Turning Music Into A Movement with La Jefa, Heidi Rojas
Turning Music Into A Movement with La Jefa, Heidi Rojas
Creatives grow businesses too. Read about hers and learn how she's making jefa moves.
Familia, it was hard not to fan girl over this week’s special feature guest.
You may recognize her from your TikTok FYP, or maybe you’ve heard one of the #1 hits she’s written for other artists. It is my honor to introduce you all to the one and only, la mera mera, Heidi Rojas.
Heidi Rojas is a #1 hit songwriter, artist, first generation Latina and mother of two based in Los Angeles. After many years of writing for other artists including “Wings” with Little Mix, “Crazy Stupid Love” with Cheryl Cole, songs with Dove Cameron, Pitbull, NKOTB, Allen Stone, and more, Heidi is very excited be releasing empowerment pop anthems in Spanglish for Latines, women and madres.
Her first single "La Situación" is a bicultural self acceptance anthem, the follow up single "Madre Creator" is a mom empowerment anthem, “Jefa” is a boss/entrepreneur anthem. And with a community of nearly 25k TikTok followers so far, I’m positive Heidi is just getting started.
How Heidi Rojas Turned Her Music Into A Movement
A: What inspired you to start writing these kinds of songs and putting them out there for the world to see on TikTok?
H: I’ve always loved riding empowerment, anthems like “Tribe” that I wrote for the Pitch Perfect 3 soundtrack and “wings” that I helped write for Little Mix. So, when I started writing songs for myself, it just came naturally to empower people like me. Women, Latines, moms, entrepreneurs. The decision to put them out was a spur the moment feeling I had to share the songs myself instead of pitch them to other artists. I don’t really know what I was thinking, was just a brave leap.
A: How long ago was your first post and how did you create such a strong and engaged community in such a short amount of time?
H: My first post was probably mid to November 2022. I posted my song “La Situación”. I think the first line of the song really caught people’s attention “the gringos call me exotic, my gente call me whitina.” so it started circulating and the algorithm magically found people the message connected with. And once I started receiving comments of people who resonated with my experience, I knew I had to keep going. Maybe I’ve connected so quickly because I have nothing to lose? Maybe it’s because I’m often posting in my pajamas, exhausted from hanging out with my two amazing (but tiring) toddlers, sharing songs from my heart. I don’t really know honestly but I’m so grateful.
A: You’ve recently released a song called “Jefa”, which I of course had to highlight - can you tell the readers of La Hoja a little more about the influences for the song?
H: Yes! I wrote “Jefa” because I was tired of dealing with imposter syndrome and watching such beautiful, talented and diverse women, struggle with it too. If the voice in our head is advocating for us, championing us, and pumping us up, then we’re literally unstoppable. And there are many systems in place to make sure we don’t know that or channel that energy. But I believe with the rise of Latina owned small businesses across the country that we’re starting to realize how powerful we are as women, and as Latinas, so I wrote an anthem for us to never forget that not only are we making jefa moves, but that we deserve to.
A: Why do you think songwriting in Spanglish is important for our comunidad? Do you foresee the music industry putting out more bilingual hits?
H: Spanglish is just the way my brain talks having been raised learning English and Spanish at the same time, speaking Spanish at home and English at school. I have never written a song in Spanglish until I wrote “La Situación”. That was me channeling my superpower, being bicultural, de aqui y también de alla. And I know there are a lot of people who relate. Spanglish is a beautiful language. I hope more music is shared in Spanglish.
A: What is your ultimate vision for your career as a multi-hyphenate creative entrepreneur?
H: Wow, thank you! Since I released my first song in February, my vision board has grown like 100 times bigger and I’ve grown braver to believe these wild ideas could happen. I’ll definitely be releasing more songs! And I’m working on my first children’s book that’ll be published by a Latina owned independent publishing company. Hopefully the first of many collaborations! I see music and fashion, representation and advocacy. So many ideas 😍!
A: What is one thing you can tell creative entrepreneurs who are scared to show up online in a creative and authentic way?
H: Figure out what you’re scared of and why. It will never go away if we don’t identify it and work through it. We’ll just be faking it up there and people can sniff out a fraud. Remember in my song “Jefa”, there’s no fake it till you make it” anymore, we’re truly believing in ourselves now! Let’s walk authentically in a strong knowing of who we are and what we have to offer! But that requires some soul searching and continually working through our insecurities. Reprogramming the mean things we tell ourselves. So we can be our own biggest cheerleader. So figure out what happened that made you tell yourself that lie, and start retraining your mind with the truth and continue the healing process. It’s a journey so you don’t have to be at 100% before you get out there, just start that conversation with yourself. And give yourself grace!
A: How can people best support artists like you?
H: Download our music! Check us out live! Share your favorite song with your friends! And share our social media pages! Thank you so much!
Want to tap into your creativity? Maybe as an author?
ICYMI: Last week, fellow author Valeria Aloe and I hosted a Q+A about our journeys as authors, moderated by Delsy Sandoval of the Ocu-Pasion podcast. If you’re interested in watching the replay + starting your journey, check out Delsy’s Substack!
I’m revamping the newsletter.
Do you want to read more spotlights like this one? I’m working towards a rebrand of the newsletter which will highlight more of our stories, innovative business ideas and strategies and essentially, I want to build a version of Forbes/Morning Brew, etc. pero con cultura and representation.
What do you think?
Until next time, keep making jefa moves.
And if you need some inspiracion - listen to Heidi’s song on repeat. It’s been working for me.
xx.
