Singer Heavenly Reyna Talks Quarantine Projects, Twitch, And New Single “Exit”

Actress and Singer Heavenly Reyna, also known as Mozart, just released a must-have for all of your playlists!

This icon in the making has already collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world, including Ariana Grande, Halsey, and Lindsey Stirling. Did we mention that she’s also an award-winning actress as well? Is there anything she can’t do!

We are absolutely honored to have sat down with Heavenly to talk all things quarantine, performing her music, and what’s next for her!

Q: What has kept you busy during quarantine?

H: Despite the many challenges of COVID, I have been very, very busy during quarantine. I have a personality that likes to move forward and, after growing up around the world as a digital nomad kid, “adaptability” is my middle name!

I began performing my music on Twitch and have gone viral there with an amazing global supportive audience. They wanted me to release music officially, so I am starting with their favorite song: my quirky, pop-infused breakup ballad “EXIT” which is out now.

The first thing I did in March when L.A. went into lockdown was get a really good mic so that I could work easily from my tiny bedroom recording studio. I found a talented Taiwanese producer in Berlin and we wrote a song in Mandarin that got a LOT of attention in China. I’ve been working remotely on lots of things in Mandarin and will be releasing a Mandarin song there soon. 

I’ve been working with producers around the world in all three of my languages remotely. At first it was a big challenge to collaborate remotely, and livestreaming music on Twitch is very different from playing live, but now I really love it and I’m glad I have new ways to connect with my global audience and new ways to create music. I bought a lot of new technology thanks to my audience and learned a lot about streaming and remote performances. I find it amazing that I can connect to the world from my bedroom – which is now jam packed with monitors, instruments, and recording equipment! 

I also co-created and starred in a TikTok drama that I did with three-time Emmy winner Bernie Su called Dark Springs… again from my bedroom. I’ve learned to stretch out in many ways and also wrote songs about the challenges of being locked down. Some of it was very painful for me as I was restricted more than my friends because I live with my parents who are at high risk.“

Q: What spawned the name change from your nickname, Mozart, to your birth name Heavenly?

H: “I’ve always wanted to use my real name Heavenly, but my parents decided to use my nickname Mozart as a way to keep me safe because I lived a public life starting at five years old. My parents ran a popular travel blog and we were a pioneering digital nomad family that traveled the globe for years.”

Q: Do you believe being trilingual and knowing how to play instruments has benefitted your career?

H: “Absolutely! My languages, and cultural experiences of growing up globally, deeply affects my music. It’s really in everything I do. I think I have a unique perspective… not just with the languages, but also in living in different cultures around the world. It makes me want to bridge between cultures and unite our world through my music, acting, and everything I do. The different instruments I play also help me write and view music from different perspectives, so I think it adds to me being able to be adaptable.”

Q: Do you prefer writing and performing your original songs or covering those of other artists?

H: “I really love performing my own songs because they come from my heart and soul. My lyrics and melodies mean a lot to me. I also really enjoy performing others’ songs as well and like seeing how I might approach each track differently from my perspective.”

Q: What was your reaction when you found out you had been invited to do a Ted Talk via Skype?

H: “I was shocked and thrilled! I was super busy at the time, and it was tricky figuring out time zones as they were in London, but it was so fun. I also got to perform and talk with the female students at the famous London boarding school where the TED Talk took place when I did my ten-city European tour. That was really fun!”

Q: What was your experience like on the set of LMN’s “Fame at a Deadly Cost”?

H: “Fantastic! I had such an amazing director, cast, and crew. We shot at some gorgeous locations, so I can’t wait until we work together again! I love that it keeps playing monthly on LMN and has gained me fans in France, Japan, and here!”

Q: You are officially a Twitch partner. What do you most enjoy about livestreaming on the platform?

H: “I am truly amazed that I made Twitch Partner so fast. I was sponsored by Røde Microphones even before that, so going viral has been life changing. I truly love it and my audience there is super supportive. I find it mind-blowing that I can sit in my tiny bedroom and connect with so many people around the world, singing and chatting to them for hours multiple times a week! I really enjoy all the fun we have. I feel really blessed to have such support and to be able to connect closely to some amazing people. The whole reason I put out my single “EXIT” is because they love it and wanted more of my music to stream when I am not on Twitch. They flood my chat timeline with thousands of emotes whenever I perform it.”

Q: “Is there another area of performing that you are looking forward to getting into?

H: “I love the U.S. and English-speaking audience, but I am also looking forward to doing more performances in my other languages and around the world, too. I am half Latin and went to a local school in a beautiful tiny village in Spain from first to fourth grade, so it is my heritage and part of me. I’ve been speaking all three of my languages since I was a baby, have lived in Asia, and went to local Mandarin schools in China, so I feel at home in that culture as well. It’s part of me.”

Q: What has been your favorite moment of your career, so far?

H: “That is a hard one! I want to say now because releasing “EXIT” for my fans and going viral on Twitch has been super exciting. Being featured next to Ariana Grande and performing next to her in her “God Is A Woman” music video as a teenager was super thrilling, though! I was the youngest one in that video and there were so many people that applied for those roles, so I was so thankful to be chosen!”

Q: Where can we follow your amazing journey?

H: “I am everywhere on social media and you can follow me on my website. Sign up to my mailing list to be the first to know everything!”

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/6tLm3RA4tFzB8GYunU4DCy

Photo Credits:

Jeanne Dee