Being a local musician is anything but easy, according to at least seven artists who started their musical journey in Corpus Christi.
They said they have faced, among other obstacles, a lack of female representation, low pay and homophobia. But they continue to push through challenges to follow their dreams.
These artists are aiming to become as renowned as other Corpus Christi musicians who made it big, including Selena, Jennifer Peña, Freddie Martinez, Iann Dior, Kevin Abstract, Paula DeAnda and Roger Creager.
Dusty „El Dusty“ Oliveira, a two-time Grammy-nominated local musician, said even though he’s been able to make a name for himself, he still gets overlooked by his community.
„Being a musician is not an easy thing,“ Oliveira said inside Produce Studio, one of the several businesses he owns, on Peoples Street. „I’ve been able to use the success I have to invest in other businesses to make more money, but I’m still a struggling musician.“
Emma James, a high school junior, wrote her first song when she was 9 years old as her family made their way back to Corpus Christi after evacuating for Hurricane Harvey. James said her first gig was at a farmers market, where she performed Christmas songs, covers and original pieces for four hours.
James, a country musician, said she performs around the Coastal Bend regularly, but will take the stages at venues in Austin and Dallas occasionally. One thing she noticed was the number of female singers on lineups when she’s out of town.
„There are a lot of women on the lineup in Austin and Dallas,“ James said. „But here in the Coastal Bend, it’s hard to find some venues that have at least one woman. Being young and being a female is hard. I still struggle with certain venues to make my place, but I continue pressing I want to play there to show them I’m reliable. That’s how you earn your spot.“
Monique Martinez, whose stage name is Moniq, said she’s also noticed a lack of female representation in Corpus Christi.
Martinez comes from a line of musicians in her family, as her grandfather is Freddie Martinez Sr., the founder of Freddie Records on South Staples Street.
As a toddler, she started a band with her older sister and three cousins. As she grew up and became more serious about her musical career, Martinez’s parents told her she would have to have thick skin and be prepared for criticism.
„I’ve had positive experiences here in town, fortunately, but it is hard,“ Martinez said. „As a woman in this industry, it’s hard to be taken professionally. We’ve become a little more progressive, but it could be much better.“
As a pop artist, Martinez said it’s hard for her to book gigs at venues in Corpus Christi. She said most acts are country or rock, and primarily male performers.
In May 2025, House of Rock scheduled more than 10 acts for the month. A handful of band members in a few acts are women.
Both Brewster Street Icehouse locations have about 24 musicians on their lineup for the month. James is the only female singer scheduled for the Southside location and a Fleetwood Mac cover band will feature the only female musician at the downtown spot.
„Standing out and putting your foot down is hard,“ Martinez said. „In this industry, you have to be ready to be told no. I get told no all the time, but you have to keep trucking on. If you really love what you do, and making music makes you happy, you have to go for it.“
Oliveira started his career as a DJ when he was 13 and eventually got signed by a record label in 2011. Since then, he has performed in Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, Seattle and other major cities.
Since starting Produce in 2009, Oliveira said he’s been able to keep busy in his „golden cage.“ But he said it’s hard for him to find gigs sometimes, as venues don’t always want to pay his fee. Especially ones in Corpus Christi.
„They always tell me to ‚do it for the homies,'“ Oliveira said, rolling his eyes. „Just to bring my band is more expensive than what they plan on paying me. You’re never as big as you really are in your hometown.“
Quentin Arispe, a local musician who moved to Austin in 2019, agreed that artists need to be paid properly and be respected.
„If cities want to cultivate the next big artist, you can’t have us do a bunch of shows for free,“ Arispe said in a phone call. „I feel like some places don’t understand what it takes to make art. People don’t know that art costs time and money.“
Greilen Ballenger was introduced to music at 3 years old.
His mom bought him a Casio keyboard and put him in lessons. As he grew up, Ballenger started to tune up his piano lessons and learn other instruments he thought were interesting.
Known professionally as Lepyrd, he is a rapper who is influenced by Nicki Minaj, Rico Nasty and Prince. Ballenger said he started performing onstage in 2022 and has faced his share of ignorance for his sexuality.
„A lot of rappers I’ve met here are cool, but I tend to gravitate toward women rappers,“ Ballenger said. „At the end of the day, I’m gay and I feel a closer connection with them. I don’t face ignorance when I’m with them. The reason you don’t see a lot of queer artists in this genre is the constant homophobia from male rappers.“
Ballenger said not all of his male peers share that prejudice, but he does not associate himself with those that do.
„I’ll be performing and see people mean-mugging me in the crowd,“ Ballenger said. „That’s not going to stop me, though. … They will not dim my light.“
Honing one’s craft and attempting to make a name for themselves in the world of music is not always easy to do in Corpus Christi, according to local musicians Arispe, Raul Ayala and Freddy Perez Jr.
All three currently live in Austin. Arispe and Ayala both said they moved because they needed to push themselves out of their comfort zones.
When Perez learned about Del Mar College’s sound recording technology program, he made the 160-mile journey to Corpus Christi from Palmview, Texas.
As a music producer, Perez goes by the stage name Kinderr.
He opened his own music studio in downtown Corpus Christi called Toshi Studio years ago. One of his first clients was Iann Dior, a rapper known for reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list in 2020 with his feature on 24kGoldn’s „Mood.“
After Dior got signed by a major label in Los Angeles, he and Perez worked on a song together. It became Perez’s first major label song, and he moved to Los Angeles in 2020.
„I knew I had to jump at that opportunity to grow,“ Perez said.
Perez lived in Los Angeles for four years and established himself as a music producer. He now lives in Austin, still producing music and working with up-and-coming Texas artists, including Ayala, Arispe, Oliveira and Martinez.
Ayala, whose genre is a mixture of rock and blues, said the fast pace of Austin challenged him as an artist.
„Austin doesn’t let you be lazy,“ Ayala said. „My presence onstage and my playing skills have improved since moving.
„When I came to Austin, I went to every blues bar here to make a name for myself and learn from others. Being able to watch the best blues players in Austin is so inspiring. I find myself thinking of what they would do when I’m onstage.“
Ayala said he travels back and forth from Austin and Corpus Christi all the time for performances. He said he’s noticed that performing at a bar in his hometown usually has no effect on patrons. But when he’s onstage at a bar in Austin, Ayala said the energy is „electric.“
Ballenger said he would like to see more support for local artists.
„There needs to be more unity,“ he said. „We should want everyone to succeed. If you support local businesses, you can easily support local artists.“
James said she wants local musicians not to give up when they get discouraged. She recalled times when venues wouldn’t open their doors for her until she got a call one day.
„It’s all about continuing to push through and be persistent,“ James said. „Also, don’t expect people to continue booking you if you’re not getting better. Practice to hone your craft. If you need any help, CC Songwriters is a great organization that is beneficial for our local musician community.“
Martinez said she encourages artists to work on music and perform in other cities to push themselves to grow. But while she’s pondered about moving out of town to further her music career, she would always return to Corpus Christi.
„I love the rich culture here and my family,“ Martinez said. „This industry is tough and sometimes it’s not fun, but at the end of the day it’s worth it.“
More: Here are 20 Corpus Christi musicians to add to your playlist
More: Freddie Records: Meet the family behind the Corpus Christi music company
More: ‚I can be anybody‘: Corpus Christi native set to take the stage at 2022 Austin City Limits
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Bluesky @johnpoliva.bsky.social.
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'This industry is tough': Seven Corpus Christi musicians talk overcoming challenges – Corpus Christi Caller-Times
