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Singer-songwriter, producer, community activist, and philanthropic force of nature Osmunda Music, aka Rebecca Trujillo Vest, recently released two new singles – “Be Welcome” and “Seed to Trree – from her forthcoming album Heartful Of Peace, slated to drop on August 23.
Heartful Of Peace will be accompanied by a free educational, yoga-focused curriculum for educators, coaches, and parents to help cultivate a more connected, mindful, and peaceful world. The Heartful Of Peace curriculum is made up of eight pods; each pod includes:
Music: Energizing and soothing tracks to move, dance, and relax.
Yoga Postures: Optional instructions for integrating yoga into daily routines, led by instructor Pooja Sharma.
Discussion Prompts: Thought-provoking questions to nurture community and dialogue.
Surprises: Engaging activities and elements to spark joy and creativity.
Rebecca’s collaborator, Abby Wills, brings over two decades of experience integrating healing-centered contemplative practices into diverse educational settings. Wills’s work, which spans early childhood education to university-level teacher training, focuses particularly on high schools serving targeted youth.
Guitar Girl Magazine spoke with Osmunda Music (Rebeca Trujillo Vest) to talk about her inspiration, vision, and music.
How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as something coming from the heart. I definitely have a message to share with the world, and that is to focus on how to bring more love and peace, and wellness into our lives, how to connect with humanity in a better way, and how to take care of planet Earth. My music and my sound come from my own personal laid-back style. I don’t know if I sound like anybody, but I’m definitely inspired by so many artists out there.
Can you share the inspiration behind “Be Welcome” and “Seed to Tree,” and the creative process involved in bringing them to life?
- The inspiration behind ‘Be Welcome’ is… imagine you’ve arrived and you’re sitting with some people or friends, or you’re getting ready to do yoga, and you’re going to welcome your day by yourself sipping some tea or coffee—you’re welcoming yourself, your day, and each other. The idea is from the heart and soul, we wish you to be welcome and be well! It’s a sweet, simple song, and it brings in this idea of connection: that we’re all welcome.
- The inspiration behind ‘Seed to Tree’ is… the idea of how a little seed that’s super tiny and sweet can turn into such a beautiful, big, blossoming, abundant tree. We can frame that idea as seeing ourselves as little seedlings and creations who can grow, become strong, and spread our wings to embrace our growth and being on this planet. We are thriving with the sun and spreading and sharing our nutrients, fruits, and beautiful words, actions, and shared experiences that we have together.
“Be Welcome” and “Seed to Tree” are from your upcoming album, Heartful of Peace. What can you share about the album?
The inspiration behind the album ‘Heartful of Peace’ was to make this album for everybody including children, teens, and adults. The primary focus is the younger generation from about kindergarten to 2nd grade. I wrote this with Abby Wills, and we put together a free curriculum that schools and parents could use. We created a beautifully talented and educated team to explain each song and give each song a yoga session. If you listen to the whole album, each song goes into the next song and so does the curriculum. At the end, we have a complete and compiled beautiful work and musical journey that is associated with the curriculum that parents and teachers can use to teach the young ones. With various world instruments, the whole album was well thought out to help us with this journey of life together.
Walk us through your mindset as you recorded the album.
When I first sat down with the lyrics that Abby Wills supplied, they were almost like a mantra—repetitive and very sweet. I first wrote each song sitting down with a guitar, and the melodies just came out one by one. I didn’t have to make many changes while we were actually recording, so I’m playing guitar and singing on each song, except for ‘Until We Meet Again,’ in which we replaced the main melody with P-Nut’s bass line. For a few songs, we added the sarangi, and violin, and I even collaborated with my husband Michael Vest on ‘Seed to Tree.’ When I was doing my final vocals, I was imagining myself in this really sweet environment, singing as nourishing the soul, singing to the young ones, to the old ones, and to humanity. I had a smile on my face, keeping it real sweet and simple without overproducing the whole album and trying to keep it as live as possible.
How did you get started in music?
I started as a really young girl, and my mom was a big inspiration because she would sing and play music constantly. My big family is a musical one as everyone plays many instruments. I was asked when I was younger, ‘Which instrument do you want to play?’ rather than ‘Do you want to play an instrument?’ I chose the guitar and started singing as a young girl. I mostly learned by practicing covers of other people’s songs with some great teachers.
Serious question: why do you make music?
I make music because I have a message for the world and for my brothers and sisters, and for all humanity. My message is one of opening your heart, learning how to understand peace, how we can all get along, and how we can all learn social justice, and take care of our environment. I think that’s what drives me to continue to make music. The message is so strong inside of me, it’s important to keep going and never stop making music.
What can you share about your creative process? What inspires you to write?
It varies. I might be listening to a song, or an artist might inspire me. I might be humming a tune and randomly walking somewhere and recording it in my song. I might have some ideas of lyrics through a poem I’m writing. I have a lot of writings that I refer to when I first start a song. Once in a while, when I join with collaborators, we talk about what we want to write. Most of the time, I’m the recording artist, so I’m able to write my own lyrics and work together to co-produce a song with someone. When I’m writing with another lyricist, it’s a surprise to see what we can come up with because I’m always open to ideas.
“Be Welcome” is part of the ‘Heartful of Peace’ curriculum for educational settings. Please share the advantages of such a curriculum for students.
The advantages are that they are getting an interactive sound and video to learn mindfulness and learn about their surroundings, the environment, their heart, their breath, and peace. This curriculum can also help adults because we’re all students of life!
How, when, and where did you first learn to play the guitar?
I learned in Santa Fe, New Mexico growing up as a young girl. I would be walking with my big guitar case, which sometimes felt bigger than me, to school. I started off with an acoustic nylon. My style was always strumming and fingerpicking.
What kind of guitar do you play?
These days I play many; synth guitars, and electric guitars, and my favorite guitar is my red back Larrivee. I also have a baby Taylor that is easy to move around. At our recording studio Earthstar Creation Center, we have a lot of guitars that I might pick up on a whim and use as well.
What’s your definition of success?
My definition of success is getting to a point where you can look at your life and feel that you’re on a beautiful path that you can look back on and not worry about any mistakes you’ve made, but to look forward and see all the beauty that’s ahead and what you’re experiencing in the moment. No matter where you’re at in your career or financially or even in love, there’s always that moment of picking that moment and embracing it. Success is finding a place of well-being and happiness and feeling secure and grounded so that you can live fully in the moment.
Based on your own experiences and lessons learned, what guiding principles or words of wisdom would you share with aspiring artists looking to carve out their own path in music?
My advice to people who are interested in carving a path in music is to just start. Just start with an instrument you want to learn or that you already know, start writing lyrics and words down, and start humming them into a song. I think that you just have to keep showing up and doing that. One thing leads to another, and you’ll be playing live in front of people, or you’ll be recording in a studio to get a recording ready to show people. Or you might end up in the music industry as a manager or administrator, which are still wonderful ways to be involved in music. As an artist, it just takes showing up and making that commitment and not giving up. Don’t be afraid to sound unique in your own way!
What’s next for you?
We’re in release mode, so we’re going to be releasing songs until August when the full ‘Heartful of Peace’ album will be released. After that, we’ll be releasing music videos for every song on the album which might go on until the end of the year. In the meantime, I’m working on some new music and I’m excited as to where that will take me. I’ll keep you all posted as new music is finished and I’m ready to release and share with you all!
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