Meet Naomi Keates | bandleader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Naomi Keates and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Naomi, why did you pursue a creative career?
Yerba Colorá is a group of musicians and friends from 4 different nationalities (Peru, UK, Germany and Australia). We see music as a uniting force and a way to reach listeners from countless backgrounds and appreciate diversity. We reject the idea of borders and believe in the coming together of different cultures. For us, music is both a remedy for narrow-mindedness and a way to stay close to our own roots, whilst exploring and experimenting with new sounds and rhythms. In this way, Yerba isn’t only our artistic career. It represents our collective ethos and values, and helps us navigate the frustrations and challenges of every day life. Although there is no greater feeling than uniting a live audience in song, we would continue to pursue our artistic career, even if no one was listening, because for us this is not just a career but a way of life and our vocation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We normally describe our sound as “alterlatino” (alternative/latino), mainly because it’s difficult to label something with so many different styles. I (Naomi Keates) grew up with guitar-driven Britpop, but developed a passion for Latin American music at a young age. As a teenager I was obsessed with Cuban son, and started to learn to play the Cuban tres. Percussionist and charango player Sibori Zuñiga grew up in Cusco, Peru, with the sounds of the Andes and Peruvian “Chicha” providing the musical backdrop. We met in Marburg, Germany and would regularly meet to play music together, on guitar and percussion. Our sessions would typically start with one of us saying “So, I have this idea…” and before we knew it, we had a growing repertoire of original songs, a punky mix, ranging from cumbia, to rock, to tropical sounding riffs and rhythms. With the addition of lead guitar, bass and backing vocals, we started to gather momentum and made a name for ourself on the local music scene.

As with most artistic projects, the pandemic presented a massive challenge; how could we continue to pursue our creative career? The release tour for our first EP was cancelled. We were in isolation. We however decided that the music could not (and should not) stop, pouring all our frustrations into writing and creating, and subsequently came up with a whole new album of songs, which we released in July 2021.

All of our music is now recorded and mixed at home, using a macbook and an ipad. As a female artist and music producer, it’s unfortunately easy to get overlooked. Sometimes the dismissal is very subtle, but sometimes it’s quite obvious. Nevertheless, we have recently enjoyed some glimmering moments of recognition. Our track “Menéalo” was named as a prize-winning finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting contest, and our latest track “Veneno” has enjoyed airplay on BBC radio in England. Our cover of “Si me quieres”, a Peruvian classic by Los Hijos del Sol, received more than 20,000 views on Youtube within a year. These were proud moments for us, and helped to motivate us to continue making art in challenging times. We’re now excited to finally return to the stage and play to “real” audiences, with fresh tracks and renewed passion.

The main lesson we have learnt along the way is to follow our gut instinct, and not to give up. If we were trying to be cool, or play whatever music is on trend at the moment, we’d have given up long ago. The fact that everyone in the band brings their own unique perspectives and playing styles to the table only enriches our sound, and whilst we might not draw the attention of millions, we get the feeling that those who follow us really appreciate what we do. Our goal is to continue to reach a wider audience, and travel further afield with our music.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We’d like to dedicate our shoutout to the bands that inspire us with their passion and innovation. We love the music of Arizona bands Calexico and Orkesta Mendoza and are always absolutely amazed by their creativity and ability to create a magical landscape of sounds comprising so many different influences. We’d also like to thank Rhythm Passports for the appreciation and the features (http://www.rhythmpassport.com/), and Country Queer (https://countryqueer.com/) for bringing our music to a wider audience.

Website: https://www.yerbacolora.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yerbacolora/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=yerba%20color%C3%A1

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkSJEeA3gUorq0d4xLOZ0A

Image Credits
Miriam Müller Merve Cecc