Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer Interview

If you have a preschooler then it’s very likely you have heard of Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, also known as “Kiki,” from Nickelodeon’s musical television show The Fresh Beat Band. The Cuban actress started her career touring with Engelbert Humperdinck and has had numerous successful acting roles both on Broadway and on television. She plays three musical instruments (violin, piano and guitar) and speaks more than four different languages. Her critics have described her as “a performer of great charm and versatility, dramatically and musically.”

It seems that there isn’t anything Nacer can’t do.

TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Melissa Goldstein had the chance to talk to her about her flourishing career and her latest project, a new album.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: I read that you toured with Engelbert Humperdinck early in your career. What was that experience like for you?

Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer I did and it was amazing. At the time I was going to the University of Miami on an opera scholarship and I graduated really young. I was about 19 years old when I graduated with my BA. I had visions for some companies, but I think I might have been a little bit too young and then, low and behold, the music director for Engelbert was looking for singers and my name got referred.

So I got the gig and it was just great to be so young and get to travel around the world. I went to Russia, Ireland, and Thailand and literally all over Asia and the States.

I got to sing a duet with him and that was incredible. In some places the venues were pretty big and just to be able to share the stage with such a legendary performer was such an honor. It was really great. I had an amazing time.

TCC: What attracted you to your current role as “Kiki” on The Fresh Beat Band?

Yvette: Well, my agent called me when I was in New York and said they were looking for an actress who could sing and dance and play instruments, and so he thought it would be perfect for me, and I did as well. So I went and had such a good time at the auditions because I obviously had to do the scenes and sing and dance, and then I played the violin, guitar and piano. It was like a little concert. It was really a lot of fun. Then they flew me out to LA for the screen test.

I think it’s really exciting when you find a role that allows you to use all these skills that you’ve acquired in your life. Then get to use them all, and in the process, learn skills you didn’t even know you had. It’s such a challenging role, I mean doing a kids’ show is actually more challenging than it looks. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a really great learning experience for me and I think I knew that going into it.

TCC: The show has really taken off. With so many kids’ shows out there what sets The Fresh Beat Band apart from the others?

Yvette: Well to start off with it’s one of the few live-action comedies for kids. So, we’re not a cartoon, we’re real people. We put so much care into the show. We have an amazing creative team. We get the greatest choreographers in the industry right now and so they in turn bring some of the best dancers that you’ll see. So there is this production element of great talent. It’s just so much fun to watch, even for adults. A friend of mine, her boyfriend confessed to loving one of our newer songs called “A Friend Like You,” loving it so much that he was little embarrassed by how much he loves the it, and he listens to it on his own. So it’s great 'cause even the music is at another level and it’s not just “kids' music.” It’s actually good music and it appeals to all audiences.

[The show is] going really well. We just wrapped out third season and our last single is called “Here We Go” and it’s been number one on children’s iTunes for a while now. And we also have “Great Day” that has moved up the all the charts and is now in the top ten as well. We were just on The View and we get to work with all of these great guest stars on our show. It’s really exciting to see the evolution of this show that I’ve been attached to from the beginning.

TCC: You’ve also done a lot of theater. What has been your most challenging character and why?

Yvette: I think every role that you do has its own challenges. I mean there have definitely been some roles that I’ve done that you might have never heard of but have been so challenging. I think my most fun role was getting to play the role of Vanessa in In the Heights. I was in love with that show. I remember seeing it off-Broadway and putting a little star next to the character of Vanessa, a little smiley face and saying I want to do that show.

I find that the challenges are different in that maybe one requires more of a dancing skill and maybe one is more emotionally demanding. There’s always going to be a different challenge. I really think though that you have to go toward those challenges because ultimately, it’s where you learn the most.

TCC: You play several musical instruments and speak many different languages. What motivates you to try new things?

Yvette: I am obsessed with learning. I’m such a nerd. I love to learn new things. I mean just on my own I’ve always been fascinated by languages and I love picking up different instruments and learning a new skill and just pushing myself to grow. I think that it’s just in my nature to want to keep learning. Right now, I feel like a jack-of-all trades and master of none. One of my goals in life is to be a master of my craft. I think that entails working at it every day and continuing to expand your horizons and push yourself in ways that you didn’t think you would be able to do.

TCC: What musicians inspire you?

Yvette: There are a lot of artists I love right now. I’m loving the old-school soul and how that’s coming back like what Adele is doing. I love Cee Lo. I’m really enjoying music right now. It’s really directly influencing my own music. I’m a songwriter as well and I’m currently working on my own project, my own album.

TCC: Can you tell me more about that?

Yvette: Yes, right now that’s pretty much what I’m doing. Now that we’ve just wrapped Season 3, I’ve been working with the writers and we’re putting together some recordings and really getting the album together. We’re looking to release a single by the end of the year and then a full album by the beginning of 2012. So I’m really excited to find all the people to take the time to do it. It’s such a great process and that’s the best part of the business, being in it every day, and getting to write, and getting to work with other people and artists that you admire.

TCC: Is there any particular actor or singer that you are dying to work with?

Yvette: Oh, yes. Okay, that’s a long list.

TCC: Who stands out in your mind as the biggest?

Yvette: That’s a hard question. Let me think about that for a second. I’ll tell you one thing - I am obsessed with singing duets. I love singing duets. It’s one of my favorite things ever. So I have so many people that I would love work with as far as that, in the Latin markets as well as the American market. I would love to sing with Marc Anthony or Adam Levine or John Mayer, Jason Mraz or Cee Lo Green.

As far as directors, I’m such a fan of Clint Eastwood and I’m such a fan of Pedro Almodóvar, who has worked a lot with Penelope Cruz.

TCC: Who would we find on your iPod?

Yvette: You would find some of the artists I mentioned earlier, like Adele. I’m a little in love with her. I also love listening to soul singers and gospels. I love Sam Cook, Natasha Bedingfield, Maroon 5, and Jill Scott, Janelle Monae, B.o.B, and Stevie Wonder. I love old school stuff and some classical and jazz, and Ella Fitzgerald. It’s a musical melting pot on my iPod.

TCC: What advice do you have for young aspiring artists?

Yvette: It’s such a tough industry and I think that you just have to keep on following your heart. It sounds cliché, but you have to believe in yourself 'cause a lot of times people try to take away that confidence and to tear you down. You just have to really have a strong sense of confidence and trust in what you’re doing. So basically, love yourself, follow your heart, and believe that you can truly do anything you put your mind to.