Becky G has always expressed her pride in both her Mexican roots and her hometown of Inglewood, California. The singer, whose real name is Rebecca Maria Gomez, demonstrates a deep connection to her heritage and community in everything she does. “Encuentros,” her fourth studio album and second regional Mexican album, delves deeper into Música Mexicana, and she recently returned to Inglewood in collaboration with Vita Coco to open a green space at her former elementary school.

“To know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been,” the Mexican singer tells PS, paraphrasing an iconic Maya Angelou quote.

When Becky G partnered with Vita Coco to open a 2,100-square-foot green space at Oak Street Elementary School in Inglewood earlier this fall, her motivation was to address the need for green space in the neighborhood. Latin Americans make up 49.3% of Inglewood’s population, with the vast majority being Mexican Americans. The lack of green space is unfortunately widespread in brown and black communities. In fact, it is often referred to as “the natural gap.” Although nature is a necessity—not a benefit—to every person’s health and well-being, 100 Americans, including 28 million children, lack access to local green space, and only one in three Latino communities live within a mile of one Park.

“I don’t think we can talk about it in enough detail, and that’s simply because there’s just not enough accessible information about the benefits,” she says. “I have access to these green spaces and feel very lucky and blessed to have been taught this knowledge at a young age. I come from a family of gardeners.”

Becky G’s grandmother, who lives in Inglewood, attended the opening of the green space at Oak Street Elementary. The space features garden plots, compost bins, a farm stand, fruit trees, a water feature, reading nooks, a versatile outdoor classroom, and a play area for students and residents.

Growing up, Becky G remembers watching her grandmother make fresh salsas and gathering certain ancestral herbs from her garden to concoct a cure for every ailment and need.

“It goes even further back into my family line,” she says. “I mean, we’re talking about my Mexican indigenous grandmother, who always told me, ‘What the earth gives you is the best for you,'” she says. “It was a huge blessing to be exposed to this knowledge so early in my life and knowing that through it we can make a difference for the youth and communities I grew up in is everything to me We should all have five to ten minutes a day to get some sunshine to ground us.

Becky G says she always feels connected to her Mexican roots and culture. This is one of the reasons why she is so successful in the field of Latin music. Last year, the singer released her first Música Mexicana album “Esquinas,” something she had been wanting to release for some time. The music she listened to as a child was heavily inspired by her grandparents. The artist felt so deeply connected to the genre that she released her second album “Música Mexicana” on October 10th.

“’Esquinas’ is actually the foundation for ‘Encuentros.’ “Esquinas really made me open that box of vulnerability that I had access to in many ways through therapy and through connection with my fans, but never necessarily in my artwork,” she says. “It was cathartic and painful and beautiful at the same time, and I feel like I almost hit an artery. This is bleeding from the culture. This bleeds from the community. This bleeds from the creativity that I haven’t really had access to within myself.” Now.”

“It’s bleeding from the culture. This bleeds from the community. This bleeds from the creativity that I haven’t really had access to within myself.”

While the genre is on the rise worldwide thanks to artists like Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera, for Becky G, “Encuentros” is so much more than just an exploration of a genre she grew up with as a child. Unlike the genres it began with, such as pop and reggaetón, Música Mexicana is like the blues music of Mexico. The songs are meant to speak to the soul as they evoke feelings of sorrow and longing. In many ways, this album represents the rebirth of Becky G.

“I think that everything happens for a reason, because the way I think about it, life is a process of becoming. “Not necessarily in a way where all of those things are external, but I think it’s almost like figuring out who not to be.” Becoming the person you’ve always been deep down.” , she says. “I feel like that’s what’s coming through for me today. When I go back to making music in other genres, I feel like I will exist in them differently than ever before because of this very beautiful chapter in my life. That’s why.” “Otro Capítulo” is the name of the tour we’re doing right now because I feel like I’ve shed so much skin and I’m starting a new chapter and I feel the biggest me I’ve ever felt. “

The timing of the opening of Greenspace in Inglewood, the release of Encuentros and Becky G’s upcoming Otro Capítulo tour seems divinely aligned. At the heart of it all is a common thread: her culture and the profound influence of her grandparents, who instilled in her a deep Mexican pride. Each project pays homage to their roots and beautifully showcases how their legacy continues to shape not only their music, but also their commitment to community.

“I feel like my grandparents prepared me to come this far. I don’t think I would have had such big dreams without her. The sacrifices they have made are great. When.” When you think about the American dream and when I hear their stories, I think: This is anything but a dream,” she says. “You can’t really see the fruits of your labor until you’re at an age where you now see your grandchildren and great-grandchildren taking the semillas (seeds) from it and saying, ‘Okay, here we are.’ “We’re going to get even bigger,” and that’s a big responsibility that I don’t take lightly.”

Johanna Ferreira is Content Director for PS Juntos. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latin American culture. Previously, she was an assistant editor at HipLatina for nearly three years and freelanced for numerous media outlets, including Refinery29, Oprah Magazine, Allure, InStyle and Well+Good. She has also moderated and presented numerous panels on the topic of Latin American identity.