Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Regina Pimentel. Together we discussed love, songwriting, whats next, and so much more!
1. Mustard is grateful to have you join them at Music Shelf. How are you doing?
I’m doing great, thank you! I’m grateful and excited for this interview.
2. Both your Instagram and Spotify biography contain <3. What are some things that you love and are grateful for?
It’s so cool that you noticed. I love love which is why most of my songs are about love and why I draw little hearts on everything. I love music obviously and my friends and family. I’m extremely grateful to have such a loving family. I’m also happy that I’ve made so many friends through music and that we can share our art together and uplift each other. I’m also grateful for cute animal videos on tiktok. I don’t know how I’d live without wholesome videos of dogs and foxes, oh my gosh especially foxes.
3. You started singing when you were little and soon after began songwriting at age 13. Can you recall the first song you wrote?
I think it was called “Heartbeat” or something like that. I wrote it when I was playing around with chords on my keyboard after school. It was a super cheesy love song about a crush I had but I guess not much has changed with what I write.
4. Is there a song or album that had an impact on you? Could you share more about it?
I would definitely say Lice by Beabadoobee. It’s funny because a couple days ago, I asked my boyfriend what album he thought made an impact on me and he also said Lice. The EP helped me through so much of my teenage years and I think the fact that Bea is also a Filipina artist in the indie folk/rock genre makes it feel that much more special and I look up to her very much. Her lyrics in the EP are so vulnerable and I remember how much I resonated with it. Especially her song “Bobby.” It helped push me through a lot of the negative feelings I had about life. To this day, I get super emotional about it. There are many artists and albums that have influenced my music, but Lice by Beabadoobee will always be the first to come to mind.
5. What is your songwriting process? How does it compare now to when you first began?
I usually start with chord progressions on my guitar. I play around with different tunings and come up with melodies by singing a bunch of gibberish. And then I’ll write actual lyrics over the melodies as I go. When I first started, I would write songs on my keyboard and focus on what was catchy. I never used to go into that much depth with my lyrics when I was younger, so I would say that has definitely switched around. I like focusing on lyrics a lot more now.
6. In 2018 you released your EP “Miles Between Us.” How many miles would you travel to be with a significant other? Could you share more about the process behind this EP?
I would travel however many miles it would take to get to them whenever I could honestly. I could see myself traveling infinite miles for my current boyfriend, Harry. The “Miles Between Us” EP was written during my past long distance relationship with someone I was with in high school and first year of college. It was really tough and all the feelings I had were what drove me to write it. I would stay up when I couldn’t focus on my assignments because I was missing him a lot. So I wrote everything I felt in a journal and I slowly turned the entries into songs. That relationship didn’t end well honestly, but I don’t regret writing it and it helped me express all of the confusion and love I felt for the person at the time. Lucy Dacus once said “In 5 years I hope these songs feel like covers dedicated to new lovers” and that’s basically how I feel about this EP.
7. Does Silly Sally know what she needs now?
I don’t get asked about this song very much so this is nice. Yes, I do think she knows what she needs now. And that’s really nice to realize.
8. Mustard wonders if your album “Blue Eyed Boy” was inspired by an actual human boy with blue eyes?
Yes! Blue Eyed Boy is my boyfriend Harry.
9. How did love influence and help shape your album “Blued Eyed Boy?”
I started writing the songs on the album when I was crushing. The album sort of goes in chronological order of events that happened at the time. “Slow Down” being the first song where I’m basically telling myself I need to stop thinking about him so much because I did not want to have a crush on anyone, but I couldn’t help it. Eventually, we started dating and that’s when I decided to put all the songs I wrote about him together into an album. I just wanted to show him what he means to me.
10. On “Blue Eyed Boy” there is a track called “The Way You Look at Me.” What are some examples of nonverbal communication that humans use to show they like someone else?
Just like how I expressed in the song, I think simply looking at someone with undivided attention and admiration is one of the sweetest ways to show that you love someone. Sometimes I make songs with no lyrics and just fully express how I feel with the sound of music, which is one of my favorite ways to communicate love nonverbally. Gift giving is always great, especially handmade gifts.
11. Last December you released “Your Love.” What was the inspiration behind this single?
I wrote this song when I realized how much I was dedicating much of my time and life to other people and put them before me. It’s also about codependency. As much as I love love, sometimes the way I was expressing it or feeling it wasn’t healthy. It’s nice to show someone you love them but it’s never healthy to make your world revolve around them or anyone. When I was writing “Your Love,” I wanted to show how the bad could sometimes be mistaken as a good in unhealthy relationships. It just hit me to realize it was just always easier to love someone else than it was to love myself and I wanted to write about it as well as learn from it.
12. What is next for Regina Pimentel?
I filmed a music video for my upcoming song “Pictures In Your Phone” in LA directed by Jeffrey Ramos. He’s brilliant so I’m very much looking forward to sharing that. I also have a collaboration with my friends Faith Zapata and Wesley Preis that I’m super excited for. We would always joke around calling ourselves “Pinoygenius” after Boygenius since there’s three of us and were all Filipina indie artists, so it’s exciting that we’re actually working on something together. I also have so many songs in my folder, ready to be released. And hopefully some live performances maybe!
13. Where can readers listen to your music?
My music is available to stream on all platforms! You can stay updated with releases on my tiktok (@ginnypimentel) and instagram (@reginampimentel). If you listen to my music, thank you so much! And thank you so much again for having me Mustard!
Music Shelf With Mustard 