We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emilio Cuesta a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emilio, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
It took a while… In 2020, right before the world had changed forever, I was cast as the lead actor in an avant-garde Off-Broadway musical written by the Tony award winning playwright, Greg Kotis. Most of my experience in acting prior had been theatrical, film, TV, but nothing ever downright musical. However the character was just too good of a fit – someone just looking to connect at the end of the day, and with a broken heart of course.
I nailed the singing, and my guitar playing was just raw enough to get the part! Working amongst Greg and these amazing creatives, I jumped right into the world of music, and a very specific genre of music — the crossroads of psychedelic folk and traditional musical theater. After months of preparation, the show had opened and our hard work had paid off in three very glorious performances! But of course, the sweeping pandemic had shut down the world a week later, and our production had ended for good.
I was stuck in my parent’s house on Long Island at the age of 25 with no job, no purpose, and no money. All I really had was my acoustic guitar, and the experience I had taken away in the last three months around music. That’s when it hit me: I needed to write songs. I started writing melodic ballads that alluded to psychedelia and musical theater. I had teamed up with a friend of my father’s who had turned out to by mentor, producer, and future band member. Musical purpose had overtaken me, and within the last three years I have been performing, producing, and releasing music under my stage name, musical project, and rock band QUESTA.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Coming from the world of acting really informed my music — not only what I write and what I make, but how I perform it, and express it on stage. I’ve always been interested in popular, alternative stuff — a bit of an oxymoron. Let me explain: my influences have always been melodic British bands like Radiohead, Pink Floyd, the latter portion of the Beatles catalogue (stuff that’s make you turn your head, but doesn’t turn you away). My goal in music has been making something strange and alternative actually approachable and accessible. I personally think a lot of music is lacking that noways, and so much of the stuff we hear is recycled pop that fits into a certain level of “safety”. It might be more risky to take chances in your chord progressions, lyrics, and melodies, but it’s important to stay true to who you are!
I approach any show I have in the same way. My supporters and fans can attest to this: I give it my absolute all, and I don’t hold back. My years of acting training had a real impact on my performing style, stage presence, and ability to connect with an audience. When it comes to sharing my music on a stage, I do it for them. But when it comes to writing the actual songs, I do it for myself.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Firstly, find a mentor! When I just started out, I had no guidance or real direction. So I’m very grateful to a certain man, who as a veteran in writing and performing, had taken me under his wing to show me so many beautiful things about music and the world at large. It’s good to have autonomy as an artist, in fact it’s very important. Yet, when entering into a new artistic field, I recommend finding a good big brother or big sister with proven experience that can guide you to success.
Secondly, make sure you love your craft. Anyone who is trying to be a filmmaker, or an actor, or a musician for anything other than the love of it, will not succeed in my opinion. On the surface, dedicating your life to a craft sounds fun and whimsical, but it’s actually really grueling at the end of the day, and it’s work. It’s important to know in your heart and soul that the craft you are undertaking is something that keeps you up at night.
Thirdly, just do it. I love music because there’s no excuse not to practice your craft in various different forms. You pick up a up a guitar, and play around. You can schedule a rehearsal with your bandmates. You can coordinate with a venue and have a performance. The arena is waiting, and there’s no excuse not to spend hours doing the thing. Don’t worry about the instagram likes and the popularity contest of it all, the key is to get the hours in.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When you’re overwhelmed, take a deep breath and remember to accept your reality and current state of being. I’m a big believer that if something happens, it’s meant to be. Thus, if something didn’t happen, it’s not meant to be. You might not be where you want to be, you might be riddled with certain choices you’ve made, but time has a funny way of allowing ourselves to heal and be resilient. There’s a song I’m working on, and I actually submitted it to the 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Contest, titled “Resilient Beauty”.
The idea of the song is that life certainly gets the best of us: it’s not easy to grow up, it’s not easy to be an adult, it’s not easy to get over lost relationships, and loss in general. However, as human beings, we do have the power of resilience, and there’s something beautiful about that. Some of the strongest people are the ones who have dealt with tragedy, and some of the best art comes from suffering and pain. Take your problems and turn them into advice. Take your suffering and turn them into songs.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/questamusic/?hl=en
- Other: Follow me and listen to my music on Spotify! – https://open.spotify.com/artist/1oifg0NxOhhlhTyBMv7Z6y
Image Credits
Colleen Dodge
