How does one balance their passions for creativity and artistic expression with maintaining an everyday life? This seems to be one of the hardest things to do when not everyone appreciates your creativity. Perhaps it may be possible, but very few people have been able to pull it off.
Meet the punk rock band Linda Lindas who are all still teenagers and are concentrating on their studies while on stage. They never go out to clubs after their concerts, instead, they do homework.
The Linda Lindas are comprised of the four members Lucia and Mila de la Garza, ages 15 and 12, respectively, their cousin Eloise Wong, age 14, and their friend Bela Salazar, age 17. They hail from Los Angeles and identify as both Asian American and Latinx.
Linda Lindas didn’t grow up thinking they would be a musician. The fact that Mila and Lucia de la Garza’s father is a Grammy-winning producer had no impact on their future goals. Wong always wanted to study paleontology, while Salazar dreamed of becoming a doctor. Youngest and most gregarious of the bunch, Mila de la Garza always looked up to the character of Olaf from “Frozen.”
In 2018, Kristin Kontrol invited local girls to perform with her at a concert titled Girlschool L.A., marking the debut of Linda Lindas with the Dum Dum Girls. The band’s reputation grew as they continued to perform in Chinatown. They have supported Bikini Kill, Alice Bag, Money Mark, the Dils, and the Alley Cats, among others. Amy Poehler reached out to them to have them perform a medley of “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill and “Big Mouth” by The Muffs for her film “Moxie.”
They say they do their homework in the backstage area, on the plane, or during another downtime. They are convinced they are not yet adults, but they would still like to give their full attention to schoolwork. The band’s debut album, titled “Growing Up,” is centered around progress and ongoing education.
