By Séa Byrne
Living in Mexico was always on the cards for me, given that my husband is a Tapatío. We met in San Francisco in the naughties when I was studying Multimedia.
In 2007, when we decided to move to Dublin, Ireland, we took the long route home via Baja, California, and then traveled down the Pacific Coast. We ended up flying out of Guadalajara, but not before Julian brought me on a Puerto Vallarta trip to show me this tropical paradise he had visited frequently as a child.
Now that I know more, I realise we had arrived at the height of the low season. We stayed in a “Suite” at Blue Chairs, savored the Al Pastor at Pancho’s Tacos (before the queues were a thing) and enjoyed the house tequila at Frida’s #1!
As my in-laws are based in Guadalajara, we would visit Jalisco from Ireland over the years and invariably make the pilgrimage to our dear Puerto Vallarta. After many years of living in Ireland with our Irish family, it was time to move closer to our Mexican kin.
So, in late 2022, we arrived to live in Puerto Vallarta with our dog and haven’t looked back since. I hadn’t realized until I lived here for a couple of weeks how avant-garde and elevated the local music scene is.
I’m a musician and recording artist but soon the Puerto Vallarta entertainment scene was to have been the catalyst that started my adventures in live performance.
In 2023, I emerged from the relative security of the recording studio, where you can improve the delivery of any performance with a retake. As a rookie, I dove onto the Vallarta stages, entering local competitions like “So, You Think You Can Rise” and the “Voice of Vallarta,” honing my craft at open mics at the red-curtained “Incanto” (before it closed).
Inevitably, I found myself knocking on the door of the local Irish Pub, Murphy’s, which gave me a platform to sing my own culture’s folk songs and ballads. This live, consistent experience crescendoed when I performed (with the incredibly talented Mad Mark) for an epic seven hours on St. Patrick’s Day in 2024!
Recently, I was fortunate to discover a producer, Carlos, at ProSantana Studios, who is a native of Puerto Vallarta, where I finished the mixing and mastering of my first album, which will be released this November.
The build-up to this album includes the release of three EPs. The first, ‘Diving’ features a song, Believe in Yourself which reached #5 in the UK’s LGBTQ Chart. My second EP ‘Loving’ releases on May 24, and its three songs are a homage to all the people who have loved me and helped me to become the person I am today, including my parents and my partner.
I believe it’s critical to reflect upon the folks who positively influence, support and inspire our lives. This is how we can create truly loving stories around ourselves.
The musical standards of Vallarta have helped me to “up my game” and to strive to perform as best I can. So, I am very thankful for the magic this wonderful place has bestowed on me. I’m excited for the next chapter.
Read more about the purpose and meaning of my upcoming “Loving” EP.
