1 Immasoul is carving out a unique space in Latin music, blending her Caribbean roots, deep social consciousness, and genre-defying sound. Born in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, and raised in Cancun, her music is as much about identity and resilience as it is about rhythm and melody. In an exclusive interview with Crema, Immasoul shared her journey—from growing up in a region that defies traditional Mexican identity to the profound losses that shaped her latest album.
2 “I’m Mexican, from the south of Mexico, on the border with Belize,” Immasoul explained, emphasizing how this shaped both her personal and artistic identity. “The music industry in Mexico is very centered in Mexico City and the north. For those of us from the south, it’s much harder to break through.”Growing up in Chetumal, a city she describes as “like a mini Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico,” she was immersed in an often-overlooked part of Mexican culture. “It’s a space of migrants, people with Belizean and Mexican families,” she said. “It’s a very rich culture, but Afro-Mexicans have been so erased that we weren’t even included in the national census until 2020.”Her Belizean and African ancestry on her mother’s side deeply influenced her worldview. “I have always liked talking about raciality, about decolonial feminism, about aspects that tend to be uncomfortable for others,” she said. “For me, it’s something I’ve lived personally since I was a child.”
3 Music was always part of Immasoul’s life, but her influences were shaped by a mix of mainstream and regional sounds. “I was born in Chetumal but moved to Cancun when I was three,” she explained. “Cancun was super new then, and it was built for the gringo experience, so we had a lot of mainstream R&B and hip-hop imported.” Her older sister, ten years her senior, introduced her to TLC and Brandy. “She was listening to all that mainstream R&B from the millennium,” Immasoul said. Meanwhile, her Belizean family ensured she grew up with Caribbean rhythms. “Soca, calypso, punta rock—it was always present in my community.” These two musical worlds collided when she discovered The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. “That was the first album I listened to in its entirety,” she said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to do this.”
4 In 2020, Immasoul lost her mother to COVID-19. The trauma of not being able to be with her in her final moments was devastating. “Seeing her go on camera was not easy at all,” she said. “I was very affected, but music has always been my escape.”Her mother’s voice opens her 2021 EP, Natural. “I couldn’t imagine not giving that first track to my mom,” she said. “She was all I could think of.”Then, in December 2023, tragedy struck again when her father passed away. “It’s the second time I put out a body of work and lost something huge in the process,” she reflected. “But instead of seeing the sad part of it, I take it as an opportunity to transform.”
5 Her latest album, set for release on March 7, 2024, is her most ambitious project yet. “I wanted to make an album that would challenge me,” she explained. “I didn’t want to be the same musician when I finished.” For the first time, Immasoul ventured beyond R&B into new genres. “I did trap, I did afrobeat, I even did Mexican regional,” she revealed. The decision to embrace regional Mexican music came after a conversation with a fellow musician. “He told me, ‘You’re Mexican. Why haven’t you done regional?’ And I thought, ‘That’s from the north, I’m from the south.’ But then I realized—it’s all music.” She threw herself into the challenge. “I thought I couldn’t sing a Mexican regional song, but I did it,” she said. “I like challenges, but usually within my comfort zone. This time, I made myself uncomfortable—and I’m proud of that.”
