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Juanialys – A musical movement

Juanialys – A musical movement

America first fell in love with Puerto Rican born, Brooklyn raised Juanialys when she was 16 as she lit up the Apollo stage in Harlem as they reintroduced Showtime at The Apollo on live national television. Now 21, Juani is learning that music is the best place to share her vulnerabilities and hopefully inspire others to grow as she grows.

Juanialys is gearing up to release three new singles over the summer. The first of the three singles ‘Heavy’ is where she sings of the weighing feelings that come with grief and sorrow. Juanialys is also working on her social wellness organization Scarz Only which is a movement that focuses on mental health acceptance and empowering others. She hopes to unite and inspire with hopes of healing the world one soul at a time and transform their life for the better. The organization will also offer coping mechanisms and self-care tips such as journaling, yoga, prayer, music and many more. We all have a story to share and Scarz Only will be a place for these stories to not only be heard but understand.

Juanialys chats with Lapalme for her cover story to discuss Scarz Only, new music and what the future holds:

Share with me what inspired you to start Scarz Only? What inspired me to start Scarz only was just knowing how many people out there are actually hurting or carrying emotional baggage feeling alone. I’ve been in a mentally dark space several times and thankfully my faith and other tools have helped me cope and “get out of the funk” but I wanted to create a safe space for those who are brave enough to share their daily struggles, to remind them they’re not alone. We all go through things in life. I want to be an encouraging person out here to make vulnerability “cool” letting others know every day might not be sunshine and rainbows but we can find beauty in the rain too. 


Tell me an example of how music helped you cope with anxiety or depression?
Music has helped me cope many times many ways. I mean since a little girl I started singing in church, gospel music was probably the first type of music I really understood and connected with before anything. I found the power of healing very young through music, I knew whenever I was sad or anything I could sing or find something to play and I would feel lighter again. Now today writing my own music and following the amazing journeys of other dope R&B artists today has helped me much. Being able to hear other lyrics from other artists is always cool to me cause a lot of times they’ll say some relatable stuff and you’ll be like “oh shoot sis you too!?” 

What is your song ‘Heavy’ about and how do you personally relate? My song heavy is about feeling the weight of heavy emotions on your shoulders. Almost Like that saying people like to say “I feel the world on my shoulders”. When I wrote this song I was going through a lot of trials in my personal life. Battling with depression, my parents’ relationship drifting, the relationship I was in at the time had ended, my music career took a turn and I felt very lost about my next steps. Everything just almost seemed so foggy and I really didn’t have the words to express myself, I had gotten into such a deep hole I honestly didn’t even like to go outside or talk much to people anymore. And sometimes not even that I didn’t want to talk to people but I actually felt like I couldn’t Or didn’t know how. Just In my head. I wanted to write a song though expressing that and I’m happy I was able to put words together that I saw fit.

What does the concept of body positivity mean to you? The concept to me means to love yourself and the skin your in wholeheartedly. Regardless of society’s norms and opinions! Knowing that the judgment of the world will come but choosing to stand in your power and confidence that you are enough, deserve true love & praise in your most natural form. 

Tell me how you found your love for music? I found my love for music first in church. Going to church every weekend being able to sing every Sunday was actually something I really looked forward to as a young kid. I loved being able to connect with the congregation through the music we sang together it then followed through listening to artists and following their artistry getting inspired. However, it started in church for me. 

How has living in New York City inspired your music? Living in New York City has been some of the fuel that keeps my dreams alive truly. There’s so much talent out here, opportunities, and people chasing their dreams every day you almost feel left out if you don’t go full force on yours. I love It, I’m inspired daily. I actually moved to Massachusetts my freshman year of high school for school and then decided to move back my junior year because I was getting so much love from my City and people reaching out asking me if I modeled, or did music, etc. So I literally packed my stuff and said “I got to go back to New York! There are opportunities out there!” I started to see a life for myself I didn’t think was necessarily possible getting. 

What’s next for you? What’s next for me right now is consistent music and a lot of focus on my Scarz only organization. I’ve very big on my healing journey and I want to share and incorporate that in everything I do. I’ve realized through the time that I truly don’t like to feel alone and in the midst of life’s tribulations the most important thing that gets me through is God, Music, and my tribe, my people. So I will nurture all these things and keep them close! I’m very excited about all the new content I will be making and I look forward to building and growing with all those supporting/loving me

Photography by @marco2live
Makeup by @makeupbymane

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