In our Q&A/Features series Tell me morewe ask some of our favorite Latina celebrities to share some inside information about their lives and some of the ways they prioritize their mental health. This month we spoke with Venezuelan singer Yetsi about leaving everything behind to pursue your dreams and developing resilience in solitude.

The path to musical stardom is not easy. But it’s more difficult when you’re an eighteen-year-old girl, thousands of miles from home, with no family or friends and unable to speak the language. This is exactly the situation Yetsimar Jimenez, also known as Yetsi, found herself in upon arriving in Miami. Now, years later, she has released two singles from her first project and is excitedly preparing for her next one. The artist shares how she is willing to talk about those difficult early years and what she learned during that time.

PS: When did you realize you had to leave Venezuela to have the life you dreamed of?

Yetsi: I knew that from a young age. I always dreamed of becoming an artist (and) expressing myself through art. But the moment I decided to leave Venezuela was when I came (to Miami) on vacation. I was 16 and felt a very strong connection to the city. It was something I’d never felt before, something that said, ‘You have to come.’

PS: And when you arrived in the United States, do you remember how you felt then? What was it like coming to a place where no one knows you and you don’t know anyone?

Yetsi: That’s when I started to feel alone, that’s when I started missing my family. You know you’re here in a new country where you don’t speak the language and, even though you’re surrounded by (Latins), it’s a different culture. Everything is different.

PS: Being away from home and isolated from the people who care about you can be very hard on your mental health. For example, small stresses like finding housing or finding a job can seem insurmountable when you have to deal with them alone in a new place. Have you experienced moments like this?

Yetsi: There were a few moments like that, where I realized, “Damn, I’m all alone. I don’t have anyone. » But at the same time, I felt like if I was vulnerable, that would be the end. So (to deal with that) I kind of caged myself. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was vulnerable or that I was sad. I didn’t tell my parents and (whenever we talked) everything always had to be nice and good. And that led me to a moment where I exploded without knowing why. I didn’t know why I was crying. But it was the accumulation of everything I hadn’t let myself feel.

PS: When you say you were in a cage, how did that affect your relationships at the time? Were you able to make friends or real relationships during this time?

Yetsi: I was able to (make friends), and I feel like at that point I was like the life of the party. But at the end of the night, everyone goes home to their families, and then I come home and I’m completely alone.

PS: How did you get through those moments? Is there anything you’ve used as a sort of escape? Was it the weddings or events you sang at?

Yetsi: Actually, I don’t know if I can say it was an escape. It helped me because I was busy doing something I loved, but at the same time I wasn’t singing my own music. I didn’t write my stuff. And so I felt like I had to leave the band and start a new job that has nothing to do with music to realize that this was the time for me to start sharing my own art. Music has always been a way to free myself. It’s my meditation, a way for me to disconnect from everything I’m experiencing and escape from my problems.

PS: So you leave your group. When did you start to notice a change in yourself, where you allowed yourself to open up more?

Yetsi: When I started working on my own project. I decided that if I was going to show my music, it had to come from this place where I really am. And in the process, everything inside me opened up. I realized that I couldn’t continue (as I had been) and that I had to accept that there will be times when I will be afraid and times when I will fall. Because if you’re in pain and you try to hide it by putting on a mask, there will come a time when you break down. So now, if I have to cry, I cry. If I have to scream, I scream.

PS: Are there any habits you’ve learned to keep you from going back into the cage?

Yetsi: I will call someone to talk or express (what I feel). Exercising is also very good for me. I consider myself a little gym rat. And also just write. Writing music for me feels like a liberation. This really helps me a lot.

PS: Would you say you are stronger now after allowing yourself to be vulnerable?

Yetsi: 100 percent. It’s like my soul is in another state. When I allow myself to feel what I need to feel, to feel what is happening, to feel the present moment, I feel like that is when I am the calmest. The moments when I can let myself go. But you know, I was just a little girl when I came here. Being vulnerable was not an option. I was mostly working with guys at that time, and it was like, “Okay, I don’t want anyone to know I’m here alone.”

PS: Was there ever a time when you felt like you had to return to Venezuela?

Yetsi: I’m not going to lie to you, these moments still happen. Even though I’m working on my project, I’m a new artist, and you know, you have these thoughts. You overthink things. So to say that I don’t have one (I still have doubts) would be a complete lie.

PS: What do you do in these moments?

Yetsi: I think it’s very important for me to connect with my team (and) my friends. You know, they tell me I’m too hard on myself. I always want things to be a certain way, and (they’re there) to remind me, “Hey, things are going well.” They are like my anchor.

PS: Would you say that’s a lesson you’re still learning? Don’t be so hard on yourself?

Yetsi: Yeah. I’m learning to let things flow and let things happen. And I also have to say that my faith helps. I believe in God, and this (God’s plan and timing) is perfect. I hold on to it a lot, I have hope. I’ll ask for signs, you know, like, “I feel like this, God, just send me something.” So (we) have good day-to-day communication, and that helps me a lot.

PS: When you shut down, did anything good come out of it, or did habits stick with you that you still have today?

Yetsi: I don’t know if I can say that anything good came out of my confinement, but I can certainly say that an incredible amount of good things came out of my fearlessness in that moment.

PS: Do you think you can still access that fearlessness when you need it?

Yetsi: Yes, but I will say that it can be a double-edged sword. That “I can do everything myself” attitude, yeah, that can be great. At the same time, helping is a good thing. It’s a balance because things can get chaotic if you start neglecting your own discretion.

PS: Last question. What would you say to those who are chasing their dreams?

Yetsi: Being vulnerable makes you stronger, not weaker. And if you feel something, don’t be afraid to follow that feeling. The only bad thing that can happen is that later you regret not doing it. And the best thing that can happen is magic.

Miguel Machado is a journalist specializing in the intersection of Latinx identity and culture. He does everything from exclusive interviews with Latin music artists to opinion pieces on issues relevant to the community, personal essays related to his Latinidad, as well as think pieces and features relating to Porto Rico and Puerto Rican culture.