Music & Me: Anier Colon-Flores

 A Little-ish About Me :)

(warning, I did say I love to write) Hey hey! My name is Anier Colon-Flores and I am currently in my senior year here at Converse (WOOO, what a ride)! I am from a small urban town in Marion County, South Carolina called Nichols, but I was originally born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. I love to say I know a good thing or two about what great music sounds like because one thing about being Latina is that we love us a good rhythm! I am a Psychology and Child & Family Studies double major and I was pursuing a music minor, but later realized that there are some classes needed for what I *hope to do in the future, which is community engagement work!

While my heart is a little torn about the decision, I am still beyond involved in music and have always been! I attended school back home until I made the decision of mine to follow the mini-dream of attending the Governor's School for the Arts as a vocalist. After graduating, I decided to stay in the Upstate to continue building my life. My love and knowledge for music grew so much at Govie and here in the Upstate, but so did my love for serving my local community and advocating for others. Even when I am not singing, I love to make and feel beats around me in my everyday life. 

When I am not actively doing music, I am probably doing some homework, working on the next CAB event, writing in my bullet journal, hanging out with friends, traveling with my beautiful girlfriend Ryleigh Henderson '24 (she is the one that told me to take this class, haha), volunteering somewhere, or arts and crafts. One thing people do not know much about me is that I love to cook, and I can honestly say that is the main thing I miss from my family was playing some Salsa in the kitchen while eating a good meal, so cooking keeps me connected to my family roots when I get all gooey and soft in the heart. We also have a orange tabby named Budgie, so of course I am doing this for my baby and my little furr son. He is a little unique so don't mind him <3 

                

1. Music I Enjoy

    I believe that music that I enjoy on a regular basis sits on a wide, long, and narrow path. Because of this, I would love to note, I am the "aux" in my friend group. My top favorite go-to genres have to definitely be R&B / Soul, like Snoh Aalegra, Marvin Gaye, SZA, and my all-time favorite, Michael Jackson. I literally have listened to MJ growing up all my life and was glued to our family laptop watching all of his music videos. I own his 1982 Thriller, his 2001 album that's grey that I can't remember right now, and his 1991 Dangerous album on 12", but I am too broke for the others at the moment. If I am having a bad day, or feeling the need to move a little while I brush my teeth, best BELIEVE Dancing Machine by The Jackson 5 will most likely be playing. I just also love their tonality with all of their songs, and their music was made to have someone get up out of their shoes. For the longest, I also had the song Blame it On the Boogie (not the Duong Disco Mix version from 2021) as my alarm for a whole year. Overall, I really do think that Michael Jackson or his original group with his brothers is the way to go, solely because of his unique vocalization style, his amazing producer Quincy Jones (rest easy), and his amazing skill to make any of his music visions come to life. (To argue, however, his version of "Come Together" is the best version there is, "hands down", no pun intended). 

2. Meaningful Music

       Growing up in the States for 17 years, all I think is what are the ways that I can connect back with my culture? The idea of visiting Puerto Rico already feels like a fever dream that needs to come true soon. My family has always been vibrant and buzzing whenever we had music playing around us. I can always remember riding with my dad in the car, watching him beat the steering wheel to the sound of the drums on El Gran Combo tracks. I think this is where my love for music all came from; the fun and joy music is meant to make you feel and express. 

It just brings me joy to know that this is the life God has blessed me with, and to know that I am able to experience such an amazing culture, food and people just makes me so much prouder of who I am. Salsa from Puerto Rico almost always has a story to tell, but to know that talented musicians come together to interpret the words through song just makes it 10x better. This music always reminds me of home, but I think my favorite part of all Salsa is all the syncopation with the drums, and the stories being told. Can I sing it, yes. Can I dance it, it still needs some work! :) I could talk so much more about this because I don't get this opportunity to show others, but oh my LORD it just brings me so much joy. This song went viral on TikTok for a little bit, but this is what I grew up listening to. Brujeria by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, which translates to witchcraft, is about a man singing about falling so in love with a woman that he gets goosebumps, sweats, and chills around her, saying that she casted a spell on him. 

3. Not my Favorite

    Now, when it comes to my not-so-favorite music... Now-- this I can definitely say that compared to some of the main genres one might not typically like, such as country, there is probably some worse ones out there. However, I would still say it is country. Now, I love a good story to an amazing song, but most country songs I have run into have been interesting, to say the least. No doubt that Carrie Underwood is an amazing artist (you probably know where this is going), but I can definitely say her 2004 Single "Jesus, Take The Wheel" is a hard one to like. Does it contain a beautiful message behind it? Yes, #PraiseTheLord, however, I remember hearing this song every two seconds with friends and it just seemed very repetitive and overplayed. It is a beautiful performance, but it might just be the the combination of a steel guitar and drums that has never sat right with me.