From Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Juracán shares an intimate anthem for hope with his latest single, "My Mind."
Juracán is the musical brainchild of Pierre Carbuccia, who taught himself multiple instruments, singing, songwriting, production, mixing, and performing. He was raised on a variety of Dominican favorites like bolero, merengue, Latin Pop, and more. After venturing into other genres like post-rock, r&b, jazz, and more, Juracán fully immersed himself in his craft and never looked back.
Since 2016, Pierre has focused on exploring and creating his own sonic world under Juracán. He's incorporating a more confident and lavish approach to music creation that appeals to any audience. Listeners can experience this lush and meaningful sound in his latest single, "My Mind."
The new single gently opens with a somber acoustic guitar that floats into the lush first verse alongside soft percussion and Juracán's chilling vocals. Juracán mentioned that the initial guitar melody he wrote was more dreadful than his emotional lyrical content.
After meeting up with producer Eric Leavell, the two managed to put a brighter, more positive spin on the instrumentals. Now, this soothing anthem for overcoming life's trials and tribulations feels less like a song of defeat and more like a song of optimism and perseverance.
This dynamic song offers an undeniably wholesome feel, and Juracán's lyrics are not only relatable, but they help us realize that living in life's dark moments "is just a phase."
When you're looking for something to help get you past life's toughest moments, look to Juracán's new expressive and relatable single, "My Mind," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Juracán. You've truly moved us with the release of your emotional yet uplifting new single, "My Mind." What moments inspired you to write such a personal and vulnerable song?
I'm glad the song has moved you all! My Mind started from constant moments of rumination. More specifically, night and moments alone were thoughts that were just racing. Sometimes the emotions tied to the thoughts felt unmanageable, and it was all so overwhelming. The first lines came as a realization that later fueled the need for space: "My mind is my worst enemy. It keeps playing games with me." It seemed like those moments were endless, and I felt quite stuck. The song served me as a personal anthem for a little bit. I relied on my tools to get through these moments and moved on to other songs and projects. The guitar that accompanied the song was dreadful - it matched that energy I mentioned initially in this response, and I didn't want a song like that. So, I decided to let the song sit until I was in a different place myself so that I could write from that place and add to the story. The first thing that came about was a more funky, upbeat guitar, and from there, getting Eric involved was how we created different "worlds" within the song. What was it like working with producer Eric Leavell for "My Mind?" How did he help give the song more of a positive and encouraging feel?
I love Eric. He's family. We have a duo producer project called Caribe Norwé, so we've worked together now on about eight songs. Something worth mentioning is that Eric recorded my sludge band (Flood Peak). That's how I met him. I liked how open, organized, and communicative he was in the studio. Eric helped me narrow down 66 demos into a 20-song album called Jarineo, which I released in 2020. He has also helped me produce "You Said, Lecciones" and "Dame Todo," the two most recent singles I've released. I am extremely grateful to him, his brain, his involvement, energy, and time. We shifted the song's emotional content by employing the coping mechanisms we use ourselves. Both Eric and I enjoy time in silence, journaling, meditation, exercise, and more techniques that directly or indirectly create distance from the thought or emotion that is taking away our peace. From that concept, part 2 for My Mind seemed obvious: "I know that this time, I'm taking space from my mind." From a personal standpoint, I can see things differently when they're written in a journal. When my pain is in a song, it doesn't feel mine anymore. When the pain is written on paper, it slowly stops belonging to me and instead becomes part of the journal, and, therefore, a part of my past. The last section of My Mind involves a key change, sparse instrumentation, and a more intimate vocal performance with a lyrical hopeful approach. It is the last step of a turbulent phase. A moment where remembered that we've been through similar situations which often, in hindsight, seem small and that because of these repeated events (highs and lows), we should give ourselves credit and be hopeful that we will get through it, that within us are all the tools we need to become unstuck - to stop the negative feedback loop that holds us down physically and emotionally. What was the most challenging part about creating the personal single, "My Mind"? Did you face any emotional or physical obstacles during this process?
As mentioned previously, the main challenge was that the instrumentation felt way too dark and depressing, just like the first couple of lines. I wasn't stressed about it though. I had other things to work on and understand from previous experiences that forcing songs or anything isn't the approach I wanted to take, so I just let the song sit there. Both in my mind (haha) and in Google Drive. I'd revisit it from time to time with a fresh mind (away from the moments that inspired it) and try things out during my play or practice time for guitar, singing, or writing. One day, it just clicked. Songwriting usually works like that. Something feels right, and you follow through. It was really fun to get Eric's voice on this song, which is something new and was super exciting at the moment. I think our voices complement each other really well. Should we expect to hear "My Mind" on your upcoming 4-track EP? What will that project be about?
No. My Mind is its own thing. The EP that is coming out is about romance. It has four songs that are very close to my heart, and they're all demos at the moment. I've known exactly what I want to do with them for months at this point, and I can't wait to hear what my friends and family will add to it in the studio. I'm so excited to get in the studio to work on this next week! What's next for you?
Writing more songs by myself and with Eric for Caribe Norwé, producing my next EP, playing shows for two of my friend's projects (where I'm in charge of congas, synths, and backup harmonies) - The Moon Caravan and Caicedo, and enjoying time with friends this summer. Lastly, I'm hopeful about returning to play a musical role in musical theater. I have some audition submissions I'm waiting to hear about, but I'm not worried about them at this point. There's so much to do!