Today we’d like to introduce you to Lina Corrales
Hi Lina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always sang but I started playing guitar when I was 12 years old. My dad had an old guitar in the basement and I just taught myself by watching YouTube videos. I started playing in local coffee shops and restaurants soon after. At 15, I was asked to be a part of a local all-girl band called “Over The Castle”. We had a ton of fun together and it taught me a lot about the dynamics of being in a band. We headlined the Gothic theater when we were all 16 which was a crazy experience to have at that age. But after a year of being in the band, I quit to focus on track and cross country instead of music.
That led me to running at Portland State where, in the first year, I broke both of my feet. Due to that injury and a medical condition, I was no longer able to run competitively. Sadly, I also felt like music was out of the question for me because it wasn’t what I had stuck with. At that point, I felt completely lost. I no longer had either of the two things that lit me up and gave me purpose. It took me until I was 23 to convince myself to fully commit to music. Since then it’s been an exciting, terrifying, and rewarding roller coaster!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. From age 18 to 23 I found it basically impossible and unbearable to work on music. At first, I had just convinced myself that it wasn’t what I wanted to pursue. During which time I felt totally unhappy and lost. But over time I realized, the real issue was, music was SO important to me and so integral to who I am that I was afraid to “mess it up”. I had so much inner criticism about how I wasn’t as good of a songwriter as I wanted to be or would need to be to be successful. Just getting myself to write a song would send me spiraling.
Eventually, after going to therapy and largely after reading “The Artist’s Way”, I was able to take that first baby step of just writing one new song. The cool thing, I realized, was that I wouldn’t have become the songwriter that I’m so proud of being now if I hadn’t experienced all those years of directionlessness, fear, and frustration. And since then, I’ve just been pushing myself to take whatever the next small step is for each day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write and release alternative rock/indie under my name, Lina Corrales. I play live with a band made up of three of my best friends. We started playing live near the end of 2024 and are excited to announce our first headlining show on March 28th at the Mercury Cafe. My first EP is set to release this May. After all those years of not perusing music, I’m eager to hit the ground running. I feel really proud of me and my band’s work ethic. It’s not easy trying to be successful in music, but it’s been so fun nonetheless!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I play (or attend) shows in the evenings and then I wake up early to bartend at a brunch spot in Castle Rock. I’ve found bartending to be something else that really that lights me up. I love the people I work with, the guests I serve, and the community I live in. I feel incredibly lucky that I love my day job and I get to work on my dream at the same time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Linacorrales
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linacorrales_/
- LinkedIn: https://linacorrales.bandcamp.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@linacorrales_
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/iwh8s4UdPNTQUENK6
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1DZwGIEtgEeicith9zApe9?si=28GIOkfNQ8W6DR6ds2S5nQ
Image Credits
Jason Myers
Marcus Gil
Mark Bayman
