Verena Fuentes was born and raised in Mexico City. A senior in the singer/songwriter program, Fuentes has been singing from a very young age. She decided to pursue her musical passion at CU Denver after visiting the school and witnessing all that it had to offer. When she is not studying or writing songs, Fuentes enjoys crocheting, doodling, and spending time with people she loves. After completing her studies, Fuentes would like to land a job with a company while also pursuing her independent singer/songwriter career. Fuentes says she appreciates how personable her professors in the Music & Entertainment Industry Studies department have been. “They all have your best interest in mind and that comes through,” she says. Fuentes recently released her single, "Time Machine", which you can listen to here. 

Questions

1. What originally attracted you to CU Denver? What compels you to stay?

Originally, when my parents and I were looking to move to the US, I did a tour at CU Denver, where the person who gave me the tour made me see how free and judgement-free this school was. As well as looking at the program and the facilities. It looked like a huge school where I would have access to plenty of resources, and I was not wrong about any of this.

2. How have your interests evolved as you’ve studied in CAM?

I have found a wonderful community amongst my peers, and while I always liked the idea of collaborating with a lot of people, my experiences while collaborating with them have been over the top rewarding, and that is something that I want to expand on. 

3. What kind of friendships have you made in CAM and how do you envision these friendships playing a role in your career?

As I said earlier, in my peers I have found people who I love working with and I see myself doing so in the future. I am eager to grow with them side by side and see how far we can all get. I love about this school that more than a competition, it feels like teamwork so that we can all succeed. 

4. What inspires you to write music? Do you have any rhythms or rituals you use to get into a creative state of mind?

Many things inspire me to write music, but lately I have been very inspired by all the things about myself that I have been working on through the building of my relationships, therapy, my journey through trauma, etc. Something that has also always inspired me is wanting to speak up about experiences that I have had as a woman of color, and how that has influenced the way that I have seen myself throughout the years. 

Something that has really helped me whenever I don’t feel inspired has been to write poems. I once had a “challenge” with my partner to write one poem a day for thirty days, lots of song ideas came out from there and I keep using them. I might do another poem challenge soon for that same reason, and I recommend it. 

5. Have you been musically inclined from a young age? When did you realize pursuing a career in music was something you’d like to do?

I have been singing since I started to speak. My kindergarten teachers would laughingly tell my mom that I wouldn’t stop singing during my classes. I decided that I wanted to be a “rockstar” when I was about 8 years old. Now I’m in the process of finding what being a “rockstar” actually means to me, the definition might have changed but what has not changed is me wanting to make music and be around music all my life.