Finding Her Rhythm

BORN IN NORTHERN MEXICO and raised mostly in Chihuahua, Magnolia Orli came to Miami as an academic but has quickly blossomed into one of the most passionate and skilled supporters and documentarians of the Miami music scene.

“After finishing my Ph.D., I was drawn to Miami for its vibrant cultural scene and the predominance of Spanish,” the South Miami writer tells AQUA. “I wanted to raise my son in a place where bilingualism is not only accepted but celebrated. Miami quickly became a home—a mix of sound, rhythm, and identity that resonates deeply with me. And so different from everything I knew.”

Recently, Orli branched out, founding her own Substack newsletter, TikTok, and biligual YouTube channel—all under the banner Music in a Heartbeat—to cover the South Florida music scene in a more expansive, uniquely passionate way.

“On a personal level, it wasn’t easy putting myself on screen,” she says. “I’ve always loved being behind the keyboard and backstage, learning from a safe distance. The hands-on approach has been a steep learning curve, indeed. That said, I’ve never been shy, either.”

Orli was kind enough to recently catch AQUA up on her life, times, and personal musical heartbeat.

You’ve got an infectious passion for music—not only in your writing and videos but

also in person. I’m curious if you remember the first time you encountered music that moved you?

“My passion for music started when I was a baby: My mom was a wedding singer and would take me to rehearsals. Some of my earliest memories are of trombones and tubas and the excitement backstage. Then, as I grew a bit older, my mom became a stay-at-home mom, and I’d go through her records, memorizing lyrics by heart. She liked many genres, while my dad’s music was mostly in English. He would ask me to translate lyrics for him, and I would try my best with the broken, invented English I knew, which mostly came from video games and visits to El Paso, Texas.

Surrounded by the desert, getting access to libraries, learning resources, and music was a difficult task. I would always wait for the older brothers of my friends who studied or worked in the U.S. to bring back burnt CDs from L.A. Piracy, though a crime, helped me tremendously in discovering new bands. When I was a teenager, I actually had a metalcore band called Alone in December, which played a big part in my development, I think. To me, if a Mexican teenage girl could sing gutturals in an emocore band, then anything was possible.”

You ultimately chose to pursue academia, not music. Why?

“The academic decision came when I finally told my parents I wanted to make a living out of writing. They said, ‘Do it the right way—go to grad school in the U.S.’ Even when I was starting to become a recognized author locally, I got scared and signed up for a master of arts in Spanish at New Mexico State University. After that, I did my Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. I was always proud of doing ‘the right thing.’ That wasn’t very punk of me.”

Punk is great, but being punk is sometimes overrated. Also, journey not the destination, and all that jazz. Anyway…Why did you study literature?

“It was in me from birth. I used to make up horror stories at campfires, scaring the kids in my neighborhood. I started making my own comic books. I would do puppet shows for my little brothers. Then, later, when I was at a crossroads when it came to my education—between med school and literature—my mom asked me an essential question: ‘What would you rather do for 13 hours a day? Read about medicine or about literature? Anatomy or stories?’ The answer was clear.”

What promted your transition into music journalism?

“It just made sense. I find writing somewhat easy, but writing about music feels like a whole new world of its own. I love challenges. After attending a good show, I’d, first want to know more about the band’s origins and creative process; it was obsessive. Second, I’d feel a

pressing need to get friends, acquaintances, and basically anyone else around me to listen to them. So, it all started out of a spirit of sharing. I could finally use what I had learned for something that has always been deeply meaningful to me…I also spend a lot of time driving, so it’s a perfect chance to listen to music carefully with barely any interruptions. I also record most of my Instagram Stories there. It’s like a mobile studio.”

Did motherhood play any part in your decision? As a parent, I know you begin thinking about how to model a good life—certainly following your passions would fall under this.

“I’ve always wanted to raise my son to love music. I guess, in a way, that’s what ‘made sense.’ I wanted my son to have the best musical influence possible. But music has been in my family since I was a baby, and now my brothers are also dedicating their lives to it. My brother Louie makes music for video games in Canada, and Oscar is an indie folk singer-songwriter. My dad has even started taking drum lessons—it’s like the rhythm has finally caught up with everyone in the family. I’ve always wanted to raise my son to love music.

Octavio, my son, has been making music since he was four, using his mix-up app to make random songs while we drive. Now, at seven, he’s in the beginners’ orchestra, learning to play the violin. His playlist already has more than a 100 songs, everything from dubstep to rock, hip-hop, and classical music.”

You cover a lot of different genres. Is that important to you?

“Genres are rooms I like to visit every once in a while. Indie rock has always been my favorite, but in the last 11 years away from my beloved desert, I’ve become more and more acquainted with country music and Mexican norteño, banda, etcetera. When I lived in Mexico, it was everywhere, so I wouldn’t even notice it. Being in a place like Miami taught me to appreciate my own sounds—I can certainly cry if I hear a ranchera here.”

BY SHAWN MACOMBER