As one of Los Angeles, Californias’ emerging talents, Astronautica is defining herself as a prominent and in-demand producer. Already receiving praise from the Wall Street Journal and playing Coachella in previous years, she’s an artist who can pull off intricate guitar harmonies and shine with powerful vocals. Piecing together 12 new tracks that bridge the gaps between sultry R&B, uptempo club rhythms and future electronica, her sophomore album ‘Gemini’ is out tomorrow, January 29th.

Photography by Christian Long
Interview by Mike Greene

Mike: Well first off, how do you go from Edrina Martinez to Astronautica – what’s the meaning and inspiration of your name?

Astronautica: I’ve always been enamored with space. As a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. In a way, I think the music I create is representative of that fascination. I feel like space is a common theme throughout my music.

Mike: What is your inspiration for creating such lush and melodic tracks? Do you feel that your experiences, either positive or negative, are reflected in your production?

Astronautica: I take a lot of things into consideration when making a track. For example, over the summer I road tripped up to the Pacific North West. On my way, I took in everything – the colors, sounds, smells, feelings – and used that to inspire a song I wrote while I was on the road. One thing I like doing is associating colors and moods with sounds. Doing this allows me to put my experiences and stories into a song. I’m always inspired by experiences, so they’re definitely reflected in my production. I think everything I create is a reflection of myself and what I’ve gone through, or what I’m going through at the moment.

Mike: What’s it like growing up as a producer in Los Angeles? Do you feel this environment made you into the type of musician you are today?

Astronautica: Being in LA has been one of my main inspirations. It was the LA Beat scene that really got me into creating my own music. Los Angeles is such a hub for all different types of genres, and they all thrive so well here. Southern California is made up of people from everywhere, if you name an ethnicity, they probably have their own section in a part of town. With that being said, it’s no wonder why there are so many styles of music being produced here. You can start at a jazz club at the beginning of the night, then go to Low End Theory and hear electronic, hip hop, etc., then go down the street again and you’re listening to flamenco or salsa music. Being surrounded by that type of environment has definitely affected the way I create because there are so many resources to grab inspiration from.

“I think everything I create is a reflection of myself and what I’ve gone through, or what I’m going through at the moment.”

Mike: Was there a specific family member or friend who had that initial impact on your love for music?

Astronautica: As a kid you’re so receptive to everything around you. I feel like there were a few people who really had that kind of impact on my musical preferences – my mom and aunts got me into hip hop, r&b and house, my grandma got me into jazz, salsa and classical music, then I had a friend who really got me into indie rock. Being around all of those genres of music, I grew a love for it, and I think you can here a little bit of each one in my songs.

Mike: Is there any particular musician from your childhood, that you, your parents, or your friends, listened to that affects how you create today?

Astronautica: There are so many musicians that affect how I create, but one group specifically would have to be A Tribe Called Quest. We could play them at anytime and my whole family would know every song. A lot of my earlier, as well as some of my newer music, have lots of 90s and 00s hip hop influences in it.

Mike: What’s your thought process going into the creation of a new track? Tracks like ’69’ showcase your guitar skills while also bringing about the quality of your production skills; your recent track, ‘Glass’, seems to feel more like a “floating on air” type feeling while ‘Airports ft. Andrea’ has a heavier almost trance like vibe to it.

Astronautica: Honestly, I’ve learned that for me what works is just going in to a song with a blank canvas in mind. If I constrict myself too much, like ‘oh I want to make this type of song,’ I’ll just get stuck and frustrated when it doesn’t come out the way I thought and planned it would. I feel like just allowing my creativity to take the driver’s seat and start something off with out any guidelines is the way I end up with something I really vibe with. It’s a good starting point. Once I have that down, I have room to start shaping it into something more, and hear which direction I want to start taking it in.