Meet our March Muse, Alicia Betancourt! Alicia is the writer, visionary and soul behind Indie Latina, a blog highlighting the intersection between indie and Latinx culture. Her heritage and surroundings have shaped her unique perspective and drive to connect with creatives in Salt Lake City and beyond. Born in Puerto Rico, Alicia is a part-time member of the National Guard serving on army and cultural missions. Alicia's work takes her from small boutiques and local music scenes to traveling the world.
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was born in the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan, which is where my entire family is from. My immediate family is the first generation to move from the island which is really cool, but also, I wish I was there (but that is another story). We moved around the stated and landed in Miami which is where I grew up. I went to college here in Salt Lake and ended up staying here for the opportunities and I kind of fell in love with Utah. When I came here, it was a total culture shock because I went from sunny Miami with a ton of diversity to Utah. I really missed my Cuban food, the music, and everything that comes with being down there. In a sense, that is why I started Indie Latina because I was like, "let me find my brown friends, like, where are my people at?". I lived around the indie sphere with all the musicians and artists and downtown Salt Lake is diverse, but the Latin community is very niche and I wasn't finding them naturally. I felt that there had to be people like me doing awesome things here in Salt Lake, people who are Latina or Lantinx. I use the local angle because I've always loved supporting local boutiques and spaces on my own. I feel like it is a window into the local art and music scene too!
What is your favorite part about the work that you do:
Really just meeting people. I love seeing what people are doing, their creativity inspires me. I love taking photos, editing, and curating because I feel like snippets of my life and character come through too.
What are you most excited about right now:
I want to use my platform to do more in the Latin community. My first project this year is a Latin music night. There hasn't really been a consistent platform for Latin genres to perform here in Salt Lake. I have a friend who manages Sofar sounds here in Salt Lake and I'm excited to collaborate with her to create something. We are getting artists lined up and marketing is in the works right now.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go:
I've been to Spain before, but only to Barcelona, so I want to go to Madrid. I also really want to go to Thailand for the beaches and the culture. I would also love to go to Chile. But really, one of my dreams is to start doing weekender trips to see more of Utah. There’s so much I haven’t seen yet, like the arches!
Photos: Alicia Betancourt / Products: Mae Woven
Follow Alicia @indielatina and at indielatina.com.
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