The only Latin indie music festival in Phoenix is back. Here's what music lovers can expect
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For the past two years, an Arizona artist has dedicated her career to creating a space where the Latino community can come together and bask in the melodic sounds the evergrowing local music scene has to offer.
“This festival was created with the purpose of meeting a necessity in my community," said Elyssa Bustamante, known as "The Funky Latina," in an interview for La Voz Arizona/The Arizona Republic.
Bustamante, 36, a native of southern Arizona — born in Tucson and raised in the town of Mammoth — and current Phoenix resident is a DJ, music influencer and event producer. Two years ago she launched a project that was born from the inspiration of helping her Latin music community.
The Funky Latina Music Festival — Arizona's only Latin indie music festival — will celebrate its third edition on March 30 at the Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix. This event provides a platform for independent Latin musical artists in the United States to perform and become more recognized.
'The Funky Latina is me'
Bustamante started as a blogger in 2019, producing music content, sharing her thoughts on artists she came across, music recommendations and concerts or festivals she attended. She soon became known as The Funky Latina.
But this alias isn't exactly her brand, she said. It's who she is.
“The Funky Latina is me, a part of who I am. It is not something I turn on and off, it is something I turn up,” she shared.
Simultaneously, Bustamante worked on the blog and a live show on her Instagram account, @thefunkylatina, called “Let’s Hear It,” where she interviewed Latin musical artists based across the U.S. The show is something she still keeps going.
During one of the lives, she interviewed the Latin indie band Brother Sports, from Austin, Texas. The members mentioned many times not feeling recognized in the industry since they were not invited to musical events, and when they were, they were usually last in the lineup.
This interview pushed Bustamante to dream up a production she describes as the future “Latino Coachella."
“I said, 'let’s start our own music festival where Latinos are highlighted in the lineup from the top to the bottom,'" she said.
In 2022 she debuted with the now locally recognized Funky Latina Music Festival.
That first edition was a real challenge because it involved “getting people to believe in something that didn’t exist yet." Today, a week before the third annual festival is set to take place, she said was proud and excited about the constant evolution of this event and the brilliant projection it has for the future — she dreams of growing it nationally.
When it comes to making connections with artists, Bustamante contacts them at least a year in advance.
When putting together a lineup, she considers two key factors: that they are artists she discovered or that need more recognition; and that all acts bring a rich, diverse flair — in line with the diverse musical tastes of her family, her number one fans.
3rd edition of the Funky Latina Music Festival
This year's lineup includes six acts — two of them hailing from outside of Arizona.
The lineup is as follows (with commentary from Bustamante):
VORTXZ, a bilingual alternative music band based in Houston, Texas, sound like The Strokes but en español.
Introverted Funk, a duo from Los Angeles, California — this will be their first time performing in Phoenix —sound like a fusion of Tina Marie and Daft Punk, a combination of electronic and funky sounds.
The New Royals are a band of Latino brothers from Phoenix who have a very emo musical style.
DJ Aja Cruz, is a local DJ who frequently performs at venues like Crescent, Cobra and Valley Bar.
DJ Audrey, also a local, has been Bustamante's trusted DJ for the last two years at the festival.
Monique Hasbun, a native Phoenician and Latin Pop artist, brings a combination of Shakira and Becky G to the stage.
The event will be for adults 21 and over. General admission and VIP options are available, the exclusive ticket including early access to the event and a “swag bag” with exclusive festival merchandise. Bustamante recommended purchasing tickets online in case they sell out. The last two festivals failed to sell out, but it's something she looks forward to this year.
The Funky Latina Music Festival 2024
Details: Saturday, March 30, doors open at 7 p.m. (VIP 6:30 p.m.), at the Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. 2nd Ave., Phoenix. Tickets from $25 to $50. https://www.crescentphx.com/.
Reach La Voz reporter Paula Soria at psoriaaguilar@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Funky Latina Music Festival is back in Phoenix. How to get tickets
