Among the staff at the Scented Leaf on University Boulevard, you can find Giovanny Reyes, tearista by day and musician by night.
Reyes, 24, has been playing music his whole life. He has always loved writing stories and poems, which soon turned to song lyrics. He also learned how to play guitar, bass, drums and piano.
He grew up not being able to vocalize his thoughts and that’s where his musical creation came in.
“Music has been a big outlet for my emotions,” Reyes said.
Reyes has a vast taste in music himself and a few artists that are very different in taste but similar in inspiration.
Tupac is an artist Reyes said he believes is inspirational as both an artist and a human. He also said that Tupac was ahead of his time and appreciates how he always stood for something.
On the other hand, Reyes is a huge Amy Winehouse fan. He said he respects how raw and open she is about her life and it inspires him to be open about his as well.
Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 holds a special place in his heart. He said he feels DeLonge’s sound rubbed off into his own sound.
Some of the first songs he learned to play on guitar were from Blink-182, and when he was a part of his full band, they started out playing their music as well.
Previously, Reyes was part of a full band. However, due to creative differences, he is now a standalone artist and goes by the name artestella.
“I was questioning if I should continue doing music because I always struggled with finding people that wanted the same sound, that could keep up with me or that I could keep up with them. It really brought the best out of me being alone because now I have all this control over the music and I was really happy with the songs I’ve recorded,” Reyes said.
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The group all had different views and wants for their sound. A common ground was achieved but Reyes wasn’t completely satisfied.
“It was like night and day. Two of the guys wanted to do some funk stuff and I love some funk music, but I think my music isn’t even close to that. It was really awkward, having a really funky song and I’m trying to shred over it,” Reyes said.
He said he would love to have a group again but finding the right people is always difficult.
“Losing my creative freedom was everything to me, and I can’t do that again,” Reyes said.
Reyes released his first single “First Bloom” on March 8. The official music video was released March 13.
“I went through a breakup and that’s one of the things I talk about in it. Another thing people didn’t really realize is I talk a lot about my mental health,” Reyes said.
In the album he is working on, it has some lyrical themes following similar issues.
He also writes lyrics involving God and his heritage. Since his parents are immigrants from Mexico, he said he likes to pay homage to them.
“I have a song that I’m recording soon where I talk in Spanish and that’s a little ode to that. You will definitely be hearing me talk about the issues a Mexican person faces in the United States,” Reyes said.
Growing up, he never really had someone to look up to besides Cesar Chavez.
He also grew up very religious but struggles with it nowadays.
“You have to practice what you preach, and I’m definitely not a role model. I like to say I’m a saint in my own way,” Reyes said.
Jessica Muiseke is a fellow tearista and a recent University of Arizona graduate with her master’s in violin performance.
“Giovanny is a kind soul. As a musician, he has a way of creating music that makes you nostalgic, and you can’t quite place your finger on why it makes you feel that way,” Muiseke said.
Another coworker, Anthony Sullivan, quickly became friends with him at Scented Leaf.
“He puts a lot of his heart into the music he makes, and I find it amazing how he is able to put his emotions into it all. It’s captivating to see that man work the frets,” Sullivan said.
Artestella is currently working hard in the studio and will be releasing new content for the world soon.
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