Leslie Grace
With a reimagining of the 1985 hit "Conga" and her offset acting function in the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, 2022 is shaping out to be Leslie Grace's breakout year.
Later gifting the music manufacture with her talents for over a decade, it feels like fate that American vocaliser/songwriter Leslie Grace would exist given the take a chance for her dream project — a reworked version of the 1985 hitting "Conga", a vocal that brings up aught but positive babyhood memories for Grace. Collaborating with Meek Manufactory, Boi-1da, and with the assistance of Bacardi, the three artists received Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, and Miami Audio Machine's blessing to give their striking a 2022 spin. After the twelvemonth nosotros've had, information technology will be warmly embraced.
2021 marks a huge twelvemonth for Leslie Grace; we finally see her become the triple threat she was built-in to be when she showcases her dancing, singing and acting talents in the film adaptation of "In The Heights". It's a longtime coming but in the summer, it's looking like nosotros are going to become to visit our friends in Washington Heights this summertime. Leslie will play Nina, a first-generation Latin American college student returning home to surprise her parents but is likewise dealing with an inner conflict trying to figure out who she really is.
1883 spoke with Leslie Grace near her 'Conga' collaboration with Meek Manufacturing plant, Boi-1da, and Bacardi, her first acting role in 'In The Heights', and why a certain part of the set in the pic made the experience a full-circle moment for her and her family.
Today is the release of "Conga", a retelling of the 1985 song past Gloria Estefan, Emilio Estefan, and Miami Sound Machine. You've teamed up with Meek Mill and Boi-1da for this and information technology'southward incredible. What is information technology about 'Conga' in particular that has resonated with y'all to the point where you want to put a new spin on it?
It resonates with a lot of people from my generation. I feel a closeness to "Conga" considering growing upwardly I was ever dancing to it at family gatherings. I remember being tiny and information technology existence on and just dancing and spinning effectually to it at every party and every nuptials. I've always had this amazing corporeality of respect for Gloria considering she was the first Latin artist that was able to go mainstream and sing in both languages — a true international superstar. I wanted to do that. It was inspirational to me, especially since "Conga" was such an international hit. Having the opportunity to recreate the track was a true blessing. When the Bacardi squad reached out and asked if I could exist a part of this incredible campaign and recreate this iconic song, I was shocked! [Laughs] I had to brand certain it was okay with Gloria and Emilio and Miami Sound Machine, they needed to be down with it!
And they were down with it!
Yeah, they've been amazing through this whole thing. We asked if they trusted us to do information technology and they were all for it which means I couldn't say no! [Laughs] Every bit soon as the thought was presented to us and we had their blessings, we knew we had to make this the best-reimagined version of "Conga" as nosotros can for our generation to enjoy today.
Yeah, I saw Emilio gave y'all his blessings on Twitter the other mean solar day. It feels like they are passing the baton in a way.
More than anything, it was then of import that we had their approving to recreate a song that was so huge for them and revolutionary for the rest of the globe to a betoken where people are yet listening to the original at gatherings that you can do the conga line at today. That was a huge gene to the project itself and important to me and all of the team; we wanted to maintain the integrity of the original vocal and the essence of it. Gloria and Emilio felt skilful almost it and were part of every pace of the process in regards to the lyrics I wrote and the unlike tweaks we made in the track. The heart and essence of the original vocal are there and it is a great reflection of what "Conga" was in the first place.
BACARDÍ Rum is working with you for the projection and I feel like you tin meet the brand in the very colourful and fun music video — it looked similar a party. What was it like to film the video?
It was the most artistic matter I've done in ages — information technology felt like a mini-musical. It actually shows "do what moves you" beautifully. It had an amazing director and he had this astonishing set already drawn upwardly frame-by-frame. When nosotros saw the video proposal and the set and we saw how he was going to get this washed between shooting and the choreography, nosotros were blown away. I was in dance training for a few weeks also to get all of the dancing perfect, too. All of these really important pieces came together and information technology was very much a labour of dearest with a existent intention to brand all of these people come up together with a purpose. When you see the video, you lot'll see I'm all over the place but you'll sympathize — it's a world of dance happening everywhere in the video. Somehow, he pulled it all together and it all worked out!
That's amazing, particularly given that y'all shot it during the quarantine.
Yeah, it was! Thankfully we were able to practice this beautiful thing at a fourth dimension where a lot of people are at domicile and unable to do what they honey, we understood the gravity of that. We were able to shoot something and then celebratory and cute in a identify that was safe [Portugal] and got anybody tested. On-set for the kickoff time after the year everyone had was only an incredible experience and memory.
It looks like something everyone needs to starting time the year — brilliant, light, and full of life.
Oh aye, definitely! That's what we were saying all forth. Nosotros've been working on it for so long and nosotros knew by the time it came out, people volition demand it after the twelvemonth we've had. If y'all're above ground, life calls to be celebrated correct now. "Conga" is i of those tracks that needs yous to get up and celebrate life.
Speaking of musicals — this summer we will FINALLY see you star equally Nina Rosario in the motion-picture show adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda's play In The Heights. For people who don't know about information technology, can you tell us a bit about the projection?
Listen, I could go on and on nigh this projection! [Laughs] As I said before, while we were shooting "Conga" it felt like shooting a mini-musical and this is the first musical release I've done since shooting "In The Heights". Shooting something like this was very reminiscent of my fourth dimension shooting in Washington Heights with all of the team. One of my favourite parts in the motion picture and the musical is "Carnaval Del Barrio" and that is one of the liveliest numbers and it is a commemoration of life and the possibilities of whatever life may bring later on a actually hard fourth dimension in the storyline of "In The Heights" and that'southward really what "Conga" felt like for me.
I bet! Especially when the film was pushed back a whole twelvemonth. What was it like to play Nina?
I can't wait for everybody to see it. Information technology became a personal experience for me because it was my starting time gig as an actress later auditioning for years and working silently on that side of me for years, forth with working on music at the same time. In that location were so many full circle moments that happened while I was shooting, too. I'1000 also from New York and a lot of our storylines crossover. Being able to play what feels similar a version of myself every bit my first opportunity every bit an extra is something I will always retrieve. I felt like I learned and so much almost myself from Nina, I learned so much nigh life from Nina. I had a lot of empathy from where she was and the pressure level she was experiencing trying to make anybody proud, which I think anybody feels at one betoken.
The story highlights trying to arrange or break free, something anybody struggles with.
Definitely. Specifically, as a first generation Latina-Americana existence born here and trying to make your parents who migrated here for you to accept a ameliorate time to come, I could chronicle to the pressure she was going through. She's the commencement one to go to college, she makes it into Stanford, and she comes dorsum habitation to the heights to tell everyone about it, just she's been having a really hard time. She's not having an issue assimilating, simply she's grappling with who she is, whether she'south befitting to somebody I'm not to fit in or do I stay the same Washington Heights girl that everyone knows and loves? You meet her work through that throughout the film in the music, the trip the light fantastic toe, and all of the beautifully woven stories that Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda built and Jon M. Chu shot. It's the pic we'll demand! I tin't wait for yous to see it.
Terminal fall I spoke with the lovely Ariana Greenblatt who plays the younger version of Nina. We talked a lot about Latin representation in film and how it's slowly been getting better. How has it been for y'all to finally be seeing proper representation in the media and beingness part of a cast like the one in 'In The Heights'?
Ariana is one of my favourite people e'er ! I dearest her. I felt honoured to be role of the bandage. "In The Heights" is an bibelot of a projection to have equally your beginning interim part; it was a beautiful thing to be able to do but fabricated me recall "information technology shouldn't be like that." I was fully conscious of that. Information technology'southward a huge project and I idea a lot about the fans of the musical a lot. My first opportunity to human action on-screen, I know this doesn't happen to people every day. Information technology fabricated me think well-nigh how a approval like that should be available to people who can properly represent themselves and their community. You want people to play their story. Across the board, downwardly to every dancer that was cast, yous will see every skin tone. We properly represent each story that's told in "In The Heights".
That's amazing and must feel so empowering.
Yeah, it was. One of the near powerful moments for me was bringing my mom and dad to set. I was born in the Bronx but my parents are Dominican. My mom is a hairstylist and owns a salon and has owned ane for over 30 years. Her first i was actually in the Heights, a block away from where we shot all summer. When she arrived to visit me on set, none of u.s.a. knew there was a schedule change and somehow it concluded up being the rehearsal inside of [the character] Daniella's salon. It was such a full-circle moment; the fact that she was there, on the same day we shot the salon scene, was meant to be. She looked inside and said "this looks like my salon!" [Laughs] In that location are then many moments like that that made me feel reflected and the stories experience universal, merely the people that are really from the communities will love information technology. There's truth at the centre of the story. When yous take people that care about reflecting what'due south truthful, information technology comes through on-screen.
I know nosotros demand to wrap upward, merely I wanted to say how much I loved your letter you wrote for the Recording Academy. When yous said "how we exercise what nosotros do is what gives united states meaning, not what we do." in the letter, it resonated with me. Thank you for that.
Oh man, that means the world to me. Thank you so much. I hope it resonated with people. I know it was a lot of words so thank you for reading information technology. Information technology's been a learning lesson for me, as well. I'm taking your words with me for the rest of the day.
Watch "Conga" feat. Meek Mill, Leslie Grace, and Boi-1da now & cheque out "In The Heights" later this year.
interview by Kelsey J Barnes
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