The Red Bulletin June 2020 (US)

70 – 73
The Aces
70
Cristal
Ramirez
Lead vocalist/guitarist, 24.
Cristal started her first
band with her sister Alisa
when she was only 8
years old.
71
Alisa
Ramirez
Drummer, 22.
Alisa directed their music
video for “Daydream,” the
first single from upcoming
album Under My Influence.
72
Katie
Henderson
Guitarist, 24.
Katie was the last member
to join the Aces, in 2008.
She’s also the band’s tech
and studio whiz.
73
McKenna
Petty
Bassist, 24.
Like the other members,
McKenna grew up in Utah.
Cristal calls her their
“yoga/cooking/social
media guru”
Indie-pop band, USA.
The Aces‘ 2016 debut, When My Heart Felt
Volcanic, was described by music mag NME
as “nothing less than bloody brilliant.”
“ ‘Let it happen’ is my mantra”
When she started out in music,
the Aces’ Cristal Ramirez found
inspiration in a rock song. “I’ve
always been a massive fan of
Paramore and [vocalist] Hayley
Williams,” she says, “and
I listened to one of their songs,
‘Last Hope,’ a lot when it came
out in 2013. I was on the brink of
graduation from high school, and
I was determined to pursue a
music career, but of course there
were doubts: ‘Am I doing the right
thing?’ It was ‘Last Hope’ that
inspired me to follow my dream.
“I love the chorus: ‘Gotta let
it happen, so let it happen’—
I find it really powerful. She’s
admitting she isn’t in a great place,
but you’ve got to be calm and let
things play out. It’s that idea of
‘focus on the things you can
control and don’t waste your
energy on the things you can’t.’
It’s like a little mantra in that sense.
“It has been a companion
over the years whenever I need
motivation in times of change. It
helped me when we moved to L.A.
and hadn’t yet signed our record
deal. It comforts me, because it
reminds me of joyful times, and
times of self-discovery that were
important for me.”
The Aces’ new album, Under
My Influence, is out on June 12
on Red Bull Records;
theacesofficial.com
Paramore’s self-titled fourth
album, which features “Last
Hope,” was certified platinum.
RED BULL RECORDS FLORIAN OBKIRCHER
The Aces:
(from left)
Cristal, Katie,
Alisa and
McKenna
THE RED BULLETIN 79