Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Pablo Castellanos Scherer of Queens

Pablo Castellanos Scherer shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Pablo, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What battle are you avoiding?
Right now, I’m avoiding self-promotion and content creation. For 4 months, I’ve been learning about strategies to grow my online presence through more active social media profiles, and the hardest part is still enjoying it. I feel like a waste of time when I do anything with the intention of posting it, and it sucks that all I hear about is how that is the way to get music discovered today. So I’m stuck between wanting to give my music the best chance to be heard by more people and mountains of self-doubt, annoyance, and shame. Most of me believes it’s important, but I catch myself repeatedly seeking shelter in writing a song, producing a demo, or practicing my instrument. I feel that only those activities make me a better musician, but I wonder how much that will matter if I can’t subsist off my music.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a self-producing musical artist under the name “Her Majesty’s Poor Sugar”. I write, arrange, record, and edit my songs until they are out in the world purely for expression, because my body and soul scream at me to do it. I sometimes sound like The Strokes, Radiohead, Mk.gee, and imaginary syntheses of these heroes that live only in my head, and I am most interested in subversive musical ideas, from distorting an acoustic guitar until it sounds like my grinding teeth to writing a song with no discernible chorus, but where every section is a hook.

I’m from Mexico City, but most of the music I listened to while I developed my taste was rock bands from England and the US, so the majority of the lyrics I’ve written are in English. I currently force myself to write songs in Spanish because I want to be more in touch with a Spanish-speaking audience, not to mention my native tongue.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I’m not sure that this is what the question is getting at, but I know a relationship that shaped who I wanted to be. My best friend Mark Michele, a tremendous singer, guitar player, and prodigious songwriter. His constant wailing made me want to become a better singer, and his consistently engaging songs inspire me every time I have an idea to crack. He was also one of the first artists for whom I had the privilege to produce, and the first with whom I did it repeatedly. “Wake Up, My Love” is our first collaboration to be released, and it came out on August 1st, 2025.

In addition to his musicality, he is a stubbornly good person who always wants to do the right thing for those around him. He is generous and loving, and I am beyond grateful to spend so much time with him because it rubs off on me.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think the fear for rejection is the one that’s held me back in life the most often. It’s usually not from super important things because I realize that I must go through with them no matter what, but there have been many times when I want to strike up a conversation with someone in public, and I get scared that they’ll be bothered or weirded out by me. This is something I’ve been working on for years, and it comes and goes in seasons. Sometimes I’m really shy, and sometimes I’ll talk to anyone. I would ideally never succumb to the fear because meeting people is one of the finest ways to adventure in life, but I also accept that I’m not a super-stoic.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I try to always show warmth towards strangers. When I first moved to Boston from Mexico City, it freaked me out that people would greet each other with a wave from two meters away, or a handshake at most. I grew up giving hugs to people I just met, and I do it as often as I can, but I’ve noticed many individuals be in shock and kind of uncomfortable when I go in for the hug. I’ve mostly transitioned to asking consent for the hug haha, but I wish it wasn’t that big of a deal in the US. I could also be blowing it way out of proportion.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop trying to grow on social media. I would divert all efforts to in-person community growth, and maybe that’s a sign of what I should be doing regardless, because I don’t have even one more week of life guaranteed.

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Carlos Fuentes Dabbah
Nacho Crespo
Hunter Astrid B

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