Posted on December 4, 2024 by Valerie Bustamante Johnson
Shelly Lares talks about being the first UTSA artist-in-residence and how she’s using it to inspire students
Shelly Lares
“2, 3, 2, 3…Let’s go mijo!” Shelly Lares said as she spoke into a microphone and the sounds of a vihuela played in the next room. Lares, encased in a green glow from the fluorescent Shellshock Records neon sign behind her, listened closely to the sounds of the stringed instrument. Beside her was Michael Acevedo, director of UTSA Mariachi Los Paisanos. The two listened to members of the student mariachi group as they played their instruments for a project that Lares had signed onto with her record label.
This is just one of the opportunities UTSA students have been able to take part in since Lares, an award-winning Tejano singer, became the first artist-in-residence at UTSA.
Lares, known by her fans as “Little Miss Dynamite,” has been performing since she was 10 years old after being discovered by the Hot Tamales Band, a band she joined before venturing off on her own career. After a 40-year run as a Tejano star, she’s now retired from road life and is dedicating her time to serving others. She is working with the elderly by performing music therapy, working with up-and-coming artists through her record label, Shellshock Records, and now is inspiring the students at UTSA.
In her second year in the artist-in-residence role, Sombrilla Magazine visited Lares at her record studio to learn how it is going and what she hopes to accomplish at UTSA in the future.
Read more on Sombrilla Magazine HERE
— Valerie Bustamante Johnson
