A floating music scene, newfound love of fishing, surprising seasickness—singer/songwriter Angelyn Iturbide’s experience starring in Amazon Prime’s newest show was unlike any other music tour she ever experienced.
Originally dubbed Bus Stops, the show about a touring recording artist and her bandmates became Yacht Stops to ensure a safer, socially-distanced experience. Instead of stopping at bars and restaurants, the cast set sail in May and performed in ports along the East coast. “Because of COVID, for every musician, it was crazy,” the 22-year-old musician says. “Something like this is a godsend. It was so dead for so long in the music scene.”
WELCOME TO TEXAS
Before her high seas adventure, though, Angelyn embarked on a different escapade—moving to Austin to jumpstart her music career. A lifelong music lover, her journey here began as a visitor from California—she admits she wasn’t a fan of the Texas capital until she noticed its “popping music scene” and made it her home in 2019. She later settled in Georgetown and ultimately Round Rock, although you can still find her giving music lessons at Ken’z Guitars in Georgetown.
Four years and a record deal later, Angelyn found herself signed up for a show that pulls back the curtain on the lives of touring musicians. The series takes the bandmates on a 14-city marina music tour from South Carolina to Florida on a luxury yacht.
While it sounds like a vacation, the cast had to pull their weight during the trip by taking on the responsibilities of a boat crew—cleaning, fishing, and everything in between. Angelyn soon discovered touring on the ocean was much different from taking her music on the road. “On a bus, you can drive to the nearest grocery store, whereas you have to plan ahead for a few days of being out on the water,” she says. “On the ocean, when you leave your windows open for a long period of time, condensation will be all over your bed. That doesn’t happen on a bus.”
Despite challenges—seasickness to a car accident—Angelyn came to love fishing and everyone she met, “From the boat captain to the camera guys. They’re just great people.” Most of all, she loved inspiring listeners through her music. “I love relating to people,” she says. “Every time I hear something inspiring, I’ll grab a guitar and write a song about it. I’m not sure how I feel about something until I write about it.”