Born and raised in the border city of Chula Vista, California, Jackie Mendoza blends the cultural influences of her hometown and her motherland of Tijuana, Mexico, creating eccentric pop, Latin-driven dance beats, and vibrant soundscapes. She’s been involved in music since she was young, listening to Latin-pop songs at family parties, and playing in bands in high school. It wasn’t until she took a course for Ableton in college that she discovered an avid interest in producing and making beats. Since then, Mendoza has been experimenting with electronic ukulele-based pop, expanding the sound to its maximum potential by layering it with beats while singing in both English and Spanish.
Mendoza’s LuvHz EP is a six track exploration of love and relationships through personal experiences and observations. She recorded the EP with Rusty Santos (Panda Bear’s Buoys), a collaborator that Mendoza quickly realized she had many parallels with. Both have lived in LA, NY, and Mexico and have an appreciation for Latin producers and Reggaeton artists, sounds that perfectly translated into Mendoza’s music.
(Photo Credit: Tayo Oyekan)
Three Great Things is our feature in which artists tell us about three things they absolutely love. Jackie Mendoza recently released an excellent six song EP called LoveHz; check out her picks below, and catch her on tour this summer.
—Josh Modell, Executive Editor, Talkhouse
1. Charlotte Adigéry, Zandoli EP
One day I was listening to Marie Davidson and looked through related artists. I came across Charlotte Adigéry and was instantly pulled in. It’s not often I find artists I can relate to sonically, but it felt as if we had a mutual understanding of each other even though we’ve never met. I love everything about this EP: the rhythms, sounds, vocals, and themes throughout. It was co-produced by Soulwax so it’s automatically great! Hearing projects like this makes me so excited and inspires me to stay true to myself and to not force my music to sound any specific way. Charlotte Adigéry’s music successfully blends genres with so much confidence. The song “High Lights” is a dance-pop banger that should be blasting in every car and radio station; highly underrated.
2. Dating a Musician
When I was younger I always day-dreamed about what it would be like to date another musician. Would we harmonize and dance in the kitchen? Would we make music together? I pictured scenes of romantic duets like ones in Disney movies. I’m now 26 years old, I’m dating a musician, and it’s not far off at all.
Lucia is in two bands, Turnip King and Anna Altman, and I met her through playing shows and mutual friends in bands. The first few months together really set the tone for the rest of the relationship. We would go to each other’s shows and our bands even toured together. Being a musician and dating a musician is better than what I thought it could be. We have completely different tastes in music and a festival with our favorite artists would make absolutely no sense but we value those differences and naturally meet somewhere in the middle. The only downside to this romance would be the time apart when we tour; thank God for cell phones. Lucia inspires me every single day and I’ve never felt so supported and encouraged with my music. I’m also her biggest fan and being with her really does feel like the happy ending to a Disney movie.
3. Vegan Fast Food
Finding vegan food on the road is hard and frustrating at times but more chain restaurants have added plant-based options in the past two years. When thinking about my favorite things, my mind automatically traveled across the country to Evolution Fast Food in San Diego, CA. Food makes me really happy, especially when it’s fried, battered, or drenched in a pool of savory sauce. I try to limit myself, but I’m either eating vegan fast food or dreaming about it. I’ve been eating plant-based foods for two years now and I’ve never felt so content after eating a whole California burrito, buffalo wings, and fries in one sitting. I was never a big junk food person until I started eating this way; as if all the shame that comes with eating junk food dissolved and now I almost feel a tiny sense of pride. I’m probably the most unhealthy vegan but I like knowing that animals aren’t harmed and that I’m doing my part in helping the environment.
(Photo Credit: Tayo Oyekan)
