ArtistRack brings to you Reina Mora – Trouble (Official Music Video):
After living the visions of other artists as the lead singer of numerous rock, metal and electronica bands, the well-traveled, long gigging L.A. based singer-songwriter who became Reina Mora chose the perfect moniker to capture her multi-cultural background and Latin-tinged vibe she brings to her fresh brand of alternative pop. The exotic national bird of Puerto Rico – where her parents were born and she lived for several years growing up – the Reina Mora is colored blue, yellow, orange and black and is known to sing all night long.
Reina offers a powerful and compelling introduction to her developing artistry with the release of “Trouble”, the sultry and sensual, yet eminently rockin’ lead single from her upcoming full length debut album ‘Birds Eye View’. She is simultaneously dropping the steamy video that finds her performing onstage while also becoming the fantasy of a dapperly dressed man on the dance floor. Directed by Sabina Graves and shot by veteran Director of Photography Matthew Macar, the clip will be available on Reina’s YouTube channel and other outlets.
“Trouble’ is about taking control over your sexuality,” Reina says. “I wanted to write a song about being seductive and empowered as a woman with that sexuality and not be ashamed of it. I was a tomboy growing up and previously never spoke about sex in my songs, so in the spirit of the authenticity that drives the entire album, that was one of my inspirations. The others were the classic ‘Criminal’ by Fiona Apple and ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ by Arctic Monkeys. ‘Trouble’ reflects my influences, from the singer/songwriters I love to the Latin music I grew up listening to. Thematically, the trouble can go either way – either I am trouble or the guy is…I wanted to leave the interpretation open as far as who is seducing who.”
As a songwriter and performer, Reina is no longer afraid to be authentic and reveal the dark challenges she and her family went through – including having all their possessions washed away when Hurricane George hit Puerto Rico in 1998 and being homeless and moving from shelter to shelter with her mom when they first moved to Los Angeles. Produced by Omer Avni (Mary J. Blige, Jason Derulo, Alien Ant Farm), ‘Birds Eye View’ is a rich, stylistically diverse collection of personal material that traverses the struggles and successes she’s experienced throughout her life. She dissects her tumultuous relationship with her family in the tribal flavored “War Dance” and conveys her love in “Brighter Sky” in both English and Spanish with “Cielo Azul”. Reina’s favorite song is also her most personal: “Winter in June,” a raw, heartfelt tribute to her biggest inspiration, her grandfather. With its delicate percussion, swelling cello, and acoustic guitar, her tender vocals convey the pain she felt from his loss and the strength she gained from him.
Believing that it’s important to give back no matter one’s station or economic situation, Reina has been actively involved in charitable activities for many years. She is currently working with and doing fundraisers for Puerto Ricans in Action to help with relief from Hurricane Maria and to bring a greater awareness to struggles Puerto Ricans face, both on the island and L.A. She has also worked with Women’s Care Cottage, a homeless shelter for battered women. She watched and read to the children while their mothers were getting the physical and emotional help they need to recover from that trauma. She also spent time volunteering for Children of the Night, a shelter for children escaping prostitution. Reina hopes to continue working with those in need, from battered women, to abused children, to the LGBTQ community. Her personal struggles have left her with a deep appreciation of everything she has and all the people that support her – and she will continue to pass that along to those in need.
“What I enjoyed most about making Birds Eye View is having the opportunity to bring all of my many influences to create a completely different sound from all of those,” Reina says. “I’m excited to share these songs with the world and hope that people can apply their messages to their own lives, find their own meanings, and enjoy themselves as they listen.”
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