Lucia Sarmiento is a saxophonist, composer, and educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She leads a synth-heavy jazz quintet that fuses elements of funk, pop, jazz, and Latin American music. You may have seen Lucia pop up on your instagram feed where she has amassed nearly 70,000 followers or sharing the stage with artists like Pitbull and Karol G. I sat down with Lucia on June 5th for an interview about her newly released single “Porcelain” and her soon-to-be-released debut album.
Ella Grace: First, in a few sentences, please introduce yourself to our readers who may not know who you are.
Lucia Sarmiento: My name is Lucia Sarmiento and I’m a saxophonist/touring musician/composer originally from Lima, Peru. Currently based in Minneapolis/Chicago. For the past three years I’ve been on and off the road with artists Pitbull and Karol G. And now I’m releasing my debut album “Escape”, lots of exciting and big things happening.
EG: When and how did you start playing music?
LS: I started playing music officially at 7 years old, when I studied classical guitar with a teacher from Peru. I discovered the saxophone at age 12 and immediately fell in love with it and the world it opened for me. I started listening to jazz and growing curious about improvisation and jazz theory. I knew I had to come to the US to be able to absorb it and learn it from the place it originated.
EG: Where did your musical journey go from there?
LS: Music has taken me around the world in the past 10 years. I studied in Buenos Aires for a few months before getting a scholarship to move to the US to pursue my music education. After I graduated college I started posting my practice videos and tutorials on social media, where I grew an audience of over 100k+ people across platforms. I thought I would be doing social media permanently, but in 2021 I got a call to go on tour with Pitbull so I had to drop off my social media endeavors because of a lack of time. I toured with Pitbull for about a year, got to travel the United States in a tour bus and perform in sold out arenas all over the country. We even went to Saudi Arabia to perform at the inauguration of their Festival Season.
In 2023, I got asked to go on tour with Karol G on her first sold out stadium tour across the United States. We played in front of 90 thousand people every night in the biggest cities in the country. That was so much fun. I have also gotten to travel inside of my country Peru thanks to music, doing education workshops. Now I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. There’s always something new around the corner when you’re an artist, so it’s important to be prepared and flexible.
EG: You have recently released two singles: “Escape” and “Porcelain.” Can you talk a little bit about what they mean to you?
LS: I’m currently on a transition from being a side woman for 10+ years, to becoming an artist myself. These are my first statements as an artist. It’s like saying “this is who I am and what I have to say right now.” I’m aware that part of maturing in life and musically is being in constant growth and change. What I have to say now as a person and as an artist might change, but it’s important to document it and share it with others who might resonate with your words (notes).
EG: What are your current plans and aspirations for the future?
LS: So much! My dream is to keep creating and sharing. Creating and sharing.
I’m also looking forward to moving to Chicago permanently, meeting the Chicago music community, finding friends and a band, keep taking dance classes, learn to cook Mediterranean food, become a better person and spend lots of time traveling with my partner.
EG: If you were on a desert island and you could only have three records, which three would you pick?
LS: EASY. Three albums for three different moods.
1. Back to Back – Brecker brothers
2. Ballads – John Coltrane
3. Time – Louis Cole
EG: Is there anything else you would like to add?
LS: I’d like to encourage people who want to pursue a life in music to keep working hard and never give up. It’s not an easy life path, but once you find your place in the world and start having fun, it’s the best, most fulfilling life you can imagine. Stay flexible.
Also, check out my website (www.luciasarmiento.com) and stay tuned for my songs that will be dropping every few weeks this year!
You can listen to “Escape” and “Porcelain” now on all streaming services. Lucia’s debut album also entitled “Escape” is slated to be released in October of this year.