For the past few years Vel The Wonder has been working tirelessly through the hip-hop scene. Opening up for notable rappers and creating a lane all on her own with her brand. Vel has built a loyal following, dedicated to seeing her develop as an artist. Her mellow flow is smooth, with Latina rooted stories and strategically written lyrics exploring her personal experiences. Vel’s laid back personality reflects in her street style, along with a motivated mindset that we admire. “Mija,” off her latest album La Sena Ave, is a song dedicated to herself from the perspective of her loving father. Starting off with a powerful message that Viva La Bonita believes everyone should encourage, “Dream Big Mija.” Her inspiration from our shirts created an opportunity for the team to collaborate our core values of empowering women, with her talent for making a song that encompasses our feelings. Viva La Bonita wanted to help make the vision of “Mija” come to life with a video that throws viewers back into a time when life was only but a dream and all we had were encouraging words from our familia.
A nostalgic television set turns on and the camera zooms into a fuzzy screen with a poster above it reading, “Mujeres Can Do Anything.” Slowly revealing Vel walk up to a mic and say “Dream Big Mija, you can see the world. Everything the sun touches is yours.” A performance delivered to the world but aimed at every daughter that needs to hear a message that she can achieve anything. The trumpet leads us into one of Vel’s favorite scenes where she sits in a yellow ‘Dream Big Mija’ toy box. Colorfully dressed in an Emotional Gangsta sweatshirt with fake clouds moving behind her, establishing the message of her song. “Listen, anything boys can do you can do better. And no man will love you more than me ever, your mom too.” The song acts as a constant reminder of what her parents taught her, continuing into the scene of her as a fortune teller singing, “focusing on your future always.”
Vel’s unique perspective as a Latina MC shines in the same light that Viva La Bonita does. The mentality of working hard to achieve your goals resonates with her fans and our followers. She reflects on the lessons she has gained from her family in the scene where she is surrounded by PB&J’s. “And if I ever yelled a little too much, its cause I love you. My first daughter, no one comes above you.” As the music fades, she is crowned in flowers standing tall, radiant and ready to take on the world before her. She eats up all the sandwiches, dabs her red lipstick and wraps up her magic show.
The growth Vel has experienced as an artist shows in her music and embodies everything Viva La Bonita has been trying to accomplish. Director Day Hernandez says “I came up with the idea that she was speaking to the world.” Hernandez, rooted in her colorful Mexican background thought “let’s flourish this and make it a beautiful art piece.” Her direction was strategic, explaining “everything was symmetrical and textured. Vel wanted to try something new.” After falling in love with the sounds of the trumpet she shared, “I think that song for a lot of women is going to touch them.” Proof that when women come together beautiful things happen. Vel’s album La Sena Ave is available now.
Article by Kimberly Quitzon
Video directed and produced by Revival Reels and Viva La Bonita
Wardrobe styling by Marissa Gonzalez for Viva La Bonita
Hair & MUA by Jazmine Marquez for JazmineMarquez.com
