DARUMAS

Photos by Colette Faulkner

While their debut album is less than a year old, the all-female trio DARUMAS has already carved out a distinct and globally inspired sound for themselves. The band is made up of three female musicians from diverse backgrounds: Aldana Aguirre from Argentina, Ceci León from Cuba via Miami, and Vedala Vilmond, who comes from Haiti but calls Chile home. 

The band came together via some good-ole-fashioned internet stalking and a desire to bring a new voice to Latin pop. Their music weaves together R&B, pop, and Latin funk. It’s characterized by groovy baselines, soulful vocals, and, most importantly, an infectious energy that will make you want to dance. 

This weekend at Outside Lands, we got to sit down with the band and delve more into what we can expect from DARUMAS. Whether you’re listening to them for the first time or diving deeper into their discography, this is a band that you do NOT want to miss.

Can you each introduce yourselves?

Ceci: Well, my name is Ceci. I am the guitarist and background vocalist, I guess, of Darumas. And I was born and raised in Miami. Yeah, I'm from Miami.

Vedala: I'm Vedala, I'm the lead singer of Darumas. I was born in Haiti, but now I'm living in Chile. And I love music and Hello Kitty.

Aldana: Hi, I'm Aldana. I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina. And I'm the bass player and MD from Darumas.

I’d like to start with your origin story. I know you kind of all met online. How exactly did that happen?

Aldana: I was looking for musicians to have a band. I was looking for musicians, and I found a lot of incredible musicians, but also female musicians. So that was great because I found a lot of options. And when I found Ceci and Vedala on Instagram, I stalked them. I was stalking them so much. And I found that they are incredible musicians, and also they have incredible musical taste. So that was perfect for the vision that I had for this band. So I sent a message to Ceci and Vedala, and I sent a couple of songs. And that's how it all started, basically how everything started. Random DM from a random bass player that I was like, who is this?

Vedala: Actually, she called me. Video call. Before I was with Sony Music Chile, and she called me, and I was like, “I'm in the gym. Give me five minutes.” And then she called me again, and we talked about the band, about the project, and I was like, okay.

And the next day she sent me a song, Daruma, her song. And when I heard that song, I was like, oh my God, I love it. And I said, okay, I want it.

Aldana, you said you had a kind of specific vision for this band. Can you go into detail on what that vision was?

Aldana: That vision basically was the musicality, like, of course, the talent with the instrument, the love of the music, and the inspirations, like Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Everyone on Fire, Tower of Power. And I found that in these girls. 

Ceci: We all had a pretty similar taste. We still have pretty similar music tastes. We all like a lot of modern funk type stuff, but I found I liked more of the 90s, 80s, older funk, but that was really into the R&B, soulful stuff. And I studied jazz, but also into the neo-soul type stuff. So we all have that through line that kind of connects the music that we're all making together, but with all of our little influences from different angles.

Aldana: And also I loved the idea that we are from different parts of the world. So also the vision was this music. Quería que sea. I wanted to be global. Global music.International. So, Haiti, US, and Argentina. It's a lot of cultures, and that is very rich for this music from Daruma.

You each have different backgrounds and experiences in the music industry. Now that you have come together, you've put out your debut album, you've been touring, in what ways has your life changed, and how has that journey been?

Ceci: Oh, that's a great question. We're traveling a lot now, which is really cool. At least my life has changed. How do I even quantify? It's been really cool for me, at least personally. Because when I was living in Miami and my job, I'm working, I can't even say that I am now, I was in  a working position. I would play a lot at bars and restaurants and clubs and stuff with my band. My band of other people that are just like my buddies. It's like, we should play in a restaurant. And we would just play around town like that, and that was how I was paying my bills and stuff.

So to not really have to worry about that as much, and to just be doing what I love, and traveling with it, the whole thing has been incredible. The whole thing has been amazing.

Valdana: For me, before I used to be a singer, all my life I only sang, and the difference is now I'm in a band with incredible girls. So I'm so happy for that. And I'm going to explore the world with these girls, so I'm very happy.

Aldana: For me, it was a big change, because I used to be a musician for another artist, so I used to play with Karol G for example, or I don't know, Tiago PZK from Argentina, a lot of incredible artists. And now it's a big change, because now I'm on the front with the girls, so it's a huge change for me. And also, it's our music. So I used to be playing music for others, and the others, and now we play our own music. So that is a dream come true, actually.

DARUMAS is still early in its career, what are your hopes and dreams for the band?

Aldana: For me, at least, to play is the main dream for us. We are musicians, and we’ve always been surrounded by music. So this, for example, being here at this festival, it's a dream come true for us. And maybe a dream will be to play on the main stage in the future. But basically, at least for me, is to play and share a lot of stages with the girls. 

Valdana: And have a connection with the people.

Ceci: Just playing. That's it, that's what I want. Keep playing as much as we can. We've been doing a pretty good job, I think, at that.

DARUMAS is a band that is not only rooted in diverse musical traditions but is also driven by a shared passion for creating a global sound that resonates with audiences worldwide. With their debut album and ongoing tours, they are just beginning to scratch the surface of their potential. As they continue to evolve, one thing is certain: DARUMAS is here to stay, and their infectious energy, coupled with their unique blend of musical influences, promises to keep listeners dancing and connecting with their music for years to come. Keep an eye on this trio as they continue to make waves in the Latin pop scene and beyond.