What does Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lopez, Remy Ma, and Cardi B all have in common? These amazing women are entertainers that are proud to have called the boogie down Bronx home. The same goes for the triple threat, Genesis Val León. While the Afro-Latina, model, actress, and singer’s roots run deep in the borough over the past few years, her reach has sprouted far behind city lines.
Whether she’s gracing your tv screens as a featured model, under bright lights in an off-Broadway theater production or plastered across your favorite cosmetic line’s latest campaign, Genesis’ resume proves there is nothing she can’t do. But it wasn’t always this way!
After graduating from Mount Saint Mary College with a degree in public relations and psychology, Val León entered the corporate workforce to help others communicate their dreams to the masses. However, she quickly found that she couldn’t shake the spotlight for too long. Now, the ex-corporate public relations specialist is stepping from behind the scenes to in front of the camera to proclaim, “I’m here and I ain’t going nowhere. Deal with it!”
I had a chance to sit down with Genesis Val León to talk about her journey as an entertainer, what it means to follow your dreams, the struggle to find work as an Afro-Latina and much more. Continue below to read the full interview!
Q: Over the past few years, you’ve truly become a creative butterfly! Often times, entertainers whether consciously or subconsciously limit themselves to one area of the performing arts. This isn’t the case with you. When did you discover your passion for the arts as a whole?
A: “I remember falling in love [with the arts] specifically when I was about eight years old. I come from a tight-knit family full of energy that’s really into the arts. My dad is a ‘shower’ singer. So, I grew up with music. Listening to everyone from Michael Jackson, Celia Cruz to Aretha Franklin. It was as if I had a musical passport and I would visit different countries through sound. So at eight, listening to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, as a little girl from High Bridge in the Bronx, I had become accustomed to only listening to Hip-Hop and R&B, so, when I heard these sounds my mind was blown and I knew then this is what I loved!”
Q: Can you think back to your first experience as a performer?
A: “I joined this [youth] group called HighBridge Voices. We sang all over from The Today Show, Yankees Stadium, as part of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and even for [former] President Bill Clinton. [Being a part of the group] molded me into the artist I am today. Not only with singing, but also full on performing.”
Q: So you’re a graduate of Mount Saint Mary College! What was college like for you? How was it adjusting after graduation?
A: “I didn’t go to college for music. I actually received a scholarship for pre-med bio. It was very big for me to find a Plan B, according to my family. So for those four years, I was miserable! I wasn’t performing! I wasn’t singing! I was just focused on school. So I switched from pre-med bio to public relations and psychology. I realized that I can work in media and music. So, when I graduated from college I started working in the music industry and it was great but I was basically helping artists fulfill their dreams. It was bittersweet because [deep in my heart I knew] this is what I want to do. So, I took a two-year break [to really discover myself as an artist].”
Q: That’s deep. When you love something, sometimes you do need to take a step back to refocus and realign yourself as well as your goals. Coming back from your break, what was that like?
A: “I started doing a lot of community theater. Basically, you perform it for free. And at that time, I was working a full-time job. So I will leave work at 5 pm, take the Metro North to Westchester to rehearse to then go back home around midnight, and then go to work the next day. That was my life for about three years. And then one day, it just clicked. I gave him my two weeks notice at my job. I told myself I’m going to do this full time. I went [on a short vacation] to Dubai and Egypt had the best time. I came back confident and ready to audition. And it was, excuse my language, a shit show and that’s when things started going downhill. I was broke! I was used to 9 to 5. I was used to having that every two weeks paycheck, as an artist you don’t know what’s gonna be the next paycheck. So started to document my journey [online].”
Q: That’s deep! In the industry, for far too long we brought into the typecasting of “a starving artist”. In order to be successful, you ditch your 9 to 5 and pursue your passion full time. In returning, how did you reshape rejection?
A: “I want to make sure that my journey [is transparent] and that’s something I tell my friends and my significant other. When you go to social media, you only see the good or their results. I want to make sure that I was a pure representation of what artist go through. From tapping into different industries besides performing arts. But everything I put my hands on, I want to able to represent creative women of color. When I would go to auditions and not hear back I step into some commercial work like skin care modeling or hair modeling then go back to auditioning.”
Q: Let’s move onto another area you’ve been very transparent about, being Afro-Latina. The industry is starting to embrace what it means to be other meaning non-Eurocentric. As an Afro-Latina from the Bronx has this shift affected your career thus far?
A: “I’ve never been Latina-enough. In commercial TV programming, Latinos are lighter and their hair is straighter. I have never been cast as a Latina. Not in commercial work. Not in musical roles. Not in film. Never. I have always been cast as an African-American. For the moment I was ok with it, until I was contacted by a hair brand to be cast an African-American hair model and I said to myself, ‘I have so many African-American woman friends that are also commercial models that are not getting booked for the roles that I’m booking.’ We are still being whitewashed and although we are being heard we still have more work to do. That’s something I am extremely vocal about. Book it the right way!”
Q: Since we’re on heritage, let’s talk about your family! How have they taken to your switch in careers?
A: “They’re so excited. My mom did push for me to have a plan B, which is why I went to college but she’s always been a theater Mom and my Dad is a singer. When I went to college, I felt they weren’t supportive enough but now it all makes sense. You appreciate the tough love when you’ve lived through so many obstacles. Yeah, I wasn’t able to study the arts but I was able to study abroad. I was able to pick up different crafts. So now that I am fully pursuing the arts and these see how passionate I am, they’re so excited”
Q: So there are plenty of directions you can go, things you can pursue but what’s next for you?
A: “I want to continue to be a representation of women of color really tapping into their dreams. I am tapping more into commercial work. Lots of open mics in the future. Also, I am working on a book title, Book of Genesis. Big, big things ahead!”
Stay connected with Genesis Val León across your favorite social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for up-to-the-minutes updates on upcomings shows, music videos, and more.
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