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Multi-cultural musician coming to Gallup

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According to her website, Raye Zaragoza dealt with a lot of pain growing up and trying to fit in as a Japanese-American, Mexican, Indigenous woman. But that’s all changed now that she’s grown up, accepted herself for who she is, and found her voice as a musician.

“I am proud to be a multicultural brown woman with insecurities and a vibrant intersectional identity that I continue to grapple with,” Zaragoza stated in a post on her website. “I hope young girls of today will know that the ‘It Girl’ is whatever the hell they want to be.”

“The It Girl” is one of the songs off Zaragoza’s 2020 album “Woman in Color.”

Zaragoza grew up in New York City, where her father played trumpet in a mariachi band and performed on Broadway in the musical “Annie Get Your Gun.”

In an interview with the Sun, Zaragoza said she grew up loving classic rock and roll, listening to artists like Led Zeppelin and Simon & Garfunkel.

She began writing her own songs at 17 years old.

“I love songwriting, I love being a communicator through song, and I love how it connects me to so many amazing people around the world,” Zaragoza said. “I love how it brings out the human connection. I love how songwriting connects a lot of people; music brings people together. It’s a universal language.”

In 2016, Zaragoza’s first single “In the River” went viral. Zaragoza wrote the song after learning about the situation at Standing Rock and how it was affecting Indigenous communities.

Her first album “Fight for You” was a protest-driven debut that Zaragoza said was about finding her voice as a woman of color. The album drew rampant praise from the likes of Billboard and Paste Magazine as well as touring opportunities with Dispatch and Donovan Woods,  among others.

Zaragoza will be performing as a part of the Levitt Amp Concert Series on June 25. The concert starts at 6 pm at the Courthouse Square. The event is free to the public.

Zaragoza said she’s excited to come to Gallup.

“I know Gallup has so many indigenous folks who live locally in Gallup and in the surrounding cities and areas, and I’m excited to connect with a lot of Native folks who I know live in Gallup who have never heard my music, and just to connect with a new city,” Zaragoza said.

The Levitt Amp Concert Series is funded by Gallup MainStreet, the Levitt Amp Foundation, Visit Gallup, and the city of Gallup.

For more information and more concert dates go to visitgallup.com.

By Molly Ann Howell
Sun Correspondent