When Lisbeth Mego stepped on the music scene more than a decade ago, little did she know she would become a celebrated Conscious Pop artist. Known by her stage name Sereza, the mother of two inspires with tunes that are an impressive balance of whimsical, divinely feminine, high-energy, and undoubtedly captivating.
Incredibly self-assured yet also kind-hearted and open-minded, Sereza speaks uninhibitedly about her journey as an artist. Her story is a testament to the willpower of women and healing abilities of song.
“I believe music has a big influence on us ever since we are formed in the womb,” Sereza says. “Our heartbeat is the beautiful melody we hear all the time. We are assembled under music in some form, and that’s why it’s been part of humanity since ancient times. That music power has so much influence in people. I have it in me and would like to use it for higher awareness and higher consciousness for the collective.”
From Rural Peru to America
Sereza credits her upbringing on a small farm in Peru to her big dreams. Her earliest musical memories go back to her and her brother singing to the farm animals on their family’s property. They would gather the animals and perform a musical act for them, with Sereza leading on vocals and her brother supporting her on drums.
“That was my way of delivering my love for the animals,” she reflects. “It was our amusement. Especially because, being in such a small town, my brother and I didn’t have many other kids to play with.”
Although music was her main calling, Sereza also ventured into art, experimenting with drawing from a young age. Looking back, she says her parents always encouraged her desire for creative pursuits, being creatively-inclined themselves. She says growing up on a farm lent itself to enhancing these creative abilities.
“When I was a little girl, I always felt this mystery and loving power when looking at the stars,” she reminisces. “I could see every single tiny star. That sparked a wonder for life in me. Very early on, I was exposed to that magic because of the environment I grew up in, connecting to animals and being so far away from city people.”
That was why, when she and her brother were later enrolled in Catholic school in a neighboring city, she had a hard time fitting in. Though she felt she didn’t match with the structure of urban life, her dedication to artistry served as an escape.
It wasn’t until Sereza was 19 years old that her first encounter with love — and opportunity to explore the world outside her home country — arose. It was completely unexpected.
“I always imagined I would work as a local newscaster in Peru,” she recalls. “I was studying and working to enter that field. If you told me then that one day I’d be speaking English and living in Los Angeles, I never would have believed you.”
First Loves & Last Chances
The town where Sereza resided at the time was highly touristic, catering to many American visitors who frequently fell victim to the inevitable fleeting summer romance with local residents.
“Many of the visitors would come to find a girl for a temporary tryst and then break her heart,” Sereza recalls. “I would always avoid the tourists for this reason and never got involved, but there was one that persisted for an entire year who actually showed me heartfelt intentions.”
That persistent student tourist even learned Spanish to communicate with her. He would come to be Sereza’s first husband. The son of a wealthy oil tycoon, he swept her off her feet and made promises of a new family life in the United States.
Sure enough, he acted on that promise, proposing to her shortly thereafter. They were married in Barbados and then moved to Texas, where his family was from. Sereza bid farewell to the visions she had of her life in Peru — along with her friends and family — and decided to start a new life with her then-husband in the United States.
The glory of that new life in the United States with her first love was short-lived, however.
“I realized that, because of his privileged upbringing and other vast differences, we had to walk separate paths,” Sereza says. “Though we loved each other dearly, we weren’t equipped then to face such big challenges.”
Reunited with Sound & Spirituality
Sereza took solace in a community that fused music with spirituality. Her humble beginnings doing voiceover work, recording jingles, and modeling led her to rediscover her love for various art forms.
It was around this time she began assisting her friend’s band, Here II Here, a Conscious Electro-Acoustic group that roots their sound in spiritual awareness and exploration. Their slogan is “Mainstream Music that Supports a Peaceful Planet.”
Sereza and I met for the first time at one of their shows, forging a lifelong friendship that would expand into numerous creative collaborations.
“While touring with Here II Here, I was able to meet so many amazing people,” Sereza reflects. “It got me feeling so much inspiration and passion for a universal world culture.”
From there, Sereza continued her own journey. With the support of Edwin Itoh, the producer and guitarist for Here II Here, she started doing local shows in Florida.
Audiences resonated deeply with the songs she wrote and performed herself, encouraging her to expand her talents even further by deepening her guitar knowledge and connection with Itoh. They even found big investors and contacts within the music industry to help her get her career off the ground.
Her big break had finally come.
“I was signing with a huge record label in New York for Spanish and English markets, getting ready to be launched as a major popstar,” Sereza recounts. “But my insecurity and limiting belief got to me. I feared that fame and money would lead people not to love me as a person. I didn’t want to be a product, I wanted to be a person and loved as such.”
Sojourn to Self-Love
During this period, Sereza had fallen in love with a man whom she thought would love her for the person she was before fame hit. In the midst of being busy with rehearsals, performances, and touring, she came face-to-face with an unexpected pregnancy that changed everything.
“I could always go back to music, but I had to answer my call to become a mother. I disappointed my team of so many wonderful people that invested and believed in me. It all broke my heart so deeply, but without a doubt, I had to embrace this new life growing inside of me.”
Sereza knew she would never regret it.
She had two beautiful boys with her then-partner. It turned out, however, that the path to familial harmony was laced with adversity.
“[My boyfriend] and his immediate family started to reveal things I wasn’t okay with — to the point where we ended up in court and I was granted custody of my children, both of whom had been diagnosed with autism. I had to start my new life as a single mother from ground zero,” Sereza explains.
Though it was a slow and rocky start, she credits music, painting, her online community, and fashion design for her ability to transcend pain and trauma.
“I found recovery in the reclaiming of my wholeness and empowerment, as well as in forgiveness and compassion.”
With the help of loyal friends like Itoh, she would get back on her feet and discover a newfound appreciation for her own strength that would be reflected in her music.
A self-proclaimed “picante girl”, Sereza branched out into songs that were both subtly sensual yet infused with intention.
“Right now, I’m in the position to give resolution to what I had to leave on the backburner to focus on motherhood,” Sereza shares. “I want to embrace my Latin culture, which is so colorful and spicy, and so I’ve decided to embody more of my ethnicity and roots in my own way.”
With Itoh by her side as her producer, she is an unstoppable force.
Though many of Sereza’s songs continue to be inspired by her experiences growing up in rural Peru (even covering topics like the clashing of masculine and feminine energies between the roosters and cats on the farm), her newfound mindset also shines through in her songwriting.
One of her upcoming songs, Apocalypse, is about a major apocalypse of falling in love with each other and embracing each other as a collective.
“In my album, I embody a lot of this consciousness, awakening, and experience. For example, my song Black Hole is about the concept that black holes transport you to another universe. My experiences have transported me into a universe where I am more loved and appreciated by myself.”
In Harmony with the Universe
With a debut album around the corner, Sereza has finally found her nirvana. Though balancing single motherhood with her self-made artistry can pose its challenges, she finds undeniable influence in the brilliance of her two boys.
“They’re true savants. They can hear a song on the radio in the car, come home, and immediately play the melody on the piano. Having been diagnosed with autism, they pick up on these patterns in the music that most people can’t. They’re so incredibly gifted with other things too.”
Sereza combines her artwork with music, creating an oil painting to accompany each song. Though an ambitious undertaking for most, Sereza makes it look like second-nature.
Currently, Sereza is also one of the most notable Visionaries for my Winged Ones sacred jewelry line and its accompanying online activation program, The East Gate.
“When I saw the jewelry that [Parashakti] had on the internet, I knew now I could finally afford to invest in myself. I wanted it as an affirmation and reminder of the strength I have been able to recover in myself and a higher level of love awareness.”
Furthering her creative prowess, she also designed and handcrafted an incredible ceremonial dress for my spiritual practice.
Right: Parashakti dancing in ceremonial wear designed by Sereza. Left: Sereza showing her Winged Ones pendant from Parashakti.
Fully immersed in her craft as an artist, songstress, and profound carrier of soulful articulation, Sereza is ready to take the Conscious Pop world by storm.
“For me, my music has been my form of communicating where I’m at. Music is not only my latest expression of consciousness, it’s part of my puzzle as a grown woman. I was supposed to release this music eight years ago and my mentality has changed so much since then, but there’s also a child within and that’s why it’s playful and spiritual, yet laced with fun innuendos. This debut album is not a full expression of what and who I am, but it is a big part of me that I love so much.”
To get more of Sereza’s music, you can listen to her hit singles on her website HERE.
You can also follow Sereza on Instagram for updates on the release date of her debut album, as well as to get an inside look at her artwork.
Sereza is a proud Visionary and affiliate for The Winged Ones sacred jewelry line and its accompanying online activation program, The East Gate.
Parashakti’s shamanic healing work is born of more than two decades of experience facilitating workshops, trainings, and retreats around the world, in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico, Bali, Guatemala, Indonesia, Israel, and Greece. As a lifelong dancer, her path as a healer followed a severe injury – a period of what is often called shamanic dismantling, after which her mission shifted towards healing. Over the last 20 years, Parashakti has developed the Seven Foundations and the Dance of Liberation™, as maps for her spiritual practice, living and breathing these foundations in daily ritual. Dance of Liberation™ has been practiced by over 10,000 dancers around the globe. It’s was born of a mission to help people experience ecstasy – without taking it.
Above all, Parashakti is dedicated to serving community and creating a sacred container where people feel safe enough to experience their deepest essences, honor their voices, and shine their brightest light. Join her on the Dance floor: www.parashakti.org