Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Whatever the music, whatever the
By John Berger
trend, Sonya Mendez attributes more
than two decades of success and staying
power to her commitment to be true to herself
Special to the Star-Bulletin
FEW of Hawaii's prominent singers have reinvented themselves more often or more successfully than Sonya Mendez. Her resume includes successful gigs singing Top 40, Hawaiian pop, alternative rock and oldies, and she's back on the scene these days doing "Latin-flavored pop music" with Chica Tropica.
Mendez says it was a conversation with Sting at Wave Waikiki that inspired her to become a musical chameleon. They met in the '80s when his band, The Police, came to Hawaii on its farewell tour for a performance at Aloha Stadium. Mendez was headlining the Wave.
"They came to the Wave for their private party and he told me 'Be true to yourself. When it comes to being an artist and a writer stay true to yourself.' I think I've always done that."
"I've always done what I felt (inside) whether people understood it or not.
"When you're performing live I think it's good to be able to do all kinds of music. Hopefully, all your past experiences will meld themselves into your own original style.
Mendez describes her style at the moment as a synthesis of Latin, R&B and jazz, which she'll be performing at tomorrow's "Backyard Barbecue Dance Bash" at the Sheraton Waikiki Diamond Head Lawn.She says her interests have changed as her life experiences have broadened and public perceptions of music have changed.
What she did in the past -- whether singing with Carole Kai, starring in her own Hawaiian-pop lounge show, recording as a solo artist, singing New Wave and "commercial alternative rock music" as Sonya & Revolucion at the Wave -- reflected where she was at the time.
"Going from the loungey stuff to alternative rock was where I was then and it turned out to be a good thing because it was real. It was a real true indication of how we felt."
She and the other members of Revolucion are considering a reunion but she says the band and its music represents the past.
"Back then, we were adolescents full of angst and that music expressed how we felt. It worked then and we could do a reunion concert, but the audience has changed and so have we."
Mendez points out that her 1997 album, "Reaching For You," recorded in Atlanta when she was singing with Worldwide Groove, was a little ahead of the Hawaii market when it came out. The "world music" Latin sound hadn't crossed over to the mainstream pop market -- let alone reached Hawaii.
"It was big in Europe and the East Coast (in 1997). It went down south and then out to Hawaii. Latin music has always been big in its own community but now everyone else has cottoned on (and) it's cool."
On stage
What: Backyard Barbecue Dance Bash, featuring Sonya Mendez and Chica Tropica, Cookie, Ka'ala Boys, Kapena, Three Plus, The Krush, Honolulu, Jennifer Perri, Oceanside Band, Jonathan Hoomanawanui, Baba B and others
Her current project is Chica Tropica with Mele Songsong (percussion), Mimi Connor (keyboards) and DiDi Kaeo (drums). The group will be playing music from the Worldwide Groove album, along with similar songs by other artists on Friday.
"A lot of people think that Latin music is salsa but that's a general myth. Latin music is also Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, soca, bossa nova, Tex-Mex and Argentine as well.
"What is Sonya & Chica Tropica? We're Latin-flavored pop music. ... It's the kind of music that makes me feel really good when I'm singing it."
In addition to performing with Chica Tropica, Sonya sings Top 40 as part of a high energy "girl group" show that includes costume changes and an eight-piece band. She dreams of expanding Chica Tropica by at least a bass player and a guitarist -- and eventually adding at least one horn -- but local clubs generally don't have the budget for a six- or seven-piece group.
"There are opportunities for live music and I think we're on the upswing of the bell curve when it comes to acceptance of original music. For so long it seemed that you had to do covers to get jobs -- especially for dancing -- but a lot of original music now is danceable and very rhythmic."
Mendez is taking the Chica Tropica concept forward with her next album. The disc will be her third or fourth project, depending on who's counting. She remembers Sonya & Revolucion doing a song titled "Everything's Alright" for a compilation album sponsored by KPOI 98 Rock in the early '80s -- does anyone remember it?
She also released a promising full-length solo album in 1981. The title was "Don't Call Me."
"I shouldn't have called it that," she says with a laugh. "Nobody called.
"But that was a good experience. I think sometimes when you have adverse times in your career it helps add to your character."
Click for online
calendars and events.
