During the pandemic, Mahlleh and her musical group “Poetic Mogul” had a recording studio for upcoming artists.

Samantha Arestegui (born on March 20, 1994), known professionally as Mahlleh, is a musician and producer.

Born and raised in the eastside neighborhood of San Jose, Arestegui began music professionally at 13. She became a member of Los Angeles based indie label Poetic Mogul at 19.

“Yeah, I was born on March 20th of 94. I just turned 28. I was born in the San Jose hospital. That hospital doesn’t exist anymore but that’s where I was born. I was raised in San Jose all my life. I moved when I was 18 or 19. I went on tour with a band and never looked back,” said Arestegui.

“When the pandemic first hit, Poetic Mogul studios had a one stop shop for a discounted rate for all upcoming artists to come out. They would get music recordings, music videos, beats, all through the pandemic. The pandemic did not affect my musical career at all. The pandemic kinda pushed us to make more accessible services to the community. It was easier for me to reach out to people online because everybody would stay home online. Traveling became easier for me because a lot of people were afraid to travel. I love to travel. The airline was giving away tickets. People were scared to travel because they didn’t want to get sick. Traveling didn’t stop for me at all. I had to wear a mask but that was never an obstacle for me,” said Arestegui.

In May 2019, KJCC radio station manager Jeff Ochoa interviewed Mahlleh live on the air on KJCC Real Campus Radio.

“I remember that interview took place sometime in May 2, 2019 before an event called LA Raza Cosmica in May,” said Arestegui. “Unfortunately, I lost a lot of shows during the pandemic which caused me to forget what the show was about.”

“I do remember Mahlleh,” said Jeff Ochoa, KJCC radio station manager.

Arestegui is also the CEO of Fortify Studio 408, and Co-founder of the Feminine Divine Collective.

“Feminine Divine Collective doesn’t really operate anymore. People went their own ways. I run and operate Fortify Studio 408. I cover music, culture, news, interviews and promotions for local artists,” said Arestegui.

Things were different in the past two years globally but fortunately, Mahlleh and her company Poetic Mogul made success and did not let the pandemic stop them.

“A lot of people were afraid to come out to our shows during the pandemic but for those that were not afraid to show up, I felt like I made some strong connections. I was able to connect with people like me that didn’t let the pandemic stop them from coming out. I got more compensation for my time during the pandemic. I had some really solid events and I definitely showed up. The pandemic was stopping people from coming together but my team and I had no competition. The pandemic made us stand out in the crowd. We adjusted to the change but we won’t stop,” said Arestegui.