FRANCISCA VALENZUELA
TMN EXCLUSIVE!
FRANCISCA VALENZUELA: Global Stages AND Music as Resistance
Interview with Francisca Valenzuela. Ruidosa Fest. Lincoln Center. New York City.
When Francisca Valenzuela speaks, she carries not only her own voice but the voices of many. As the founder of Ruidosa Fest, the groundbreaking feminist festival launched in Santiago de Chile, she has created a space where women and diverse creators in music and culture can see themselves reflected, empowered, and heard.
NEW YORK CITY, by Pablo Herrera
For her, festivals are not just about music—they are about visibility. “It is important that there is diversity of women doing things… to show examples in order to really create,” she says. Ruidosa was born from that urgency: to move beyond tokenism and open the stage for a multitude of voices.
“It is important that there is diversity of women doing things… to show examples in order to really create.”
The industry, however, often resists that multiplicity. “We have one woman, we have another, we don’t want another,” Francisca recalls as a mentality she has seen repeatedly. Ruidosa Fest challenges that narrative by insisting that women are not exceptions—they are central to the story.
“Music is non-linear, difficult, and mysterious,” she admits, describing the path of an artist. Yet this very unpredictability allows for authenticity. For Francisca, the struggles of a career mirror the struggles of society—both demand resilience and creativity.
Her message is one of resistance but also of hope:
“It is essential to have the capacity to resist and communicate.”
Framing songs as a bridge between the personal and the collective, the intimate and the political. She says,
With Ruidosa Fest as her anchor, Francisca demonstrates how an artist can transform not only stages but entire cultural landscapes. She shows that visibility is not enough—it is about building communities, networks, and movements.
In her words and in her music, Francisca Valenzuela reminds us that art is not just entertainment: it is an act of care, of resistance, and of cultural transformation. Ruidosa Fest is living proof that one voice can open the door to many more.
Festival Ruidosa. Panel 2025. Mary Petro (United Talent Agency), Jennifer Sarkissian (LAMC / Nacional Records), Corina Azpúrua (Believe Ibero-America), Francisca Valenzuela (Fundadora de Ruidosa y cantautora) y Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum (Remezcla). Foto: Pablo Herrera (TMN).
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