By France Music
La Chica: A Glimpse into Unique Musical Sensibility
‘La Chica Belleville’, as her complete alias claims, is a Franco-Venezuelan artist, whose real name is Sophie Fustec. La Chica started playing the violin when she was 6 years old, and the piano at the age of 9. She also played classical piano until her twenties, and then begun to sing and perform with groups. Sophie sings in 3 different languages, Spanish, English and French, but prefers to compose her music in Spanish.
Before dedicating herself to this project, Fustec spent 15 years working as a collaborator of several international singers of African, jazz and pop genres. Which is why she lasted 2 years creating her first EP. “Oasis” is La Chica’s first EP, including 5 amazing titles, among them “Oasis”, as its name, “Be Able” and “Vale La Pena”.
This production was born from the idea to make music that resemble her, who is a collage of cultures with musical influence from different places of the world. That’s why this EP counts with collaborations of artists from a lot of countries. The “Oasis” video was made by ‘Temple Caché’, and tries to show what it would be like to perceive in images all the emotions and thoughts that pass through your mind when you are in front of someone.
Using artistic codes as collages, street art, and others. “Be Able” video is also made by this same agency, showing from a parade of vintage advertisements of the sixties and seventies, to images of Pink Floyd, and it reflects a world that has become superficial, animated by appearance, power and money.
This EP is a ride from artistic and poetic music full of colors, to deep and inspiring lyrics that makes people really get into it. On February, 2019, she released her first album named “Cambio”, which counts with 13 tracks, and includes her singles “Addict”, “Drink”, “Sola” and “Ratas”.
She can’t define her work into an only genre, is more like a fusion of pop influence, hip-hop, Latin music and Spanish canton, to mention a few. Always trying to remove all the emotions, to let them out, transforming it into music. Her alter ego is based on ‘La Chica’ representing to all the women in the world, and her Latin roots, and ‘Belleville’ the place where she grew up in France. This multicultural artist creates a portal between two parts of the world, mixing them with her own touch.
When exploring the vibrant landscape of contemporary music, one might find themselves asking, “is chica a singer?” Indeed, the answer is a resounding yes. The “chica singer”, Sophie Fustec, known professionally as La Chica Belleville, is a remarkable fusion of cultural backgrounds and musical talents. Her unique sound is a testament to her identity as both a singer and a composer, blending elements from across the globe into her emotionally rich performances.
As an artist who transcends simple categorization, the question “is chica a musician?” also garners a definite affirmative. Not only is La Chica a vocalist, but her prowess extends to the piano and violin, instruments she has mastered since childhood.
Fustec’s work, emblematic of her versatile skills, brings to the forefront the identity of “la chica singer”, where ‘La Chica’ signifies her connection to all women around the world and her Latin heritage, while ‘Belleville’ nods to the Parisian neighborhood where she cultivated her artistry. This duality is the cornerstone of her creative expression, allowing her to craft a sonic experience that serves as a bridge between her Venezuelan roots and European upbringing.
Alejo Guerrero