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Now, Bianca Muñiz is taking those experiences and putting them to music: The Sleepy Hollow resident -- and two-time cancer survivor -- has her first full-length album, "For You" set to debut in summer, 2018.
It's dedicated to her longtime friend, Miles Applebaum, who she met at Lagond Music School in Elmsford when they were 15-years-old, and who passed away in 2014.
She credits Applebaum, in fact, for turning her onto different kinds of music, many of which can be heard in her recent works.
Her style is described as “Avant-pop”—an experimental pop genre that blends multiple styles while retaining their flare.
The inspiration to go deeper -- and experiment with new sounds -- stems from the loss of her best friend, as well as from her own health scares.
Muñiz, a Yonkers native, has been through two battles with cancer—one that’s ongoing and one that occurred when she was 11-years-old.
That's when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Being so young, her parents tried to hide it from her, but she let music and songwriting provide a newfound life -- and act as her escape.
“When [my parents] finally told me, I said ‘if I’m alive then I’m fine,’” said Muñiz, who’s undergone nine cancer-related surgeries overall. “And that’s still the same now, only now I’m older and I do understand."
Muñiz was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2016 and underwent a double mastectomy that December.
A three-month chemotherapy treatment ensued. Music, she said, kept her sane. It's always been what she's loved to do.
So, when her health was more stable, she completed her studies at The New School in Manhattan, where, in her senior year, she formed her band and released her EP “Scary Dreams.”
That was in July 2016 and she's been going strong ever since.
"If anything, being diagnosed made me run faster towards my goals and dreams," she said.
"It makes me work harder now."
She also started a blog which talks about her journey. It's where she draws strength when times get tough. Her family, too, has been a huge source of inspiration -- and kept her "up" when she felt "low."
So far, Muñiz and her band have been seeing success; they did an international tour to Montreal, opening for Rachel Platten, headlined a performance at Tarrytown Pierson Park last summer and has a single—titled “For You”—from their the album of the same name that is planned to be released in summer 2018.
They're currently scheduling two tours to Chicago with more cities to be added.
Go to www.biancamuniz.com/ for more information.
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