Posted on 14 January 2016 by La Habra Journal
By Jay Seidel
La Habra Journal
Samantha Elizondo was a shy girl growing up on the border of La Habra and East Whittier, but being surrounded by a family of musicians it was almost destined that she would perform.
Already headlining shows in Los Angeles and Puebla, Mexico, the bilingual songstress is starting to take the music industry by storm. And while she continues to pursue her career as an entertainer, she still remains connected to family. A bright smile moves across the face of the 16-year-old as she talks about her greatest inspiration, her grandfather. “My grandfather taught me my first song when I was about four,” she explained. “He loved to sing mariachi.” Elizondo explains that it was her bond with him that pushed her to sing. “I was 10 when he passed away,” she said. “All of a sudden I had this passion to start singing and it went from there.” For the last six years, Elizondo has been pursuing her dream of singing. She has released a string of pop singles that are playing internationally. Her single “Oh Oh Oh” is currently on high rotation on stations in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Philippines, and many more. Her first single “Celebrate” reached first place on RCDJ FM 88.1 Sydney, Australia and tenth overall for the year 2014. She also just finished a radio and television tour in Mexico and performed at her own showcase concert for a large audience in Puebla. The teen who is a mix of Mexican, German and Irish heritage, is set to release her first single in Spanish later this month.
Life has been busy for the energetic teen. She attended Rancho Starbuck Intermediate School and her Freshman year of high school at La Habra High, but due to her hectic schedule, moved to being home schooled in order to continue her education and pursue her budding singing career. However, she and her family stay true to La Habra and attended every LHHS football game this season. 
Samantha is not the only musician in her family that went to La Habra High School. Her older brother Ivan, 24, played on the drumline at LHHS and is the drummer and musical director of her band. Her younger brother, Christian, is a freshman at LHHS and is pursuing acting, having already starred in a number of films and television shows. He too is also pursuing music and learning to play the guitar. “He’s just starting,” Samantha said in a tone that befits that of a big sister, “but has a long way to go. Maybe one day he can be my guitarist.” While her brothers work with her, it really is her grandfather that continues to be her motivation. “Singing is kind of a memory of him and a way for me to keep him close and with me,” she said. “He’s the one who definitely inspired me to sing.” It is because of him and his musical teaching, she always closes out her performances with a mariachi band, as a salute to him. While her grandfather provides her motivation, she draws munch of her inspiration from life and from other people’s stories. “I think everything is an inspiration, you just need to find the inspiration in it,” she said. “You just have to tell a story.” The story telling is one of the aspects that draws her to music. “I love it because you can definitely express yourself and give a side of you that not everyone knows,” she said. “You can tell stories, your own and other people’s.” When she’s not performing, she’s a typical teen. She explains that she hangs out with her friends, goes to Starbucks way too much, loves taking pictures and just tries to have fun. She also listens to a lot of music, both in English and Spanish. Her favorite artists are Selena Gomez and the Latin pop group Camila. She also listens to DNCS, Ricky Martin, Elle Goulding, Shikira, Lana Del Rey and many others. She explains that she has grown and matured in the industry over the last six years. She has become more comfortable as a performer and more focused on where she wants to go. “I am taking more control of my writing,” she explained with an air of confidence. “I like it because I know more of what I want now, and I am able to be more creative. I have more of a perspective of what I see myself doing.” Not limiting herself to just music, she has also been pursuing acting. She is currently taking acting classes and has appeared in various commercials. However her heart is always with music.
While she is on the rise, she remains grounded to her supportive family and community. She said she is enjoying what she is doing and is excited to see where life takes her. Her goal is to continue to perform, honor her grandfather and continue to be happy.
For more info, including her music videos, follow Samantha Elizondo on:
www.samanthaelizondo.com
Twitter: @elizondosam
Instagram: @samanthaelizondo
Facebook: elizondosam
Vevo: SamanthaElizondoVEVO
Youtube: elizondosam
