Carlos Neda has been inspired by his life journey. (Photo by Jose Orellana, courtesy of the artist)
Meet Carlos Neda
When Carlos Neda was growing up in El Salvador, it was the most dangerous country in the world.
"There weren't any popular cultural movements back then, but as a kid I had an urgency to write, most poetry, about the struggles, and of, course, about love."
Born in Miami, Neda says he didn't know he would become a singer and songwriter until he moved back to Miami as a teenager in 2009.
Carlos Neda describes his work as "honest, real" and therapy for himself and, he hopes for others, (Photo by Jose Orellana, courtesy of the artist)
Living in Kendall by The Hammocks, Neda had a difficult time making friends. "It's hard to make friends in the suburbs. . . and Miami wasn't such an art hub back then," he recalls.
But he had his guitar and plenty of poems he had written. "I spent all the time I could trying to turn them into songs."
He dreamed of being a musician and eventually moved to Miami Beach. Neda says his "conservative" family wasn't keen on the idea of him becoming an artist.
"They said, 'You will starve to death.' (They told me) music is a hobby, not a career."
He confides that he started to wonder about the reality of starving to death. "All I could think was, 'How does someone starve to death? How many days does it take? Is it even possible?' "
So he decided to "put it to the test" and become a starving artist. He quit his job and began playing on the streets of Lincoln Road, challenging himself to "survive" by playing music.
He says that was in 2013, "and here I am, still living off of music."
Neda has been inspired by his life journey. He's hitchhiked across countries and played in more than 100 cities for over a decade. "On the streets of Europe, Latin America and the United States, experiencing life to the fullest and translating every lesson and every emotion into poems and songs."
Carlos Neda performing live. (Photo by Luis Granillo, courtesy of the artist)
He describes his work as "honest, real" and therapy for himself and, he hopes for others, and counts his influences as American bands like Matchbox Twenty and Goo Goo Dolls to the Latin balladeers Silvio Rodriguez, Ricardo Arjona, Jorge Drexler, and Joaquin Sabina, to name a few. "My influences are mostly early 200s romantic ballads, both in English and Spanish."
When asked when he knew he had "arrived" as an artist, Neda says when he saw the emotion his songs evoked in those who heard his music. "I saw people crying. Somehow my lyrics had touched them on a personal level. I realized that was magic."
And the most unusual reaction to his work? "One time a guy asked me to sign his arm after a concert and he got it tattooed."
For all of his travels, he says that Miami has an impact on his work.
"I feel that this is a city that is still looking for its identity. Miami needs artists to tell its story. I have written love songs around the city, but more importantly, Miami has given me a community of artists, friends, where we all support each other, feed on each other and collaborate in the pursuit of our dreams."
Carlos Neda said he knew he had become a real "artist" when he looked out in the audience and saw people crying over his lyrics and music. (Photo by Luis Granillo, courtesy of the artist)
While he always thought his goal was to become famous, win a Grammy Award, or get some sort of public recognition, his idea of what achieving as an artist has shifted.
"My goal is no longer external. I believe my music can heal me and the greatest thing I can achieve is the unfiltered expression of my inner child and the healing of my deepest wounds."
Find Carlos on Instagram @somosneda
