Flora Cruz "Beat That Drum"

Mixtape Sessions — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:56:16 -0000

Flora Cruz "Let The Sunshine Out"

Mixtape Sessions — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:47:40 -0000

Flora Cruz "No Regrets"

Mixtape Sessions — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:28:45 -0000

Flora Cruz "Overcome"

Mixtape Sessions — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:16:13 -0000

Flora Cruz: IN HER OWN WORDS

Mixtape Sessions — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:36:45 -0000

During my journey of life experiences and lessons, I learned that my only real remedy in getting through these trials and tribulations is through free expression of music. Thinking back at when I first took a hair brush in my hand and used it as an imaginary microphone, I knew that I was connected to music in a powerful and spiritual way. My church upbringing played a key role in my musical development. When I turned 16, I was put front and center to sing before the congregation even though I was uncomfortable and that was the moment when I learned to appreciate and value music. I learned that I could connect with God through my singing. I enjoyed Gospel music the most. I found that other types of Christian music bored me. Singing in church, I made a decision to produce and write the type of spiritual music that everyone can be drawn to. Although it took me many years to actually record my first song, I wrote my experiences down in journals. 2007 proved to be the year that literally pushed me to take the music I was singing on a church alter to a whole other level. The first song that I recorded was “All Of Me” which was written by Adam Cruz. The story behind this love song is basically about two people, who ran into a rough patch in their relationship with doubts and uncertainties, but love overcame and in the end, they offered all of themselves to each other.

It would be a few years later that I would record “Beat That Drum” written by Adam Cruz. This song was born through politics and religion. I had recently left my church in 2007 where I had grown musically for over 15 years. However, I found myself at a crossroads and made the decision to leave. The experience was both traumatic and painful. I love this song because as many other artists out there will tell you, when you start to give birth to music that has always lived inside of you; people will automatically be either drawn to you or will distance themselves from you. In my case, I got a lot of distance. I didn’t receive the support that I was hoping for from people within my inner circle and thus, “Beat That Drum” came to life. We literally recorded this in about 1 hour. The next song that was born was “No Regrets” written by both myself and Adam Cruz. This song is my dedication to first God then me. I believe that we all have our own “No Regrets” song inside ourselves just waiting to come out. Overall, this song is about the tears I’ve cried and the victories I’ve achieved all tied together with my commitment to God.

The next song that was born was “Let the Sunshine Out” written by Adam Cruz. This was the most fun I had putting a song together. We had the privilege of having members of our family sing background vocals on the song and the combination was powerful. This song is about letting the brightness of life overcome any type of obstacle that may present itself within your life. It’s also about letting your own personal light that lives inside of you shine through so that others can see it, connect to it and grow from it. The last song that was recorded is my most personal and favorite song “Overcome” written my both myself and Adam Cruz. I went through so many emotions writing this song because it speaks about friendships lost, things not going right and storms happening in my home. I had learned hard lessons overcoming all these things that kept me from truly living. I had to learn how to separate myself from people that were draining energy from me and that meant cutting ties that I had for many years with people that I loved. “Overcome” is mostly about getting through the storm and finally being able to breathe easy and say “YES! I got through it.” All these songs have many things in common but above all, the message that I’m trying to send out to everyone is that nothing can keep you from what you were born to do. Tough times may come and go, but you can get through it and move forward and most importantly, keep your head up high.

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Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:46:18 -0000

No Regrets (Original Vocal Mix) by Flora Cruz

Mixtape Sessions — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:29:05 -0000

Let The Sunshine Out (Original Vocal Mix) by Flora Cruz

Mixtape Sessions — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:29:05 -0000

Beat That Drum (Original Vocal Mix) by Flora Cruz

Mixtape Sessions — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:29:05 -0000

Overcome (Original Vocal Mix) by Flora Cruz

Mixtape Sessions — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:29:05 -0000