By Andrew Meeker

Spanglish, relatable, and hip are three adjectives that 21-year-old aspiring pop singer-songwriter Vanessa Ramos uses to describe her music. Ramos, a Bronx resident majoring in Digital Technology & Emerging Media (DTEM) and double minoring in Communications and Music here at Fordham University, is just getting started. She recently released her first two singles, “Fly Away,” which debuted in September 2021, and “Both Ways” in January 2024 to celebrate her 21st birthday. When I met Ramos through work last summer, one of the first things I learned about her was her passion for music; now I have the pleasure of creating it live with her in the B-Sides, a co-ed a cappella group where she sings mezzo-soprano. During her lunch break, I sat down with Ramos to discuss what she has accomplished so far and where she is planning to take her musical career in the future. 

Andy Meeker (AM): First off, could you tell me a bit about the process of creating “Both Ways”? How was the experience of recording it and shooting the cover art, and when did all of this happen?

Vanessa Ramos (VR): I’ve been working on five songs over the course of a year and they’re all done now. ‘“Both Ways” was really fast – I finished that song in two days, and I think that’s because all of my ideas for it focused me. I started off by humming a melody, and the song’s topic came out of nowhere. I was talking to my friend, and she was ranting to me about this guy who she hooked up with, and I guess she was falling in love with him or something – I don’t know. Anyway, he wasn’t texting her back, and she’d always have to reach out to him first, so she said “The phone goes both ways!” When I heard that, I was like [gasps] ding! You know? Because I could write a song about that. That’s where the lyrics stemmed from. It’s a universal feeling – I’m pretty sure everybody’s had somebody they’re always texting and calling first, and then it’s like bruh… It’s kind of annoying! So it’s a reminder – don’t be getting played.

The person that took the cover photo was Marcos Moreno, a photographer I work with. I give my songs symbols – like, for “Fly Away,” it was butterflies, and for “Both Ways,” it’s phones. I found a picture with old phones and a pink background on Pinterest that I wanted to recreate, and I just thought it had baddie vibes. I wanted to go for Y2K slash baddie vibes. It was a pretty fast shoot – it took like an hour – he [Moreno] thought it was long. My sister held each phone individually, and he edited them in. He also played around with filters to see what I liked. I added the text later using Canva, and I wanted it to look like graffiti.

AM: You guys did a great job with it – the style of everything you’ve posted about “Both Ways” is very consistent and polished.

VR: Thank you! Right now, my [Instagram] feed is all pink, and I want each song to have a different section with a different color scheme in it.

AM: I love that. So, what collaborators did you work with on “Both Ways?”

VR: In the beginning, I record myself. I get demo tracks from a producer who my manager knows, and he sends me tracks that I can hum melodies to. Not official songs, but just tracks I can test out to see what I’m liking. So, I heard the track for “Both Ways,” and I recorded the demo using GarageBand in my house. Once that was finalized, I added as many harmonies and riffs as I could, and we went to JamBox Studios in Manhattan to record the vocals. I sang with a piano track instead of a full instrumental so it was easier for me to stay on tempo. Once I had the vocals, we worked with two producers, John Ponce and Miguel Rodriguez. They mixed the song based on a list of singers whose sounds I like, which included Alaina Castillo, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter. I really wanted to go for that young pop sound. The mastering and mixing took a really long time, but it was worth it because of how it sounded in the end.

AM: That’s awesome. Yeah – you don’t really realize how many moving parts there are until you’re doing the whole process yourself. 

VR: I know, I wish it could be easier. 

AM: So, how long have you had a manager?

VR: Like one year, literally. When I was working on “Fly Away,” I was in this high school program called Student Dream that helps kids release their first song, so they taught us how to write songs and they paid for studio time for us to record them. They had a partnership with Carnegie Mellon, so that’s where they got the money from. They used Josh, my manager, to mix all of the songs, and when he heard mine, he was like “Oh! I really like this song, and I want to meet this girl!” who was me. (laughs) He offered to manage me, and we’ve been working together since then. The process has been a little slow because I’ve been in college, and that’s my priority right now. Once I graduate, I’ll definitely focus on music more, but I’m just working on it slowly for the time being. 

AM: You’ve got to live a little and get the content to write your songs about! Who’s your dream duet partner on a song?

VR: That’s hard. Honestly, it would probably be Alaina Castillo – you guys should look her up! She makes the exact type of music I want to. She’s the first artist I’ve heard do Spanglish in one song, and as a bilingual speaker, I thought that was perfect because I think and speak in both languages. So, when she switched from English to Spanish, I thought it was creative – first of all – but also that it’d work well for my brain. Also, my mom, who doesn’t speak English, is my number one fan, so why would I want to make music that she can’t understand? Also, Spanglish gives me two audiences and two markets to reach. 

AM: She has such a versatility as an artist – it’s so cool. In addition to wanting to make Spanglish music, are there any other elements of your upbringing that have affected your unique sound?

VR: I mean, I’ve always loved singing piano ballads. When I was younger, I would always listen to Adele, Whitney Houston – powerhouses like them inspired me. I first found out I enjoyed that dramatic music when I was nine years old and first started singing in church with my sister. I became one of the lead singers in my church band and yeah, some of the songs were upbeat, but a lot of them were slow. Even though “Both Ways” isn’t slow, I do think I sound better singing slow songs because I feel like there’s a bigger focus on your vocals without all the instruments in the background. I do like singing upbeat songs, though. I listen to a lot of Spanish music like reggaeton, and even though I don’t want to make that kind of music, I want to make people feel like they’re having a good time. I don’t want to just make depressing songs; if I can make both, then I feel like that’d be a reflection of who I am. I’m a happy person! 

AM: That’s great that you want to reach into different pockets of emotions within your music. Can you give any hints about what we’ll hear from you next?

VR: Yes! So, as I mentioned before, I’ve been working on an EP for the past year. I’m still thinking about release dates and stuff, but the first song from it was “Both Ways.” The next song I’m planning on releasing is not like “Both Ways” – it’s probably the opposite. It’s still Spanglish, but it’s slow and sad. Honestly, it’s my favorite song that I’ve done before. It’s also different from “Fly Away,” even though that one’s emotional too. It’s definitely coming soon, and I hope people like it. This song is actually about a personal experience, so maybe that’s why I like it more. It’s exaggerated – I always do that – I feel like songwriters are the best liars. I feel a connection to it, and it’s my mom’s favorite song of mine. More music is definitely on the way this year besides that song. 

AM: I’ll be looking forward to it all! Thank you so much for talking with me!

VR: Of course! Thank you so much for interviewing me!