Angel Strife
Composer, Music Producer & Multi-Instrumentalist 

Suraaj Parab (00:03.002) Today's guest is Ángel Strife, a Venezuelan-born singer, songwriter, producer, and film composer based in Mexico, whose music blends R&B, soul, alternative pop, and electronic influences. Welcome Ángel to The Artist's Conversation.

Ángel Strife (00:20.812) Hello, how are you, Suraaj? Nice to see you here.

Suraaj Parab (00:26.646) Thank you so much, Ángel, for coming.

Ángel Strife (00:30.252) I appreciate the invitation to your podcast a lot, and I'm really eager to connect with you and with all the people on this amazing platform too.

Suraaj Parab (00:42.842) No, no, no. Your music is totally great. When I heard it on Instagram, that's why I wanted to invite you. You are a wonderful person, so thank you so much once again for accepting. Let's jump into it, Ángel. Speaking about your origin, you have spoken about your journey from Venezuela to Mexico as something that deeply shaped your artistic identity. How did migration change not just your life, but the way you hear and express your emotions?

Ángel Strife (01:18.550) Well, I was born in La Guaira, Vargas State in Venezuela, and technically I grew up on the island of Margarita. So I took this feedback loop between the culture of Venezuela and the sound of the Caribbean Sea. Over time, I began to develop my own career as an independent artist. I started presenting my music in Venezuela, and with a bit of luck—I like to believe—I began meeting the right people along the way who started believing in my project. They performed a miracle putting me in the right place during a very hard situation in Venezuela. So, I made the decision to leave everything there in my career and begin a new journey here in Mexico.

The transition process from Venezuela to arriving here in Mexico was very strong emotionally. When I arrived in Mexico, thank God, I was able to get started with all my gear alongside amazing people in the Mexican music industry who welcomed me with open doors. That changed me a lot. It was an unimaginable experience for me that changed my life on every level. To this day, I really appreciate all the people involved in the process, as well as the journey and the experience.

Suraaj Parab (03:31.959) Yeah, I can totally relate to that. It's really inspiring that you came from Venezuela, settled in Mexico, and are now becoming part of the Latin Grammys Recording Academy. It's an inspiring journey, Ángel.

In speaking with many artists, one thing I've found is that a lot of them talk about finding their voice. But for you, that seems tied to culture, movement, and adaptation. When did you begin to feel that your music was truly reflecting who you are?

Ángel Strife (04:12.257) At what moment in my life did the music reflect who I really am? That was the question, right? Oh my gosh. I think this happened when I was a child—when I was about eight years old. I think it was with Michael Jackson. Listening to Michael Jackson changed everything for me. Michael Jackson changed my life, and I reflect a lot of things in my career back to him. I remember watching a Michael Jackson concert on TV at my home in Venezuela—I don't remember right now if it was in Germany. When I saw him dancing, singing, and all the people going crazy, something inside me just told me, "You know what? I want to do this. I want to sing and express myself." It wasn't about wanting everyone to see me; it was more about wanting to express who I am. I think that was the first moment in my life where I had that deep, real connection with my own self.

Suraaj Parab (05:55.835) Wow. Michael Jackson truly inspired many generations, including me. Just a few weeks ago, we interviewed Michael Jackson's guitarist, Jennifer Batten—the lady who played the "Beat It" solo on his tour. She was sharing interesting insights about him too. He was truly an inspiration for our entire generation of musicians.

Ángel, talking about your sound influences and evolution: when I was listening to your songs, I noticed your music blends contemporary R&B, soul, alternative pop, and electronic textures. How did that sound come together over time, and when did you realize it felt like your own language?

Ángel Strife (06:55.725) That was a deep process—trying to match the right time and feel for the right genre and era. I started making music when I was 12 years old, so I was really just a kid. From the beginning, connecting with electronic sounds was very easy for me; I don't know why.

In the first stage, it was like, "I don't want to sing, I just want to make music and stay anonymous as an artist." But as I began receiving recognition across different states in the country, people started inviting me to interviews and telling me, "You have to play something live." Since I didn't have much money at the time to own a proper laptop or MacBook to bring my electronic setup, I had to travel with just a guitar and start singing incomplete ideas or small fragments of myself.

Everything began to change around 2008 when I started designing my sound around indie folk and country-pop—something very bright and sparkly. At first, I loved it, but audiences at that time were more connected to rock bands like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco, and Paramore. I was completely outside of the mainstream marketplace, especially in Venezuela. I thought, "Maybe this isn't going to work," but I never gave up. I stayed focused on evolving my sound until I gradually built my own style.

I began to feel that same reflection I mentioned with Michael Jackson. I had to ask myself, "What kind of sound fits best with Ángel Strife?" Because when I started with electronic music, there wasn't a clear direction. I thought about the kind of music Michael Jackson made and realized I needed to erase that older version and evolve into who I actually am. If you want to connect with that emotion, you have to search at the root of it: the soul. So I started investigating R&B and soul, step by step, until I settled into the R&B lane where I am today.

Suraaj Parab (11:03.468) Wow, super! I sometimes wonder how you manage to do so many different things together—it's really impressive.

Ángel, when listening to your lyrics, I find that you write about identity, vulnerability, resilience, and human connection. Which of those themes feels most central to your work right now?

Ángel Strife (11:39.490) Well, that's a good question. What you read was likely from the process of building my first album. When I touched on those concepts of human sensibility, it was in the middle of a deep search between four human archetypes: the child, the man, the woman, and the martyr. I was trying to explore the emotions across the different situations I lived—from leaving Venezuela to waking up here in Mexico with my eyes open to everything around me.

The process back then was stressful at times, but also very exciting. However, up to this point today, I feel I've left that phase behind. I don't feel connected to those specific emotions anymore. That side of me passed away—it was like I had to kill off that version of myself to evolve to the next stage. After participating in The Voice Mexico, you get fifteen minutes of fame, but afterward, people only see you as "the guy from that reality TV show." It was tough. After the first two years following the show, I realized I needed to let go of that image and not stay trapped in it.

So I made that album with those feelings and focused on clearing out my mind to capture something deeper. Today, my focus has shifted completely toward being present. It's about not dwelling on what was, but staying focused on who I am right now. Staying present is the most accurate emotion for where I am today.

Suraaj Parab (15:57.153) Speaking about emotions, as a songwriter and producer myself, I know how complex balancing emotion and technicality can be. When you create a song, how do you know when it is emotionally honest versus just technically well-made?

Ángel Strife (16:22.781) That's another great question, Suraaj. Normally, when I make a song, I try to spark genuine honesty. Earlier in my career, trying to force themes like resilience felt fake because I was trying to be someone I wasn't. I realized I don't need to try to understand everyone else first; I have to understand myself and stay present with who I am.

When I started making music for myself rather than for the industry, it became about expressing something deep without external expectations. It's about hearing myself. That's the beauty of music. Sometimes there is so much noise outside of us, but when you connect with your soul and the ocean of your mind, you create a new reality.

Music is like writing a spell. When I write a song, I think, "I am writing a spell, and I need to know what kind of words I am putting into my mouth to reconfigure things for the listener or for myself." The most crucial element in any song or composition is intention. Intention comes when you least expect it, and when you are connected to the present, it becomes easier to express the right words and cast the right spell.

Suraaj Parab (19:27.970) Right. You have a wonderful process; I'm learning a lot from you today.

Elaborating on creativity: you mentioned wanting to discuss the emotional and creative process behind songwriting and production. When a song begins for you, does it usually start with a feeling, a melody, a lyric, or a soundscape?

Ángel Strife (19:59.596) Normally, a melody comes to my head first. Everything starts moving once the melody is there. From there, I begin adding other layers. I usually start building the rhythm with the drums—getting a boom-bap groove going—and then add a couple of chords.

The hardest part for me right now is the lyrics. In the beginning, I could write a song in two or three minutes. Now, I might have the entire production, arrangement, and strings completed, but no words to say. That happens because I am the type of composer who needs to live through something real or experience something meaningful before I can express it. I don't want to make generic, plastic music that just repeats two or three words to get a quick hit.

I prefer to step away from music for a few months, live my life, meet new people, go through experiences, or look at the sky, and then translate those moments into lyrics. But as for the initial spark, I always prefer starting with the melody.

Suraaj Parab (22:11.298) Wow, that's wonderful. Another interesting part of your career is your independence and unique vision. You built your path through an independent label, Contienda Records. What has building independently taught you about protecting your vision while growing a career?

Ángel Strife (22:51.596) When I started Contienda Records, I designed it as a new kind of partnership between artists and people inside or outside the industry who want a fair entry into music.

Earlier in my career in Mexico, I had a difficult experience with a label. A producer—who was a Grammy winner working with a major artist from Puerto Rico—discovered me with another manager in Venezuela and brought me to Mexico. When I arrived, they took my music, used my master recordings, and began testing ideas to build their own label without proper licenses or paying me. At the time, I was young and didn't understand the business well.

Because of the political situation in Venezuela at the time, I couldn't return home and had to remain in Mexico, where I've now lived for eleven years. During that time, opportunities came up—such as synchronization interest from Warner Chappell—but the producer blocked me from signing directly because he wanted to keep control over my catalog.

Experiencing that side of the industry showed me how artists can be treated when labels prioritize business over art. Even though it was tough, I chose not to betray people and instead learned from every experience with that label and Warner. I reconfigured that knowledge to launch Contienda Records as a platform dedicated to serving art and supporting artists.

Our goal is to bring great artists together and create high-quality music for the Academy. For example, we are currently collaborating with a friend working with the UN on a project to develop an album showcasing talent across Africa. We aim to connect these artists with Recording Academy members, giving them global visibility in categories like Best Global Music Performance.

If you have a platform or responsibility, you should use it to help people grow. For me, being a musician isn't about buying fake streaming numbers to hit number one on Billboard or Spotify. It's about using my knowledge, networking, and resources to help other artists succeed and move the culture forward in a positive way.

Suraaj Parab (32:28.098) It's commendable that you're building a community and giving back while making your own music. That's really noble, Ángel.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me. I appreciate the honesty, depth, and cultural perspective you bring to your music and journey. It's a reminder that art can carry migration, resilience, and identity without losing its tenderness.

To everyone listening, thank you for being here with us. Please check out Ángel Strife's work on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and all major streaming platforms. Follow him on Instagram and reach out to him. With Contienda Records, he is doing great work helping the music community grow. If this episode resonated with you, please share it, and we will see you in the next episode of The Artist's Conversation.