Pittsburgh Music Magazine caught up with The Warning, a trio of sister rockers hailing from Monterrey, Mexico. Daniela (guitar/vocals/piano), Paulina (drums/vocals/piano), and Alejandra (bass/piano/backing vocals) Villarreal have gone from small city touring around Mexico, to worldwide recognition after a viral explosion of followers following a social media surge due to cover songs and their own content. Their third studio album, ‘ERROR’, released in 2022, has brought their biggest leap into stardom with the song, ‘Money’, reaching the top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
Viral status can come and go in a heartbeat, but The Warning have not only been able to navigate the waters and stay afloat in the cutthroat industry of rock music, but also prove why they are the real deal and are here to stay. The band, signed with Lava Records, an affiliate of Universal Music Group, in 2020 and have been touring nonstop over the last year. The band also revealed they are in a Pepsi commercial recently.
While having some valuable off time, The Warning were gracious enough to do this interview to speak about their start, touring with Muse, their creative process, and more.
“The funny thing here is that becoming a band had never been our main goal! We were just three sisters who loved playing our instruments and by pure chance we gave playing together a chance. And of course there was no going back!”
– Dany
Based on my research, and correct me if I’m wrong, but your band really came to life after your cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. Back at that point when you recorded it, did you think about how that could be the start of something special and begin your upwards trajectory to fame?
Dany: You are correct! Our cover of “Enter Sandman” was the pinnacle of the biggest change of our lives (laughs). We had no idea whatsoever on the impact it would have. We recorded covers of our favorite songs and shared them mainly so our close friends could see them. Never had we thought it would go viral and thousands of strangers would like it! It’s crazy how the world works because it all started with that cover and now, we’re IN a Metallica album that celebrates 30 years of “The Black Album” with our own version on none other than “Enter Sandman”, which we worked on along with Alessia Cara. The most insane full circle moment ever, right? This song is so special to us and we’re so happy that even 8 years later we can be a small part of its history. Plus it was our first ever collaboration as a band, and it was with Alessia Cara and Metallica, crazy!
This question goes off my personal experience in this industry. I wanted to be a photographer my entire life, and with that I got a ton of people saying I should be aspiring to be something else. Something that is a guaranteed career. Is that something you experienced as well growing up in Monterrey, Mexico? What was it like growing up with the aspirations of making it in the music industry as a band? And now that you have established yourselves in the rock scene, how fun is it to go back and see all of Mexico rooting for you?
Dany: Yes, we did get comments like that from people we care about every day. But at the end of the day, the passion and love we had for music won over all those comments. Plus, we had the support of the ones that mattered the most, our parents! They knew how much it meant to us and how much we enjoyed being around music and playing our instruments. It took a lot of hard work and effort as a whole family to get started on this journey, and keep moving forward. You know, the funny thing here is that becoming a band had never been our main goal! We were just three sisters who loved playing our instruments and by pure chance we gave playing together a chance.
“We’re so happy to have finally visited all of our Warning family overseas! All of our headlining shows were amazing and they took us by surprise in all the love they showed us in the sold-outs we kept seeing and the loudness of all their singing!”
-Dany
And of course there was no going back! IT MADE TOTAL SENSE! We loved it! We were so young that we didn’t really know what we were getting into in terms of the industry or the kind of music we played! We just knew that we loved to rock and just followed our hearts and let them lead where we went in terms of the music we wrote. And again, my parents took care of us along the way and we all learned the ins and outs of the music industry and the rock scene. As the years went by, slowly but surely our team grew, we played more places, met new people, had insane opportunities to share our music and we couldn’t be happier! It’s always fun to look back at the now 10-year journey this has been and we’re very proud of each other and we’re still pumped and ready for what’s still to come!
I’m a huge fan of Muse. I grew up on their music and was super stoked (and a tad bit jealous) to see you playing as their openers for select shows. How did the touring with Muse come about and what was it like to tour with one of the bands you idolize as well?
Dany: SAME! We’re all super fans of Muse, we grew up watching concerts of them on TV and loving their music so much! Also, we we’re so stocked to be a trio just like them! They are our inspiration in a lot of different ways! SO YEAH! TOURING WITH THEM?!?! We could hardly believe it when we got the news! We we’re able to be the support band for them in our country, starting in our home city, Monterrey! And while they were here, Matt personally invited us on tour with them in the UK. I thought he was kidding (laughs). HE WAS NOT! Next thing you know, we are playing our first ever gig in all of Europe. And it’s a stadium gig opening for our biggest idols, Muse, in their hometown show in Plymouth. What more can a band ask for?
“This year we’ve been working with other writers or the first time and it’s been very fun to work with other people since we’ve only ever worked with each other up until now.”
– Ale
All the band members and their whole team are the nicest people we have met and we’re so grateful for the opportunity they gave us to do our thing! And we took this opportunity to visit and play around Europe on our own too! We’re so happy to have finally visited all of our Warning family overseas! All of our headlining shows were amazing and they took us by surprise in all the love they showed us in the sold-outs we kept seeing and the loudness of all their singing! All in all, it was the perfect tour and to close things off on. On an even crazier note, our last show with Muse over in the UK, Matt surprised me with my own Manson guitar! I wanted to cry… IT IS BEAUTIFUL! I was mind blown and I didn’t hesitate to plug it in and play it for the first time ever in our set! Core memory for sure.
Muse isn’t the only headliner band you’ve toured with. Touring with the likes of the Foo Fighters, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Stone Temple Pilots, Three Days Grace and now Guns N’ Roses, what has it been like to be in front of massive crowds and tour with these bands? Does it ever get intimidating?
Ale: It’s been an honor and a dream come true to have been able to tour with bands that we’ve looked up to our whole lives and yes we do get a bit intimidated by the large crowds but as soon as we step on stage we forget how nervous we were and we just rock out and have fun.
With the release of “More”, What’s next for your band? Are you working on any new music or planning anything exciting that we can look forward to?
Ale: So we just released our new single “MORE” and we’re so happy to have heard everyone singing along already in this recent tour, and we are constantly working in writing new music. We will continue to tour this year we’ll be opening for “Guns N Roses“ in the US in September, we’ll also be playing in Chile and Colombia as well as other shows in South America and Mexico!
“I feel like something that has really helped us over the years is remember why you started playing, what is the reason why you are doing this? “
– Pau
What is the creative process of creating an album? Is there usually a story you want to tell, or just let the writing and instrumentals take control?
Ale: As sisters our creative process is a very interesting one. Pau usually starts on the piano and then the three of us work together to complete every aspect of the songs. This year we’ve been working with other writers or the first time and it’s been very fun to work with other people since we’ve only ever worked with each other up until now. It’s very new to us, but it’s been very fun! In our songwriting, we also prioritize what the song needs and where it wants us to go.
Any words of wisdom for up-and-coming bands out there trying to make it in the music industry?
Pau: I feel like something that has really helped us over the years is remember why you started playing, what is the reason why you are doing this- communicate, live in the moment, and be grateful of the things that you are achieving. Also practice! Practice practice, practice!
Keeping to that advice idea, any insight for newer bands that are trying to get a team up and going? I feel like it is so important in this industry to stay relevant and have fresh content on social media. Having a team behind you has to be an important part of the band. With that, would you have any advice for bands or artists on what to look for to help promote them? Finding someone to make music videos or what to look for when searching for a photographer? Or even how videographers and photographers like myself can get noticed by bands to work with them?
Pau: The most important thing when you start adding more people to your team is passion! If there is a shared passion and interest in the project and a willingness to grow and learn together, that really goes a long way. And look for people who have visions that inspire you! There is nothing more motivating than working with people who’s work sparks excitement in you!
How can fans stay up-to-date with the band’s activities?
Pau: We are very active on social media! From Instagram to TikTok and Youtube, you can find us anywhere as @thewarningrockband. We love to keep in touch with our fans! Its one of the loveliest parts of what we do as a band! Also we have an amazing Patreon page that over the years has grown into an incredibly amazing community which we love very much!
Hot off their European tour, the band has their sites on playing more North American cities later this summer. Catch some live music from the band in the following locations below!
*Feature image provided by The Warning and photographer Jamary Bobe.