ILA Minori

INDIE-SYNTH ARTIST ILA MINORI’S MUSICAL JOURNEY IS ONE INSPIRED BY RISING TO MEET CHALLENGES HEAD ON AND THE REWARDS OF SELF-EXPLORATION AND GROWTH. THAT JOURNEY HAS TAKEN HER FROM THE CLUBS OF HER HOMETOWN OF SAN ANTONIO TO TOURING THE US AND EUROPE AS WELL AS SHARING THE STAGE WITH THE LIKES OF THURSTON MOORE, LUCINDA WILLIAMS AND SUZANNE VEGA.

GROWING UP IN SAN ANTONIO THE DAUGHTER AND NIECE OF ROCK-EN-ESPANOL MUSICIANS, ILA MINORI’S MUSICAL PATH WAS LAID OUT AT A YOUNG AGE. THOUGH HER FATHER GAVE UP HIS DREAMS OF STARDOM TO DEVOTE HIMSELF TO HIS FAMILY, WITH A PIANO IN THE HOUSE AND PLENTY OF ROCK AND SOUL ON THE HI-FI, HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER GRAVITATED TOWARDS THE GUITAR. AFTER BEING SCHOOLED IN 90S DARKWAVE BY HER OLDER BROTHER IN HIGH SCHOOL, SHE JOINED THE DREAMY VELVET UNDERGROUND-INFLUENCED LEDA SWAN ON VOCALS AND GUITAR. BUT STILL ACHING TO GROW AS AN ARTIST, SHE LATER EMBARKED ON A SOLO CAREER, CHRISTENING HERSELF ILA MINORI- ILA AFTER A HINDU ANDROGYNOUS DEITY AND THE SURNAME MINORI BECAUSE SHE “LIKED THE SOUND OF IT”.

HER FIRST ALBUM, 2017’S JASON RUBAL-PRODUCED (AMANDA PALMER, LOL TOLHURST OF THE CURE) TRAVELLING WITH GHOSTS WAS WRITTEN DURING A TRIP TO ITALY WHILE HEALING FROM A PAINFUL DIVORCE. THE MAZZY STAR-MEETS-METRIC SOUND GRABBED ATTENTION LOCALLY AND BEYOND DUE TO COUNTLESS LIVE SHOWS THAT INCLUDED PERFORMANCES AT SATX’S FAMED TOBIN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, A TOUR IN GERMANY AND THE ITALIAN FESTIVAL, BUSCADERO DAY. FOR HER FORTHCOMING ALBUM, ILA MINORI (ALSO KNOWN AS ERICA MONZON), PLANNED TO RECORD IN BOSTON BEFORE COVID 19 BROUGHT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TO A NEAR HALT. INSTEAD OF COMING TO A STOP HERSELF, SHE DECIDED TO THROW HERSELF INTO LEARNING MORE ABOUT ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION, INCLUDING AN ONLINE COURSE VIA BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC. THE RESULTS HAVE SHIFTED HER FROM A MORE TRADITIONAL INDIE ROCK SOUND TO A MORE ELECTRONIC HYBRID ONE, DESPITE THE BOHEMIAN DARKWAVE VIBE OF MUCH OF HER MUSIC, MINORI HAS ALWAYS CHOSEN TO LOOK FOR THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS, WHETHER IT’S USING A PAINFUL LIFE EXPERIENCE AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTIC GROWTH ABROAD OR QUICKLY PIVOTING FROM A STEADY DIET OF LIVE PERFORMANCES TO DIVING HEADFIRST INTO LEARNING AND EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW SOUNDS. “IF IT WASN’T FOR THE PANDEMIC, I WOULD HAVE FOCUSED ON LIVE MUSIC,” MINORI SAYS. “BUT I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO PRODUCE AND THE LACK OF LIVE SHOWS HONESTLY HASN’T BOTHERED ME. I LOVE MUSIC SO MUCH THAT IF I CAN PRODUCE IT AT HOME, I AM JUST AS HAPPY AS PLAYING LIVE.”