Viviana Santana: A Songwriter's Journey
Viviana Santana is a dedicated songwriter with a fifteen-year career crafting heartfelt lyrics and melodies in the Latin music industry. While she hasn't yet achieved mainstream breakthrough, her passion for music remains unwavering as she continues to pursue her dream of creating a lasting impact.
"I started writing when I was 14 and my classmates called me ‘Viviana Neruda’ because I wrote letters and poems to help them win over their boyfriends," Santana recalls. "I always loved music and at 18 I took guitar lessons while writing my first songs, but it wasn’t until 2009 that I started doing it professionally."
Santana’s compositions are a reflection of her own life experiences. “I am inspired to compose by love, disappointment, betrayal and many other emotions that touch the most sensitive fibers of the human being,” she explains. “I use it as ‘my raw material.’” Her ability to transform raw emotions into captivating melodies has earned her recognition among industry peers, though she seeks wider acclaim.
“I am working very hard to be part of that list of successful composers in the Latin market,” Santana asserts. “I believe that everything you set out to do in life you can achieve through effort, discipline, dedication and faith.”
Her latest creation, "La llamada que esperas," encapsulates the universal experience of longing for reciprocated affection. The song beautifully captures the complex emotions associated with desire and anticipation. "Who hasn't waited after meeting or dating someone you like, for that call that confirms that the attraction is mutual?" Santana asks rhetorically. "That mix of emotions is recorded in ‘La Llamada que esperas.’"
Collaborations with artists like Las Bombonenas, Alondra Santos, Lizzy Garza, Andy MP, and Nacho Hernández have been instrumental in bringing Santana’s music to a wider audience. “They are all incredible friends and artists whom I admire a lot,” she says. “I have great appreciation and gratitude for these stars because through them I have made my songs known.”
Santana’s music transcends genres, effortlessly adapting to pop, rock, salsa, merengue, urban, and cumbia rhythms. “I try to use simple language as much as possible that also compacts emotions,” she explains. “That happened to me with my song ‘Deseo,’ which when I wrote it I imagined it to be very romantic and when I heard it recorded to a salsa rhythm, I was surprised at how well it turned out.”
Santana's compositions have resonated with the public across different musical genres. Her ability to adapt her songs to various styles has contributed to her growing fanbase. “I try to use simple language as much as possible that also compacts emotions,” she explains. “That happened to me with my song ‘Deseo,’ which when I wrote it I imagined it to be very romantic and when I heard it recorded to a salsa rhythm, I was surprised at how well it turned out. That helped me to continue with the same formula. Also, you have to take into account that nowadays people do not like fancy words, everything is more direct.”
Driven by a passion to create music that uplifts and inspires, Santana remains optimistic about her future.
“My goal has always been to leave beautiful songs that people like and with which many people can identify,” she shares. “I do not like vulgarity, there are many ways to talk about topics without sounding explicit.”
Santana has effectively leveraged platforms like YouTube to showcase her work and connect with potential collaborators. "Since 2020 I started uploading some of my songs to my YouTube channel “Viviana Santana Compositora”. I discovered a bank of images and I use it to give life to each of the videos, recreating what the song says. Also, social media has been an incredible way to make my compositions known. Precisely thanks to all the digital platforms, I have been contacted from many countries such as Costa Rica, Venezuela, the United States and Mexico where my songs are already heard through radio stations or internet radio," she explains.
With unwavering dedication and undeniable talent, Viviana Santana is determined to achieve her breakthrough in the Latin music industry. As she continues to hone her craft and build her audience, she remains hopeful that her music will resonate with listeners on a global scale.