She played Evita on Broadway and is now part of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, the reboot of the show she admits to having been a fan of.
© Teen Vogue - Ivan Resnik
Maia Reficco lives her moment. Growing up knowing that the world is listening to you and watching you should not be an easy task. Especially since she is a woman, young, Latin, extremely sensitive – as she defines herself – and with such great dreams in a world where, little by little, her limits seem to fade, but in which success still resists certain forms. Living by explaining where he comes from, what language he speaks or what his style is, were obstacles he had to learn to overcome and part of his growth.
Exposed to the voice of a judge, who often forgets that no one is from here or elsewhere, actress and singer Maia Reficco had to do extra work to find her true identity. Through his ideals and values, he took value measures in the entertainment industry that, although he does not yet know, are history. He was born in the United States, but his roots and heart still look south. Maia’s essence is there, but her desires have no roof. Today, she looks back, she remembers all the efforts, every time she was away from her people and every obstacle she has overcome and she can’t believe it, 'right now I feel very mobilized, I finally live the reality that is my dream since 'very small' and it’s very magical, but at the same time, there are many challenges,' said the actress and singer. And when she says «very small», she is really very small: at the age of seven, she left the United States for Argentina with her parents, who came from this land that she also considers his.
© Teen Vogue - Ivan Resnik
Daughter of the year 2000s, at nine, she was already taking theater classes and at 15, she moved to Los Angeles to train with the vocal coach of artists such as Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello. At just 17, she began her first lead role, becoming Kally Ponce in Nickelodeon’s hit series, Kally’s Mashup. Two years later, she makes the leap with a lead role in the legendary Broadway musical Evita, dedicating herself as the youngest actress to play Eva Perón, famous Argentine politician and actress, who reincarnated through women like Madonna or Elena Roger. And there, in full bloom, he was encouraged to make another leap, this time towards his own music. While his fourth single has just been released, Rapido y Furioso, he remembers his first singles Tuya, De ti and Tanto calor and recognizes how much he has grown in such a short time. With Fast and Furious, which is a pop song and I love it, I moved away from the urban, I already feel that it doesn’t challenge me so much, that it was also what the world expected of me. And, as much as I like it, I realized that all my life I wanted to do pop or R&B, and I didn’t do it because of insecurities, because of what they’re going to say... But now I have encouraged myself and I give a lot of love to this wound in other people’s eyes.” Thus, he has three albums completed, but that few songs will see the light of day.
It is because in this rapid and difficult growth, Maia Reficco was building piece by piece her true identity and working so that social impositions would not stand in her way. I come from a process of a lot of research for myself and my artist, it was very difficult for me to find where I really wanted to stop and it’s authentic. In the meantime, I’ve done it, and now I see which of these things keeps going through me.” And this last word is repeated repeatedly in his speech... Because it always has its axis, its values and its present ideals: The ideological question has been a barrier. Especially since I have such a young audience and although my task is not to educate anyone, as an artist, I feel the responsibility to communicate. It’s nothing less than all the people on the other side, and I know that from here on out you can do a lot. Even in this world of absolute chaos, as artists we can offer hope, entertain, encourage, generate a sense of unity and family. Moreover, her history has made her aware of the privileges, even among the privileged, of diversity, freedom, feminism, of finding our value in the world... “I sometimes go through all these questions in such a real and fleshly way that, beyond what I do or what I write, they are always there in my person in their entirety.”
© Teen Vogue - Ivan Resnik
Today, she celebrates having realized one of her dreams, being part of mainstream entertainment, but most importantly, being able to represent Latin America in the world with her role in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, the reboot of the series with which Maia claims to have grown up and confesses to having written at the foot of her teenage bed the name of one of the protagonists. I was half in love with Lucy Hale and I didn’t understand if I liked or wanted to be like her, it was really part of my adolescence, I grew up with her, and it’s crazy to be here now. But the thing that moves me the most is that I didn’t see people who looked like me, who spoke Argentine Spanish and drank maté in mainstream entertainment. There isn’t, there isn’t... the closest thing we have is Anya Taylor-Joy who is a blonde white woman, who deserves absolutely everything that happens to her, but who is nothing like me... So being able to be that for children in Argentina and Latin America is very mobilizing because we are so underrepresented in the world.”
Grateful and motivated by all that is to come, the artist also hopes to release this year Do Revenge, a film for Netflix with Camila Mendes, Maia Hawke and Sophie Turner, with whom she seeks to continue to travel through her dreams from north to south, from east to west, without limits... Write history with her own, with which she also hopes to leave her mark on the world and spirit of the new generations.
Photographed by Ivan Resnik
Styled by Jimo Soriano
Product by Julieta Otera
Hair by Pola Amengual
Make up by Inés Pizarro for @_nichestudio
Photo assistant by Gaston Paci
Editing by Ale Jiménez
Find the rest of the gallery on the site Maia Reficco France and the outfits Maia wore for this shoot on the site Maia Reficco Fashion, using the make-up from Yves Saint Laurent.
