It’s 2:21 a.m. and I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept much this year. The excitement, the worry, the anxiousness of what is about to happen in my career keeps me up at night. I have been working for this moment for so long, and feeling it come to fruition is like what I would believe to be the feeling of waiting for your child to arrive into the world. I am not a Mother yet, but I know that one day I will be. This musical journey has been very maternal for me. I find myself transforming, growing, becoming a version of my future self, as I shed layers of my past self. The universe is preparing me and I can already feel the shift and the progress. 

Something happened when I decided to define, celebrate and tell the story of who Claudia Lenti is. I don’t know if it is the full moon tonight that has me up and wide awake, or the nocturnal silence that is still saying so much to me. Life speaks to us, but we need to be able to listen, trust our instincts and defend our position. There is a strength that I have developed in this career that I don’t believe I would have developed otherwise. The plain truth is that this journey is a blind one, because you have to keep consistently putting out the same efforts without any guarantee that it will work. Most people consider it lunacy because it is absolutely NOT a calculated risk. 

Here’s the irony however. In business, the best entrepreneurs are not the one’s who studied business, but actually the one’s who practiced it. I know this because aside from my art studies, I also studied business administration at John Molson. I remember learning about the character traits of entrepreneurs, because yes, experts actually studied it to try and find the formula. I remember sitting in class, understanding the material, and making comparisons to someone close to me who had those qualities – my father. I also remember thinking, I feel as though this is who I am, but I don’t know how I am going to apply it. Naturally, in one’s twenties, how can we with certainty execute something with success when we aren’t even fully formed as individuals but more so, without failure? It’s impossible, because the success to the recipe is trying it over and over until you get it right. This involves time, risk, and absolute failure. 

Now, in my thirties (to not give away my exact age hahaha), it has all come together. As I work this business of music, I can literally hear the marketing lectures in my head, like, “oh this is what he meant”…

I unlocked the key to my own identity, and in applying my truth, I am succeeding in my business through practice, transparency and clarity. 

This brings me to my next point, bare with me because it is all related. 

The greatest rappers, singers, actors and artists are the one’s who stood out in the crowd. Here’s the thing, somehow, as a society, we thought that it meant that we had to change ourselves to be noticed because being “regular”, is boring and doesn’t sell. It’s the complete opposite. Although there is nothing boring about me haha, the key is in your unique identity. Let’s face it, there cannot be two of anybody. Imagine immersing yourself completely in who you are, and showing that to the world. Scary right? Absolutely! Imagine exposing yourself in such a vulnerable position and then “failing” in they eyes of the public, because they did not accept you. This could destroy your entire persona and it is not to be taken lightly. 

However, imagine that your uniqueness, is the very thing that people can relate to? What if the courage to be who you are is the very thing inspiring others around you to do the same? Forget the success that it implies, let’s acknowledge the impact it is having on people. This is where the power of music needs defending. If not for yourself, defend your music. 

Going back to the greats, the best rappers for example are people who told stories with conviction, whether it was their story or someone’s story. Although being a good story teller is something you can study, it can never be told in the same way that you would tell it if you FELT it. This is the part we cannot ignore, that we are human and we feel, and in our feelings we can feel others. 

Where am I going with all of this? Everything can be studied, broken down and analyzed. Everything can also be copied and reproduced. All of this can lead to success, yes. But how do you become great? How do you differentiate yourself? How do you offer something different to what is already being offered?

Easy – by staying true to yourself, and practicing the art of failure. In business layman’s terms,  sticking to your core values, through process and practice, and then perfecting. 

I hope this blog illuminates something in you.

Good night 

La Italiana de la Salsa