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Posted on: 2/11/25
In life, Emely Barahona said you have to take risks.
Barahona, a 2017 graduate of East Mecklenburg High
School, loves music. At East Mecklenburg, she was in musical theater and part of the school’s choir. After graduating, she went to Queens University of Charlotte where she sang in the university’s choir, but due to scheduling conflicts, she wasn’t able to continue.
At first Barahona thought she would study chemistry, but after two years she switched to philosophy and marketing.
“I was so happy I made that decision,” she said. “And music is still in my life. Throughout college, I would sing, I would go to live shows. I appreciated live music. Like it never left.”
The pandemic hit while she was at Queens, and after spending time learning online at home, she was ready for a new adventure.
Barahona said she was scrolling through social media when she saw an ad to teach English in Spain. She obtained her certification in teaching English as a foreign language, and after graduating in 2021, she moved to Spain.
“I was so excited and nervous, but I was more excited than anything,” said Barahona. “I moved to Madrid and taught English to high schoolers. I loved working with the teachers and I loved working with the students.”
But after two years, Barahona said it felt like something was missing, despite falling in love with teaching. She saw information for a graduate program in Barcelona at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya where she could get her master’s degree in art and cultural management. While living in Madrid, Barahona fell in love with the social and cultural aspects of the city. She would go to live shows, DJ sets and museums.
Barahona knew it was time to take another risk. She made it into
the program and moved to Barcelona. While in the program, she was with classmates who represented more than 60 different countries. The program also allowed her to get back into music. For her thesis project, Barahona and her partner created a project that was based in Charlotte and would help underrepresented women learn how to DJ and become DJs in Charlotte and the surrounding areas.
“It never felt like work when we were working on it,” said Barahona. “I DJ a lot, our friends DJ and so does my boyfriend. And it’s so funny because here I was again, creating curriculum.”
In addition to working on her thesis, Barahona also had an internship with Foehn Records, a record label. The label decided to open an agency, Intacta Music, where Barahona and a group of all women were able to represent various artists and promote them to different venues and festivals. The label kept Barahona after her internship was completed to work as the agency’s international communications director.
Barahona, who was able to move back to Madrid, said they represent 35 artists and have been able to work with festivals like Primavera Sound and Sónar. She also works for Pivota Marketing, an agency based in the U.S., and still continues to DJ. Her boyfriend started a walking tour company, Tío Tours, where she’s helping run marketing and communications, and she’s also working on a cookbook with her former thesis project partner — combining her love for techno/electronic music, people, culture and food.
It’s a busy schedule, but Barahona said she’s happy where she is.
“I’m really happy my life has led me in this path of realizing that there’s so much more than just sitting down and working every single day,” she said. “I want to continue this and see where it goes.”
