Singer and actress Herizen Guardiola was homeschooled until the age of 18.
She says she is grateful to her parents for homeschooling her as she didn’t have to worry about social pressures and could learn at her own pace.
During her appearance on The Wayne Ayers Podcast, Guardiola said she was more outgoing than others who were homeschooled.
She also shared her experiences and why she enjoyed being taught at home.
It [being homeschooled] allowed me to just be who I was without trying to fit in or be cool with the whole popularity thing in school and just kids being mean in general… I’m grateful that I got to fully just be and exist without the structure of regular school that can inhibit you.
Guardiola noted that she never had to deal with the negative influences of school space and was free of worries that usually plague young teens.
She also admitted that she had more FOMO than most people, as she missed out on school activities.
Her Father Introduced Her To Music
Guardiola was introduced to music through her father, Juan Carlos, a reggae musician.
The American Gods actress began singing from a very young age and watching her father perform on stage made her realize she could do the same.
Guardiola began writing music from the age of seven and learned guitar as her first instrument after her father got her a mahogany Epiphone.
Ed Sheeran is one of the first artists she gravitated towards, especially after she was inspired by his one-man performance using a loop pedal.
Though the music she puts out differs from what Ed Sheeran’s music is like, Guardiola opened up that she had written a good deal of music that resembled the ‘Shape of You’ singer’s music.
She has put none of those out yet but revealed she was thinking of doing so.
Parents’ Influence In Her Life
While Guardiola’s father introduced her to music, her mother homeschooled her till she was 18.
The actress recalled her Cuban father and Jamaican mother were often argumentative because of their differences.
She shared with Vogue that her parents used to argue about her and her sisters’ hair.
I have two younger sisters, and my dad would always say, ‘The girls should grow their hair and get dreadlocks,’ and my mom was like, ‘No, let them be who they want to be.’ I’m glad that I have my crazy, curly hair.
Guardiola’s interest in music also deepened because of the people she got to know through her father’s ties with the reggae music scene.
Besides her father, her mother’s teachings also helped shape her life.
Guardiola Never Wanted To Be An Actress
Guardiola has been a part of several well-known TV shows, including The Get Down (2016-2017), Dare Me (2019-2020), and American Gods (2021). But the actress had no interest in becoming an actress.
In fact, the only reason she started her acting journey was because of the nature of her character Mylene Cruz in The Get Down.
Guardiola wanted to give the role a try as she saw a rare opportunity to combine singing and acting.