Meet Neena Vigil | Makeup Artist & DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Neena Vigil and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Neena, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk taking is absolutely necessary.. I cannot emphasize this enough. You NEED risk to strengthen your intuition, know how limitless you are, push your bounds & to grow past fears you may have unconsciously. Anything feels like a risk when you’re in your comfort zone. TAKE MORE RISKS.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hello everyone, mitakuye oyasin 🙂

My name is Neena aka Sweetjoans. I’m a DJ and makeup artist from Denver, CO living in Queens, New York. As a DJ, I have a strong attention to detail & a deep passion for hiphop. I’d consider myself more of a conductor than a chameleon because each of my mixes are centered around working through & transmuting a series of emotions or telling you a story. Each of my mixes are completely freestyled & one of one. I excel in highlighting amazing underground hiphop & r&b artists & tying them with the greats in hip hops & potentially those who didn’t get their flowers while they were here..those in with forgotten gems. In makeup, I love accentuating my clients natural features & truly highlighting their beauty in ways they may have overlooked before. I truly just want everyone to feel good about themselves and know how important they are to the world/their community.

What sets me apart from others would absolutely be my upbringing and approach to life/music in general.. I like to do things my way. I’ve grown to learn how important expressing that is and have always considered myself a strong leader. I grew up in a primarily Native American based household with a strong mix of Chicano values. My family has everything from pastors, to authors, to interior designers and so on.. When you grow up in a minority household.. You speak a different language. You experience and understand facets of life that many don’t if they haven’t lived in it. Many things I’ve seen/faced are woven into my DNA & connect me to people in ways I never imagined. I had to face tremendous amount of personal fear/adversity to get to where I’m at now & I genuinely don’t know where I’d be without my community. I owe everything to God & the love from the people who love & support me.

I got to where I’m at today professionally by really visualizing what I wanted my life to be and only entertaining things that aligned with it.. I was not afraid to say no. I was not afraid to let go. At certain points, I’ve sacrificed everything and just started from scratch! It definitely wasn’t easy. Life isn’t.. Things have taken a lot of work and consistency and I genuinely feel I’ve only been at about 5% of where I would like to be however, the process was definitely natural. I feel all of my guidance has always come to me when I needed it so long as I remain faithful. My dad & grandma Jessica have gotten me through absolutely every adversity & never strayed. I don’t know where I’d be without them. Both God/Tankasala have carried me through as well. Always.

I’ve learned an insane amount of lessons along the way.. A lot of lessons I choose emphasize in my music because they’re hard to put into words, however, I’d say one of my biggest lessons has been to focus on yourself deeply. THINK for yourself. Prior to my grandpas passing last year one thing he always told me was to focus on me. That’s the key to life was focusing on myself.. I try to always remind myself of that.

I’d like the world to know that there is always more than meets the eye with people.. Everyone has layers and facets of themselves that connect them with their families, friends, communities and inner children. Always, always try your best to see people with fresh eyes and allow people to fully exist around you so you can learn from them in their natural, most comfortable & highest state because everyone has a light inside of them to be shown.. Oh and listen to my mixes! Lol

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Maaaannnnnn…. This is a hard one for me. Lol. I love Denver so much and have also grown up ALL over Colorado from Thornton, to Wheatridge, to Castle Rock… I’d definitely start with taking them to get a massage at Radiant Mountain Massage in North Denver followed by going to a yoga class nearby at Better Buzz. You have to make sure you are correct physically/mentally when traveling. After that, I’d likely run to get a chai/iced coffee/matcha at a local coffee shop to plan an itinerary (I really enjoy Bardos). We would have to go for a walk or jog in Evergreen for sure.. And we would absolutely have to get pho and Mexican food. I love Los Dos Potrillos and alot of the hidden gems in South Denver. While I hardly drink, I would absolutely take them to Retrograde for drinks as it’s hidden behind an Ice Cream shop and afterwards, we could go to some farmers markets, outdoor events, ride scooters around the city & spend lots of time going and seeing my friends DJ as there is always something amazing going on. 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to thank God/Tankasla, hiphop, my dad, my grandma, my mom, Cemia, Valene, & the people that genuinely have supported me along the way.. Primarily, I thank hiphop. Hip hop has saved my life in so many ways and is one of the only areas that I will truly risk it all for career wise. I’ve received tons of mini moments of mentorship from all walks of life but hiphop holds some of the people I have the utmost respect and loyalty for.

Instagram: @sweetjoans_

Twitter: https://x.com/sweetjoans_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neenabordeaux/

Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/neenabordeaux/

Image Credits
Jacob Maness, Ernesto Vigil, Quincy Towers, Jeremiah Garcia