Promising note
February 5th, 2010
After forming the music label Unsilenced Records, Anthony Ramos knew the first singer he wanted to record and give voice to.
Adriana Ramirez, 16, writes her own songs, talks of numerous musical influences, but has a preference for R&B. Also, “she has great talent,” Mr. Ramos said.
Ms. Ramirez’s as-yet untitled first CD is the first venture of Unsilenced Records and will have its release party in April. “It’ll be nice,” she said. The songs range from tackling domestic abuse to letting go and being happy. Besides producing the album, Unsilenced Records will handle the marketing and promoting “and getting my name out,” Ms. Ramirez said.
Who knows how it will all unfold? Entertainment is a constantly turning world, whether local or national. But playing an important role in “unsilencing” these particular songs and dreams has been the Worcester Youth Center. And because of that, Mr. Ramos and Ms. Ramirez believe they aren’t just playing.
Attending an entrepreneur training program at the center last year gave Mr. Ramos, 18, some of the concepts and tools he needed to form the recording label. The center has a recording studio, and when Ms. Ramirez started attending in May she sang there.
Mr. Ramos listened. “When I saw Anthony and how he was starting his own label I asked to be a part of it,” Ms. Ramirez said. So she’s involved with the project as well as being its first projected star. “Unsilenced Records is basically a group effort,” she said. Mr. Ramos said, “She’s our main attraction.”
The entrepreneur training program operates via a state grant called Bridging the Opportunity Gap, funded through the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. The stated aim is to provide “innovative education and employability programming” for youths. Probably just as important, the Worcester Youth Center is a “just a space where a lot of youth feel very comfortable,” said the center’s executive director, Hilda Ramirez (no relation to Adriana). “Their amazing talents come out because we allow them to be who they are.”
“I want us to have something out there — especially something that affects youth,” Mr. Ramos said. “Unsilenced Records means ‘hear me speak.’ We want to help youth get their songs out.”
Mr. Ramos comes across as a kindly, mentoring sort, which is an ideal characteristic for a record producer and is something that Ms. Ramirez can appreciate and benefit from. In their still young histories, things haven’t always gone smoothly. Asked if their lives had been easy or tough, Mr. Ramos said, “Tough.”
“Very, for me,” Ms. Ramirez said.
“She’s had it worse than me,” Mr. Ramos said. “You can say easy (for me). I’ve had my parents.”
The youth center, at 326 Chandler St., has more than 780 members — membership is free — ages 14 to 24. “We have a lot of supporters, partnerships and programs,” Hilda Ramirez said.
Mr. Ramos graduated from North High School last year and is a student at the National Institute of Art in Brookline, where he has been taking classes in audio production.
He’s long had an active interest in launching a venture of his own.
“When I read success stories, I go, ‘Oh my God, I want to do that too,’ ” he said.
With some friends he had come up with the name and initial idea for Unsilenced Records, “but we couldn’t do much,” he said. But taking part in the entrepreneur program beginning last summer, “I learned to write a business plan,” he said.
The plan was so good that it earned a prize of $500 from the program — something that Unsilenced Records has used for seed money. Participants in the program have also focused on the elements of product development, marketing, advertising, operations and raising capital. “It’s a program that teaches you the basics of building a small business,” Mr. Ramos said.
Ms. Ramirez, a student at South High Community School, is also a member of the Hispania Dance Company. “People might look at me and say, ‘She’s 16 years old. She’s not going to know much about music.’ But I like Ella Fitzgerald,” she said.
When it comes to recording and performing, “The type of music I like to do — it’s more commercial. It’s what more people want to hear.”
That’s in sync with Mr. Ramos. “It doesn’t matter what the person wants to sing, we’ll produce them. But we want to promote what people will listen to,” he said.
Some of the songs on Ms. Ramirez’s album were recorded at the Worcester Youth Center, and others were cut at a studio of a friend in Worcester.
“A couple of songs are about what happens behind closed doors — trying to get away from men who beat their girlfriends,” Ms. Ramirez said. “But I’ve got songs about having fun and being stress-free. My life is built around stress, so I write songs about having fun, even if it’s just that one moment that I don’t have to worry about anything but having fun.”
Being a star would be fun, of course. “Oh, yeah. I love singing. I love being on stage,” she said.
“I love this quote,” said Mr. Ramos, sitting next to his first Unsilenced Records recording star at the Worcester Youth Center. “ ‘Don’t shoot for the stars, but choose the star you want to be.’ ”
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