Candace / duendita is a singer, songwriter and producer from Queens, New York. duendita, a nickname inspired by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca’s word “duende”, describes an inexplicable spark of inspiration and passion from art or the other beauties of existence.
Candace dedicates and credits her creative output to a collective of people whom she also considers duendita. She greeted me at her place in Brooklyn welcoming me into the basement where she and NB (@noahalotoftings) - a part of duendtia and longtime friend - were about to run through a set for their upcoming tour. The basement was filled with paintings neatly tucked into most of the floor space where their equipment intricately sat forming a stage. As they prepared to start the first song of the set, Candace picked up one of the many items in front of her, lifting up an ornate music box. She gave the box topped with a beautiful white carousel horse a few twists and lulled us into the dream state her set led us down. The set was a winding path of melodies, beats, samples, keyboard, bass, voice recordings, and of course Candace’s powerfully emotive vocals frequently augmented by her equipment. Candace’s musical talent and deep expressive ability shines while she performs. Her music has such a unique sound and her experimental fluid approach when performing live accentuates how special her sound truly is.
Candace, NB and I stepped out to her backyard, all three enclosing walls covered in vines. We dove into a conversation about life as a touring artist, her outlook on her music, and a bit of who she is. Candace expresses her spirituality through practices like drawing with colored pencils, smoking weed, and consuming clean foods. This time around Candace expanded a bit on her paused relationship with weed to create space for things that serve her more positively. Along with those practices she connects nature to her spirituality. Candace bird-watches in her free time and even on tour locations, you can hear bird songs and tweets throughout her musical projects. Her music touches on her experiences and Afro-Boricua identity, growing into herself and her surroundings.
duendita wants to let people know that there is nothing to be found outside yourself. The systems we live in do not make it possible to live without fear of shame, her goal is to help create our own systems with her music.
Candace and I went up to her room where she sat down to play piano & sing. Her room was a beautiful reflection of herself. The contents of her room surrounded a piano stacked with books, plants, flowers and an ornate mirror. In the corner sat another array of healthy happy plants and a record player on top of her record collection. After she sang she made her mission so clear. duendita is a collective from the people who contributed to the music, lent a couch, provided transportation, connected people, and lent a creative space. They all create what duendita is and even get royalties on the music. Candace wants to help feed the contributors of duendita and their upcoming generations. She asked, “How local can we make it?” Her vision is to localize, create new systems, and provide for her community with financial means and spreading love. Her music is enhanced by her dedication and connection to community and cause. I attended a meeting the following night with all of duendita where Candace led a session outlining the details of her tour. Starting the session off with a communal drawing session really encapsulated the energy her whole collective exuded throughout the meeting. Her leadership and care for the community around her was beautifully apparent. I was able to capture a photo of most of those who comprise duendita, which was an honor.