a near death experience caused by a severe injury to her stomach. In the hospital for three months, she had to confront the possibility of never achieving her dreams and leaving her family behind to fend for themselves. It was the closest to death she’s ever been. Before her injury, she admitted that she was materialistic and complained a lot. However, the encounter forever changed the way she thought about life and gave her the perspective of an older, wise person appreciative of each day. Today, she still struggles with PTSD and anxiety from the incident, but ensures fans that she’s working through it. “I’m happy and healthy just so you guys know. I have a huge scar on my stomach, but I made it,” she insists. “I’m very grateful to be here.”
The future of her music…
DeLeon wants to serve a greater purpose in life. Not only does she want to make people happy with her voice, but she also wants to leave an imprint on Latin music. “Not a lot of female artists in the Latin industry are as big as male artists — but for me I want to make that change,” she said. DeLeon dreams of her music going worldwide and landing her in the biggest arenas, such as the Madison Square. To make those dreams come true, she is earnestly working on her first album, which will be bilingual. Her focus is to make her album full of “happiness, love and fun.”
It’s just the beginning for Carmen…
In one instance of the interview, she spotted someone attending the Zoom recording that she thought was “cute.” Not being able to see his name, DeLeon proceeded to describe his orange and white striped shirt. The Zoom video transitioned to a surprised guy who began to blush from all the attention. He proceeded to thank her as she giggled. Again, another genuine and endearing moment of the interview.
DeLeon ended the interview singing in a cappella while playing her guitar. The most angelic voice echoed off the walls filling the sound waves of our laptops with the most uplifting spirit. It was hard not to get chills listening to heaven come from her vocals. It seems apparent that she wants to give happiness to all her fans for all the times she wasn’t as happy as she would’ve like to have been in the past.
She lives in her purpose and it shows.
