AZORA: The Canadian Artist Who Left a Career Behind to Pursue a Musical Dream
From Vancouver to Mexico City, AZORA transforms a story of personal reinvention into a musical project filled with emotion, freedom, and depth. Her journey is only beginning, but it is already inspiring those who dare to change the course of their lives.
There are decisions that change a career. And there are others that change an entire life.
There are decisions that change a career. And there are others that change an entire life.
At 32 years old, Carly Robert Carrillo, artistically known as AZORA, made a decision many people imagine but few actually take: leaving a stable career in the legal world to pursue a passion that had been with her since adolescence. Today, living between Mexico City and Cuernavaca, the Canadian-Mexican artist is building a new identity within the emerging electronic music scene, driven by a simple yet powerful conviction: life is too short to ignore what makes us feel alive.
«My soul was fading away,» she recalls about her final years working in law. For a long time, she fulfilled everything that was supposed to provide stability and professional success. Yet something was still missing.
«One day, sitting in a cubicle, I realized I couldn’t spend the rest of my life in an office. I had to change something. If I didn’t do it at 32, I probably never would.»
That moment marked the beginning of a transformation that would eventually become AZORA.
What started as mixing sessions at home and a quiet passion for Vancouver’s festivals has evolved into an artistic project that connects freedom, deep emotions, and the courage to pursue what truly matters.
"To me, it was riskier to reach the end of my life regretting that I never tried than to face the uncertainty of starting over."
Although her artistic project only became public about a month ago through social media, AZORA’s relationship with electronic music has much deeper roots.
Since the age of 17, she frequented clubs and festivals in Vancouver to discover the artists she admired. Those experiences awakened something within her that eventually became impossible to ignore.
For years, she mixed music at home as a hobby, exploring sounds, genres, and emotions without imagining that one day it would become her profession. Today, she is enrolled in the Master DJ & Producer Program at Soundspace, where she has spent the last three months refining her DJ skills and where she will soon begin her training in music production.
What makes her story particularly interesting is that it does not follow the classic narrative of an artist who always knew their destiny. On the contrary, it is the story of someone who found the courage to reinvent herself when most people have already chosen to stay where they are.
«To me, it was riskier to reach the end of my life regretting that I never tried than to face the uncertainty of starting over.»
The Deep Meaning Behind AZORA
The name AZORA was not chosen by chance.
Its inspiration comes from a fascination that has accompanied her since childhood: water.
Inspired by water, movement, and constant transformation, AZORA has built an artistic identity that rejects appearances and instead embraces something more powerful: creating genuine human connections through music.
A passionate gamer, particularly a fan of the Zelda series, she found a special connection with the Zora, the aquatic race from the game’s universe. Over time, however, the meaning evolved far beyond that original reference.
For her, water symbolizes movement, transformation, and adaptability.
«Water never stays still. It flows. It finds new paths. It moves forward. That’s how I understand life.»
That philosophy became the conceptual core of the entire project.
Under the motto «Where Freedom Meets Emotion,» AZORA has developed an artistic identity based on emotional exploration, personal freedom, and the ability to continually transform.
She is not interested in following trends.
She is not interested in projecting luxury.
She is not interested in building an image based on status.
Her vision points somewhere else: human connection.
Between Vancouver's Darkness and Mexico's Light
AZORA’s music also serves as an emotional map of the places that have shaped her life.
She grew up in Vancouver, a city characterized by long winters, constant rain, and gray landscapes. That atmosphere remains present in her musical selections, particularly in her affinity for deep, mysterious, and melancholic sounds.
«I’m very drawn to dark, deep, almost cinematic songs. I love that feeling of being inside a cyberpunk movie.»
Alongside that influence appears another completely different one: her Mexican roots.
From there come the warm melodies, emotional vocals, and energy that invite people to dance from a place of feeling rather than pure euphoria.
And between those two worlds lies a third influence: Cuernavaca.
A place she associates with calmness, contemplation, and a simpler way of living.
The combination of these three universes defines much of her current sound: Progressive House, Melodic House, and Tech House infused with strong emotional and narrative elements.
The Freedom of Starting From Scratch
Beyond the stage, her journey is also a story of healing. Moving to Mexico, rebuilding her life, adopting a rescued dog, and rediscovering joy were essential steps before finding the path she now follows with conviction.
Moving to Mexico nine months ago was far more than a geographical change.
It was a process of personal reconstruction.
After years of professional pressure, she arrived emotionally exhausted. For several months, she simply rested, healed, and rediscovered enthusiasm for life’s small pleasures.
The adoption of Donna, a rescue dog from Morelos, also played a crucial role in that process.
«I needed to heal my mind, body, and soul. For months, I simply rested. Then my dog arrived and helped me rediscover joy.»
It was during this stage that the idea of dedicating all her energy to her musical project emerged.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt she was moving in the right direction.
Emotion as a Universal Language
When AZORA talks about music, she rarely speaks about techniques or genres.
She talks about emotions.
She talks about connection.
She talks about transformation.
Perhaps that is why one of the most significant experiences of her life occurred at age 18, when she attended an Above & Beyond show in Vancouver.
That performance became a turning point.
«It was a transcendental experience. I understood how much I could feel through music. It changed my life.»
From that moment on, she began traveling to attend events within the Group Therapy universe and discovered something she now seeks to recreate in her own sets: the feeling of belonging to something greater than oneself.
That is why her sessions are not designed simply to make people dance.
They are designed to tell a story.
To create a journey.
To build peaks, pauses, tension, and emotional release.
Learning While Building Her Own Path
AZORA is currently living through a unique stage: she is both a student and an emerging artist.
Far from seeing this as a contradiction, she believes the two roles complement each other.
While learning theory and technique at Soundspace, she applies that knowledge in real time to the development of her project.
However, she acknowledges that the greatest challenge has not been learning how to mix.
It has been understanding everything that surrounds the music industry.
«I never imagined how much work marketing requires. I thought developing musical skills would be enough, but you also need visibility. Discipline ends up being more important than motivation.»
Interestingly, this mindset was inherited from her legal background.
Organization, time management, planning, and prioritization are skills that have become essential tools in her artistic growth.
The Community She Dreams of Building
Beyond international festivals, original music, or future performances, one goal consistently appears in her vision: community.
AZORA wants to connect with people who dare to explore.
People who are not afraid to be different.
People who find beauty in things that do not fit perfectly into current trends.
«I want to find the weird ones. Because I’m different too. I want to connect with people who have the courage to show themselves exactly as they are.»
That mission aligns perfectly with the central concept of her project: creating spaces where people can feel, explore, and flow without needing to fit into someone else’s expectations.
It is striking how little AZORA talks about specific achievements and how much she talks about the process itself.
Yes, she dreams of performing at international festivals.
Yes, she wants to release original music.
Yes, she hopes to build a global community.
But when she imagines the future, she does not think only about stages.
She thinks about the journey.
«If I ever get to perform at a major festival, I’ll feel it was worth it because it was difficult. Because it challenged me. Because it forced me to grow. And if it doesn’t happen, at least I’ll know I had the courage to try.»
In an industry that often revolves around metrics, appearances, and immediate results, AZORA offers something different: an ongoing exploration where music serves as a bridge between emotion, transformation, and freedom.
Her story is only beginning.
But if her journey has shown anything so far, it is that some of life’s most important adventures do not begin on a stage.
They begin the moment someone decides to listen to that inner voice that has been asking for a chance for years.
At 32 years old, she made a decision few people dare to execute: leaving behind a stable career in the legal world to start over in electronic music. AZORA’s story proves that it is never too late to reinvent yourself.
What began as mixing sessions at home and a quiet passion for Vancouver’s festival scene has become an artistic project that connects freedom, deep emotions, and the courage to pursue what truly matters.
Inspired by water, movement, and constant transformation, AZORA has created an artistic identity that rejects appearances and embraces something far more powerful: building authentic human connections through music.
Beyond the stage, her journey is also a story of healing. Moving to Mexico, rebuilding her life, adopting a rescued dog, and rediscovering joy were fundamental steps before finding the path she now follows with conviction.
Between the melancholy of Vancouver, the warmth of Mexico, and the tranquility of Cuernavaca, AZORA is developing a sound rich in emotion. More than making people dance, she seeks to tell stories capable of transforming those who listen.
