For Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Zelina Rivera, music is a powerful outlet for expressing her spiritual awakening and a source of deep fulfillment. Sharing her story through song and offering messages of hope feels like the right path, she says.
Singing has been a lifelong passion, a natural inclination given her father is renowned salsa artist Jerry Rivera. Rivera has embraced the genre of sacred music, particularly after navigating challenging times in her life.
“I experience closer to God,” she explained in a phone interview from Florida, where she currently resides. “When I close my eyes and start to sing, especially praise songs, I feel so connected to Him and I said, ‘I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ I feel like it was a calling.”
Rivera, who released her single “Mi Salvador” in December, says her decision to pursue sacred music came after a period of personal struggle. “It felt like I was taking wrong steps,” she explained. “My parents always taught me about the Bible and God since I was extremely little, but at one point I went against that teaching and tried to do things my own way, and I felt so empty and so sad. I said, ‘I miss the feeling I had when I was closer to God.’”
“I was surrounded by the wrong people who encouraged me to live a worldly life, and I always prayed and felt so alone. I would say, ‘But I don’t feel good, I’m doing everything people say Consider do to feel more empowered,’” she recalled. “I never felt free living in the world. I felt the opposite – more trapped. I also suffered from things like depression because I felt so far away from God,” Rivera, who learned to play the piano as a child, added. “I maintained habits that weren’t Christian, and didn’t have my priorities straight.”
As she underwent this transformation, focusing on a music career centered around worship became her priority. Her father was fully supportive. “He was excited. He was very proud of me. He supported me. He told me that whatever I need, whatever I want, he will always be there for me in whatever I choose for my life. If I want to be a doctor, he supports me, if I want to be a singer, he supports me. That I should do what my spirit is calling me to do, and be authentic, be myself. He is my best friend,” said the mother of 8-year-ancient Elina Zelestia.
She also reflected on what it’s like to grow up with a well-known father in the music industry. “Many people love my dad, and that’s something I love, that they listen to his music and dance and feel happy. Many fans tell my dad stories about how they met and fell in love listening to my dad’s music, and those things make me so happy,” she shared with enthusiasm, also acknowledging her relationship with her brother, salsa singer Moa Rivera.
“But it definitely has a slightly dark side in the sense that there’s always a lot of comparison, and I feel like sometimes people already have expectations or thoughts about me that aren’t true. I had to battle a lot with that growing up.”
Aims to Inspire Faith
Rivera’s enthusiasm shines through when discussing her single, “Mi Salvador,” which blends R&B, soul, ballad, and pop – genres she embraces as her favorites.
“That song was born from my testimony,” she emphasized about the lyrics. “It talks a lot about how you feel before surrendering your life to Christ and battling with a mental illness, whatever it may be, with depression, anxiety, and feeling alone or in darkness, and when you surrender your life to Christ you begin to spot more beautiful colors. You begin to see your life change. God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes something you felt before knowing Christ, when you surrender your life to Him, He changes you from the inside, and you can become a modern person through Him, through His love.”
In addition to promoting the song, Zelina revealed she is working on producing new singles. “I feel super excited and happy. Very grateful to God for giving me these opportunities to be able to share my testimony and help whoever I can help,” she said, outlining her purpose.
“I want people to be able to identify with my music and understand the love of Christ, that He forgives everything and is always there waiting for you to give Him your heart. That people understand that there is no better friend than Jesus and that His love can conquer all.”
