Entertainment

These Break Out Latino Artists Totally Deserve a Spot On Your Playlist Right Now

By February 14, 2019 at 1:40 pm

If 2018 was a good year for Latino culture in the U.S., 2019 better hold on to its Takis. With the rise of artists like Cardi B, who can top charts in Latin music and rap music. We’re not talking Spanish to English crossover. We’re referencing Drake cooing in Spanish alongside Bad Bunny record-breaking hits like “MIA.”

A new path has been paved, and it started long before these artists came along. We’re Latinos. We’ve been growing in the U.S. and it shows. Here are the artists that are on the verge of breaking out and they have a lot to say. Listen in, no?

Bad Bunny

@badbunnypr / Instagram

I don’t know how this can be, but some of my Puerto Rican cousins still don’t know who Bad Bunny is, so I leave him here for you just in case you’re a lost soul. That’s okay. If Cardi B didn’t come around last year, Bad Bunny would be the breakout Latin trap artist of the year. He just dropped his debut album and it’s yours for the taking.

Melii

@melii / Instagram

Afro-Latina rapper Melii is low key known for covering Cardi B.’s “Bodak Yellow” with an acoustic intro and her own rewrite.

Pro tip: add “Icey” to your workout playlist and get it.

Duki

@dukissj / Instagram

Starting out as a freestyler in Buenos Aires, he won the muy famosa competition “El Quinto Escalón.” His career has taken off in the last year, and he started off 2019 with a new EP drop, “LeBron.”

Wiro

Spotify

Guadalajara based R&B lite artist Wiro has been around for about one second, and people are sold. He’s slinky, has flow and belongs on your chill beats playlist.

Aitana

@aitanax / Instagram

She first emerged as the runner up in Spanish reality talent show Operación Triunfo, but it wasn’t until November 2018 that she really broke international fame as a pop Latin singer. Her debut album Tráiler became the second most streamed album within twenty-four hours of all-time in Spain.

Amara La Negra

@amaralanegraaln / Instagram

Amara La Negra is no newcomer, but since her rise to fame on Love & Hip Hop, she’s made a splash in the music industry. Listen to her new EP “Understanding” and you’ll understand why. 😉

A.Chal

@a.chal_ / Instagram

A. Chal knows that his trap is what we want to hear. Here’s what he told Spotify: “Latin music is evolving right now. It’s about time. Trap is just the rhythm that dominates the youth right now, so all the young artists coming out, that’s what they’re getting on. Any time something evolves, it’s a good time because art represents where humanity is, so the evolution shows we’re in a different chapter, and there’s gonna be a new chapter afterwards.”

Listen to his new album EXOTIGAZ.

Kaina

@_kaifu / Instagram

She’s just 22 years old and her music exudes the sacred energy of soulful, Celia Cruz influenced bedroom pop. She’s heavenly and deserves your attention.

KatzĂč Oso

@katzuoso / Instagram

His self described silly love songs come to you with ’80s era electronic beats in the smoothest Spanglish we need. His debut album dropped in July 2018, and we’re still listening to “Coqueta.”

Omar Apollo

@omar.apollo / Instagram

Cuidado because Mexicano suave singer-songwriter is about to serenade your heart away. The 21-year-old Indiana based singer is collecting hearts on Spotify, and can also be found in Spotify sponsored playlist “Bedroom Pop”. Now you know.

Cuco

@cucopuffs / Instagram

His Chicano ballads will tempt you like nothing else, and while Cuco was underground for about a year, his appearance at Coachella changed everything. Listen up, because he’s coming up.

Lele Pons

@lelepons / Instagram

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Lele Pons started out as the most followed and looped Viner. Today, she’s dropping some seriously good beats. Escuche a “Celoso” and thank me later.

Victor!

Spotify

Another Bedroom Pop up and comer is 18-year-old Victor Cervantes. He tells NPR Latino that this is his music: “You take your blanket out of the drier and wrap yourself in it. That’s how my music kind of feels.”

Dos Santos

@dossantoschi / Instagram

The Chicago based group of five have been around for awhile, but with the footholds of Spanish-language music going mainstream, they’re exploding. Think psychedelic cambia meets salsa and classic rock. Then listen.

DaniLeigh

@iamdanileigh / Instagram

Dominican DaniLeigh was recently named YouTube’s “artist on the rise” (de acuerdo) and opened for Cardi B at the Pandora NYC Show al fin de 2018. Check out her latest album “The Plan” released just a few months ago.

Empress Of

@empressof / Instagram

She’s Khalid’s go-to collaborator for her crazy high pitch y suavamente. Their last collaboration, Suncity has been top charting for the last month.

Kim Viera

@kimviera / Instagram

Recognize her yet? She’s our favorite Latina on Pitch Perfect, and she’s collabed with Daddy Yankee on “Como.” Listen to her latest Spanglish EP, “Mirada.” Como no estás escuchándolo?

RosalĂ­a

@rosalia.vt_ / Instagram

Rosalía dropped her first three singles just last year, and is headed to Coachella this year. She’s modernizing and sultrifying flamenca for the mainstream, partnering with the likes of J. Balvin y más.

Soy Emilia

@soyemiliamusica / Instagram

Desde Colombia, Soy Emilia is a dreamy singer, and killer bassist. You need to listen to her collaboration with CERO039 on “Dos Extraños” ASAP.

Tatiana Hazel

@tatianahazel / Instagram

Indie-pop Mexicana-Americana Tatiana Hazel has been posting her music on YouTube since she was 13 years old. Her EP, “Toxic” has received huge acclaim, and we’re about to see this Chicago based star go national, no question.

READ: From Maxwell To Cardi B, These Afro-Latinos Are A Driving Force In The Music Industry Today

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Kali Uchis’ “TelepatĂ­a” is Becoming a Global Hit Thanks to TikTok

Latidomusic

Kali Uchis’ “TelepatĂ­a” is Becoming a Global Hit Thanks to TikTok

By February 24, 2021 at 1:27 pm
BY  | February 24, 2021 AT 1:27 pm

Through the power of TikTok, Kali Uchis is taking her song “TelepatĂ­a” to the top. The Colombian-American singer is sitting comfortably in the top 10 of Spotify’s Top 200 chart in the U.S. thanks to a TikTok trend.

This isn’t the first time that TikTok brought new fame to songs.

TikTok has proven to be quite the catalyst for today’s top hits. The app assisted in getting Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” to the top of Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remains. TikTok also reinvigorated interest in Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” last year thanks to Doggface’s viral video. Now Uchis is getting her long overdue shine with “TelepatĂ­a.”

“TelepatĂ­a” is becoming a global hit thanks to the same phenomenon.

At No. 7 on the Spotify U.S. chart, “TelepatĂ­a” is the highest-charting Latin song in the country. Bad Bunny’s “DĂĄkiti” with Jhay Cortez is the next closest Latin song at No. 14. “TelepatĂ­a” is also making waves across the globe where the song is charting on Spotify’s Viral Charts in 66 countries and in the Top Songs Charts of 32 countries.

There’s also plenty of “TelepatĂ­a” memes.

Uchis is turning the viral song’s success into strong sales and streaming. On this week’s Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, “TelepatĂ­a” debuts at No. 10, marking her first top 10 hit on the chart. There are also memes circulating on other social media apps that are contributing to the song’s virality.

“TelepatĂ­a” is one of the key cuts on Uchis’ debut Latin album, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios). It’s the best example of her translating that alternative soul music that she’s known for into Spanish. The song is notably in Spanglish as Uchis sings about keeping a love connection alive from a distance. It’s timely considering this era of social distancing that we’re in during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uchis is currently nominated for a Grammy Award. She’s up for Best Dance Recording for her feature on Kaytranada’s “10%” song.

Read: You Have To Hear Kali Uchis Slay This Classic Latino Song

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Kali UchisMusicSongTiktok

Kehlani Dresses as Both Prom King and Queen on Cover of ‘Playboy’, Talks Feeling Comfortable in Both Gender Roles

Entertainment

Kehlani Dresses as Both Prom King and Queen on Cover of ‘Playboy’, Talks Feeling Comfortable in Both Gender Roles

By February 19, 2021 at 5:09 pm
BY  | February 19, 2021 AT 5:09 pm
Photo via kehlani/Instagram

Kehlani has long been open about the fluid nature of her gender expression. That’s why it’s exciting that the R&B star is experimenting with different facets of her personality on the most recent cover of Playboy.

In a bold move, Kehlani appears on Playboy‘s latest cover dressed in both (traditionally) women and (traditionally) men’s clothing.

And as if one Kehlani isn’t exciting enough, the magazine cover treats us to two versions of this Oakland native. On the left side of the magazine, Kehlani is dressed up as a Prom Queen, complete with a resplendent gown and a tiara. On the cover’s right side, Kehlani is dressed in Prom King drag: her tie undone, her collar open, her crown askew.

She shared the picture to her personal Instagram page with the cheeky caption: “I always wanted to date me.”

In the accompanying interview, Kehlani talks about gender identity and expression, motherhood, and owning her sexuality.

When Kehlani was asked how she defines masculinity and femininity, Kehlani got refreshingly candid. “I’ve discovered that I’ve run from a lot of femininity,” she admitted. “I was way more comfortable in a more masculine space. I feel more masculine when I am in my stillness and I’m grounded in a quiet, contemplative mode.”

She then explained that she feels “most feminine” when she’s “being the mother of my house.” (Kehlani had a baby girl named Adeya Nomi in 2019). She also explained that she “feels her femininity” when she ‘s indulging in self-care, like soaking in a flower-filled bath, or doing a hair mask.

“My femininity makes me feel soft and gentle and tender and careful in a different way than my masculinity makes me feel,” she said. “I’m trying not to let it fall into the gender norms of feminine and masculine, but for me it does a tiny bit. But I also am very fluid in both of those settings.”

Kehlani has always been open about her fluid sexuality and gender identity.

In 2018, she tweeted: “Not bi, not straight. I’m attracted to women, men, REALLY attracted to queer men, non-binary people, intersex people, trans people”.

But of course, haters on the internet accused her of “queer-baiting”–that is, pretending she’s queer to get more LGBT fans and attract attention. In an interview with The Guardian last year, she revealed why the accusation frustrates her.

“I’ve had girlfriends in front of people’s faces, right under their noses, and they weren’t famous and so nobody cared to make it public,” she said. “So they automatically assume that I must like men more than women.”

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KehlaniMusicPlayboyQueer