Daily Inspiration: Meet Ramona, Come Closer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramona, Come Closer

Hi Ramona, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Around the time that we both met, Kayla was pursuing a solo artist career and had recently released her first EP. I was working as a producer, creating instrumentals for rap artists out of the Cleveland area. In the summer of 2015, a mutual friend got Kayla in touch with me, as she was looking for a new producer to work with. This not only sparked a musical journey for the two of us, but also a personal relationship. Our love of music was the strongest factor forming our bond and it has been consistent to this day! We learned a lot from each other in the beginning. I was teaching her how to harmonize and learn how to make her melody flow better for each song. She was showing me the importance of lyrics and how they impact the emotion of the song. We worked on several song ideas, trying to find what our sound was. In 2017, our first two singles were released everywhere they could be streamed. It was met with fairly lukewarm reception from our friends and online alike, but we felt triumphant that we had finally put together some of our first finished songs. A few months later, we made a big move to the Pittsburgh area for better day-job opportunities. For the several years we lived there, we became entrenched in those day-jobs, hoping we would find the time and opportunity to write new music and play shows in the Pittsburgh music scene. Many songs would go unfinished and sit in my production folder. We persevered in other ways, though. In the time we lived there, Kayla would tirelessly practice covering her favorite songs, trying to take different aspects she liked from her idols to find her own voice. I had become a student of the internet; trying to absorb and put into practice as much information as I could on songwriting, song production, and mixing my songs. In 2023, we got the dream gig we had been waiting for! A local funeral home-turned-music venue asked us to perform in a Halloween-themed show where we would get to perform as the “emo band” of our choice. We chose one of our favorite bands ever: Paramore! It was the first time we got our feet wet as a fully electrified band. I had programmed the drums and tracked the bass and backing guitar tracks. I played all of the lead guitar parts. And Kayla performed vocals with me backing her with harmonies. It was invigorating to feel the audience reception to it and the praise that we received. That show was the biggest turnout this specific event had ever had. With our first real show under our belt, we finally had the confidence to write our first song with an established sound of our own! We released “Crimson Cathedrals” in March of 2024. We both resonated with the themes of the song; dealing with religion and apocalyptic imagery. We started writing the bulk of a new song shortly after which would become “Set The Fire”. Along the way, we were hit with several devastating blows. My grandfather died that same month after a seemingly sudden battle with cancer, Kayla and I had to make arrangements the following month to move out of our home of several years due to rising rent costs, and in May, Kayla’s grandma would pass away. We were stricken with grief and loss on so many levels. I didn’t think we’d be able to recover. But after a month of reflection and meditation, I came back to the song that we had managed to “finish”. But I didn’t like it. It didn’t feel up to my standard. So I took the entire last third of the song away, and replaced it with something completely different. Our mutual friend I mentioned in the beginning ended up doing a vocal feature on that new part. The song transformed overnight! After this grueling period of loss and sadness, we rolled out a couple unique visual trailers to drum up excitement for the new single. It was scary jumping into making videos for the first time! Then we released “Set The Fire” this past September. We are currently working on three more songs and anticipate to release our first EP.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the biggest challenges Kayla and I agree on most is dealing with the general attitude toward indie musicians, or any art, for that matter. People will always devalue your passion on the basis that it doesn’t make money. Therefore, they believe it holds no societal value. It only damages your psyche further when you’re financially broke. You’re feeling lonely because you’ve given everything up to pursue this passion. People give you odd looks or make sideways comments. Prioritizing what you feel you’re meant to be doing is stressful because you have to juggle having some form of income roll in, which takes time from working on what you’re inspired to do. Then by the time you get the chance, the inspiration has waned. It’s all a balancing act on a physical, mental, and emotional level. All the while, you want to maintain your authentic voice. We are so staunch about what we believe, what kind of music, topics, and imagery we want to put out in the world. It becomes ever more paramount in our current political climate, the rise of AI seeping into the arts, and this unhealthy obsession with social media and influencers. We are not trying to sell a “product”. We stand behind everything we put out. There is no ulterior motive; least of all, money.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I (Zachary) wear many hats behind the scenes and on stage. I write and arrange the music, handle all song production, mixing, and mastering. My specialty, in particular, is on the production end of things. I love making a song come alive with different elements. Whether it be ambient background sounds, big snare bombs for breakdowns, or vocal effects to enhance a particular moment. Two of my biggest influences in my studio work are Joey Sturgis of The Foundation Recording Studio and Brian McTernan of Salad Days Studio. While it may seem that I do the lion’s share of work to make our music, Kayla plays the biggest part of all. She is the heart of the band. She is the emotion, the poet, and the muse. She takes us in whatever direction she wants to head. It is a constant journey and it’s ever-changing. Kayla passionately stands behind what she believes and it’s demonstrated in her voice. It’s powerful, in-your-face, and soars above the music. We’ve created a space where we can work together to make these songs come alive.

How do you define success?
We both struggle to even begin to quantify what success is, especially lately. Is it being famous? Rich? Going viral? We may have wanted that when we were much younger, but once you see how the music industry chews people up and spits them out, it starts to look a lot less inviting. There are countless stories of big artists getting taken advantage of in one way or another. You end up alienating people, abuse drugs, and worse. “Success” to me now would be finding even one person that hears the music the way I do; that understands the ebb and flow of it, the energy, the message. Having a connection with a more localized community. Having real contact and relationships with fans. Not this void that is social media now.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ramonacomecloserofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamramonapa
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ramonacomecloser4014
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5s4kKmwnMevgGi5jewwGKE?si=D0ZOTnaYR82csJ5Q_aJB7w

Image Credits
Courtney Dimoff, Sabrina Smith, and Kayla Bickerton