Tag: Ivy Queen

RADAR Artist Villano Antillano Delivers Her ‘Magical’ Brand of Latin Rap to Fans Around the World

December 7, 2022

As one of Latin rap’s first transgender artists, Villano Antillano is a true trailblazer who has carved out a revolutionary path. She’s not only made her way onto more than 40 Spotify playlists—including Viva Latino—but has also been featured on multiple Exitos & Top 50 lists. Now we’re excited to welcome Villano to share her personal, unfiltered story with fans across the world as our latest RADAR artist.  

Spotify’s RADAR program spotlights emerging talents from around the globe, and in partnering with Villano, we’re also amplifying an incredible talent from a largely underrepresented community within the urban music scene in particular. 

Born in Bayamón, a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Villano generated early buzz with tracks such as “Pajara,” “Culo,” and “Muñeca,” the latter of which was recorded with nonbinary rapper Ana Macho. 

In 2021, Villano enjoyed viral success with the release of her single “Vendetta,” and went on to feature on Bizarrap’s “Bzrp Music Session, Vol. 51.” She then released the single “KLK,” which has generated more than 900,000 global streams to date, was featured as a panelist at the 2022 Latin American Music Conference, and was named one of its 2022 Wonder Women of Latin Music.  

And just last week, Villano celebrated the release her debut album La Sustancia X, a project that embodies the beauty and horror of growing up queer in the Caribbean.

As part of the RADAR program, we will be releasing the first live recorded performances of Villano’s new tracks, “Kaleidoscópica” and “Cáscara de Coco.” 

For the Record had a chance to talk with Villano to learn more about how her experiences and inspirations are reflected in her music.

What are you looking forward to most as Spotify’s latest RADAR artist?

I think being highlighted as Spotify’s latest RADAR artist is an affirmation of progress and a shift towards raw authenticity. At a personal level I feel very blessed and empowered because I have had to overcome so much to be here. It’s nice to look back and see that, after everything, I have remained victorious. I want the up-and-coming generations to have as many diverse role models as possible—and I believe that myself and a number of other queer artists are heralding a new era. 

I want to reach as many people as possible with a message of power and defiance; I want to wake them up and to have them ask themselves the big questions in the pursuit of happiness. 

For new fans, how would you describe your music?

I’d say my music is tantric. It’s a buildup. It flares you up and makes you feel sexy and in control, but it’s also very political and concise. I think that if you pay attention, I play into the conventionalities of pop music and exaggerate elements of consumerism and vanity as a form of critique while also admitting that I partake in some of these things as well. 

I’d say my music is just human, admitting to your shortcomings and rising above them with prowess and without guilt. From the trap/reggaetón perspective my music is also very dark and antagonistic; it’s also subversive and upsets the delicate egos of a lot of powerful men. I take that into account in my creation process.

Who inspires you, musically?

Sade, Gustavo Cerati, Willie Colón, Rubén Blades, Silvio Rodríguez, Buika, Myrta Silva, La Lupe, Bebe, Tego Calderón, Héctor “El Father”, Ivy Queen, Frankie Ruiz . . . the list goes on. Nicki Minaj has also been one of, if not THE biggest inspiration in my musical development. Maybe it’s a Caribbean connection, but the way we bend colonially imposed languages and adapt them to us, we both speak in very magical ways. To me she’s a writer, and a lot of people don’t catch half of the metaphors or puns Nicki crafts into her verses. She elevates anything she touches and I admire and respect that a lot.

Many of your projects touch on the realities of growing up as a queer person in the Caribbean. Can you tell us a bit about that?

The Caribbean is a magical place—anyone that is actually from here can attest to that. But all of the islands have a horrible history of atrocious abuse, colonialism, and enslavement. Puerto Rico is still to this day a colony of the United States with absolutely no sovereignty, and growing up in a place without freedom is confusing. 

There is a lot of poverty in the Caribbean, and most queer youth end up living in difficult and inhumane conditions. We survive as a community, help each other in the ways we can, and hold each other’s hands when there is nothing we can do. I think this pushes us to exercise and perfect our magic and crafts, because as Puerto Ricans, we are very proud and resilient, and LGBTTQIA+ youth on the island are the most revolutionary of all demographics. 

I have a beautiful story to tell because as an artist, I employ realismo mágico to showcase very terrible things that need to be discussed with urgency in a more palatable way. It’s all about awareness. I had to leave home at 17 because of my identity and sexual orientation. I did everything I could to survive and I held on to my friends when I thought I couldn’t keep going or didn’t see the point in doing so. All I can say is that growing up queer in the Caribbean is dangerous, painful, emotionally unbearable, almost always tied to poverty and living under the constant hunt of the church (which is basically the government) and many other terrible things. 

But I would not be anything else. I am where I have to be with the people I have to be with, and in so much chaos we have crafted for ourselves a network of happiness and strength that is the only peace I’ve known, and the only one I need. 

How important is it to represent queer voices in Latin rap?

We are at a pivotal moment in history. Women are at the forefront of the push for change. Men are starting to ask themselves what it is they actually bring to the table, because more and more women are now able to support themselves without the help of a man who will most likely just end up tossing her a lot of emotional labor and projected insecurities. The newer generations are a lot more aware of where we are headed, and the future is most definitely snowballing into queerness. It is important right now to uplift queer voices in Latin rap—but also across all genres—so that all identities are rightfully represented and we can move past the murderous patriarchal system that has divided us so much. 

I know if I had had a trans role model early in my life I would have felt a lot less lonely and a little more understood, because sometimes that is the line between life and death for teenagers who feel lost and neglected by those around them. Also, because most, if not ALL, current cishet artists, both male and female, are presently benefiting and profiting off of queer culture, it makes perfect sense for the people who invented said culture and trends to be at the forefront of their own revolution. 

Do you have any advice for other emerging artists?

Take time to find and perfect your sound and learn as much as you can about everything you can: cinematography, audio engineering, sound design, fashion, history of art, literature. Soak in the arts that you like and that resonate with you, and let yourself paint a newer picture that reflects your version of things and how you see life. Let it come to you.

Check out tracks from Villano and the rest of our emerging artists on Radar US.

 

A Beat, a Queen, and a Lot of Gasoline: ‘LOUD’ Podcast Explores a Genre’s Evolution

August 4, 2021

Few genres have taken the world by storm in recent years quite like reggaeton. The beat is said to have originated in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but it soon became a staple in music throughout Latin America, influencing countless musicians who have become icons of the genre. 

Starting today, LOUD, a new Spotify Original podcast, explores the full tapestry of reggaeton music—from its origins in San Juan to the successes of cultural hits like Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” to its prominence in cities like Santiago, Chile, and Medellín, Colombia. 

And who better to tell this story but Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and songwriter Ivy Queen?

Follow along over the course of 10 chapters and across five countries as host Ivy Queen weaves a story featuring special guests and Latinx music icons such as Nicky Jam, Zion y Lennox, Sech, and Maluma. They speak about their stories within the history of the genre, one that has generated massive hits, global artists, and the futuristic sound defining the 21st century.

For the Record spoke to creative producer Julio A. Pabón about the series, which was three years in the making. 

You’ve been reporting on this topic for years. What prompted the idea for this podcast?

I’ve always wanted to make the definitive audio documentary on reggaeton. There are so many stories, rumors, half-truths, and exaggerated facts out there that I knew someone had to set the record straight and tell as close to a definitive oral history as possible. At the time, our team helped with podcast development, so I took the opportunity to develop the series as an audio-exclusive offering.

The podcast is broken down into three parts. How and why did you pick the themes for these chapters? How do they come together to tell the overarching story?

The three parts are essentially created by watershed moments in reggaeton’s history that most people would describe as “genre defining.” Without giving too much away, the release of  Daddy Yankee’s song “Gasolina” was an example of one of those moments. 

We followed a chronological approach to telling this story, starting with the roots of reggaeton in the Black communities of Panama. As with most documentary storytelling, the themes revealed themselves as we moved forward and did more research from there. 

The podcast features the voices of so many influential artists and creators. Did anyone have thoughts or stories that surprised you?

So many things, and I grew up on reggaeton! I had a great experience learning about the origins of certain rivalries between MCs, Jamaican immigration to Panama, and the true meanings of certain colloquialisms, just to name a few. The one that probably will stand out most is that Daddy Yankee was a baseball prospect before getting shot in the leg and deciding to take music seriously. What would the genre be without him? And yet it almost didn’t happen.

What were the main challenges in putting together a podcast of this scope? 

Access was our biggest challenge. The genre is now in its thirties, so there are some people who are no longer with us and others who changed careers and never looked back.

What conversations about reggaeton are you hoping this podcast can spark?

I want this podcast to spark conversations about race, sex, and the politics of the culture. In the end, it’s an inspirational tale of how a marginalized community created a genre of music with universal appeal. The idea behind LOUD is to spark that inspiration many times over. This isn’t exclusive to reggaeton though—we want to explore K-pop, Afrobeat, and Brazilian funk in future seasons.

Stream the first episode of LOUD today. 

Celebrate the Rich Voices of Latinx Heritage Month With Spotify’s ‘Lo Nuestro es Arte’ Campaign

September 21, 2020

Latinx culture transcends borders and defies expectations. Just look at how musical genres like salsa and reggaeton have traversed the globe, or at the stories and conversations that Latinx individuals have spread in recent years through podcasts. So this Latinx Heritage Month, Spotify is launching Lo Nuestro es Arte, featuring creators in the music, podcast, and visual art space who will help reinforce and affirm Latinx culture—and the work of Latinx creators—as invaluable art.

We’ll spread this mantra of Lo Nuestro es Arte with the help of a plethora of creators, including Dascha Polanco, Myke Towers, Kali Uchis, Sebastian Yatra, and many more. Dive into our anthem video featuring artists and podcasters like Anthony Ramos, Prince Royce, Kali Uchis, Jenn Morel, and Walter Thompson Hernandez, who each proudly proclaim their culture and vocation as art.

Here’s what else you can look out for:

Mini film series on bicultural experience

Check out a series of social mini films featuring the voices of some of today’s most influential Latinx music artists and podcasters as they narrate their experiences as bicultural Latinos in the U.S. They’ll tell stories of race, gender, and creating spaces where they can finally see, heal, and celebrate themselves. 

Visual art inspired by music and podcasts

We’ve commissioned work inspired by different genres and podcasts from five visual artists from across the Latinx diaspora: Orly Anan, Cristina Martinez, Luisa Salas, Pedro Nekoi, and D’Ana Nunez. Their pieces will be featured throughout the campaign behind artists like Romeo Santos, Helado Negro, Ivy Queen, and Natanael Cano. You can catch the art on billboards in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, as well as a virtual art gallery accessible through Snapchat.

Our Latinx Heritage Month hub

Head to the Latinx Heritage Month hub for carefully curated playlist collections that amplify Latin culture and reinforce the bicultural identity of Latinx individuals through the sounds of Latin music legends and up-and-coming talent. The Sounds of LatinX playlist showcases the fluidity of genres and styles that define Latin music today, while The Future of Latin anoints the hottest artists on the rise in tropical, regional Mexican and everything in between. We Love our Icons celebrates the contributions of Celia Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Quintanilla, Daddy Yankee, and other beloved voices. Finally, through the Beyond the Music playlist collection, we’ll amplify the voices of the immigrant, Afro-Latinx, indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Lo Nuestro es Arte aims to celebrate the past, present, and future of the Latinx community, raise awareness of its biculturalism, and recognize its ongoing strength in the face of adversity.

Stream the art from Latinx communities across the world in our LatinX Forever playlist.

After 7 Years of Breaking Boundaries, Spotify’s Baila Reggaeton Playlist Hits 10 Million Followers

May 14, 2020

Reggaeton first surfaced in Panama in the 1970s and quickly took on a vibrant life of its own. As the genre found footholds in Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States, it also welcomed new talents and sounds. In the years to follow, the reggae-dancehall fusion solidified as a prevailing cultural movement with its own language, symbols, and artistic identity. In 2013, Spotify recognized this rapidly growing movement and created the Baila Reggaeton playlist. Now, seven years later, the playlist has skyrocketed—much like the genre itself—and has now reached 10 million followers.

From Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” in the mid-2000s to 2017’s “Mi Gente” by J Balvin, the genre—and the playlist that captured it all—has seen explosive growth and influence throughout the years. Two reggaeton artists (Daddy Yankee and J Balvin) have even become the number-one-streamed artist on Spotify globally following the release of their hits on the playlist.  

But these milestones are only the tip of the reggaeton iceberg. The Baila Reggaeton playlist has ridden the genre’s groove and helped break the new wave of reggaeton artists like Sech, Rauw Alejandro, and Lunay. The top 10 songs streamed on the playlist from January 1, 2014, to now encompass many of the artists who make up the sounds of the genre.    

  1. “Sola (Remix)” — Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Farruko, Wisin, Zion & Lennox
  2. “Te Boté – Remix” ­— Bad Bunny, Casper Magico, Darell, Nicky Jam, Nio Garcia, Ozuna
  3. “Me Rehúso” — Danny Ocean
  4. “Escápate Conmigo” ­— Ozuna, Wisin
  5. “La player (Bandolera)” ­— Zion & Lennox
  6. “Otra vez” — J Balvin, Zion & Lennox
  7. “Sin Pijama” — Becky G, Natti Natasha
  8. “Criminal” ­— Natti Natasha, Ozuna
  9. “Vaina Loca” ­— Manuel Turizo, Ozuna
  10. “Ahora Dice” ­— Arcangel, Chris Jeday, J Balvin, Ozuna

The increasing popularity of reggaeton is reflected not only on this playlist, but also heavily across social media platforms, where reggaeton artists thrive and have become cultural influencers, tastemakers, and role models for the new generation of Latin music fans. See what some of your favorites have to say.

What does it feel like to be part of a genre that has now revolutionized the music industry?

Becky G: I feel empowered to be a part of a genre that is revolutionizing the music industry. I have always believed in the power of music and how it can bring others together, so I love seeing how the universal language of music is starting to pick up a little slang from us too. 

J Balvin: It feels amazing. I have spent my entire career trying to push the “Latino Gang” culture forward, so it feels special to see the genre become a truly worldwide movement.

Ivy Queen: I feel great pride to see how a genre that started off in Borinquen’s streets and garages has shaken the world.

Daddy Yankee: I always had the vision that reggaeton would be heard in the entire world. It was already a lifestyle but it took some time to realize that people would grow within this new culture—it was a movement. I was absolutely clear about it, and even if they called me crazy I always envisioned what we are now living through.

Spotify’s EQL Residents and Ivy Queen Celebrate International Women’s Day with Reimagined ‘Quiero Bailar’

March 8, 2019

It’s estimated that less than five percent of all audio professionals are women. In August 2018, Spotify created the EQL Residency in partnership with Berklee College of Music. Half a year later, it’s loud and clear that this program is supporting hands-on career development for female studio engineers.

During their paid six-month residencies, one participant in each of three cities (London, Nashville, and New York) worked in studios and gained access to networking and mentoring opportunities. “They also received support and mentoring from an impressive group of female Berklee department chairs and me from day one of EQL,” said Dr. Darla Hanley, Berklee Professional Education Division Dean. “The Berklee partnership with Spotify changed the game and gave the EQL recipients a unique opportunity to explore, work, and grow.”

Now, in celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re proud to present the EQL residency final project, in which all three residents gathered with reggaeton royalty Ivy Queen to reimagine her anthem “Quiero Bailar” with a women-led team.

“Ivy Queen is a legend who has been talking about—and been a role model for—empowerment throughout her career,” says Spotify Director of Social Impact Kerry Steib. Her song was performed, engineered, mixed, and mastered by nearly all women.

“Women are more than just hair and makeup and stylists. It’s my job as a leading female to make sure they are given a chance. I have the power to make that happen by using my influence, and it is something that I am very aware of as I continue this journey.” — Ivy Queen

In February, Spotify recorded “Quiero Bailar” at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Today, on International Women’s Day, we’re releasing it and the video we filmed in the studio on our ¡Viva Latino! Playlist—as well as going behind the scenes in an interview with the women who helped to create it.

Tell us a little bit about the day with Ivy.

Taylor Pollock, Nashville Studio Resident: It was intense but in the best way possible—nonstop from start to finish. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. and didn’t leave until around 8:00 p.m. Everyone was moving so fast. It was also so exciting to work with not only all-female engineers, but also an all-female video crew. I was in a studio surrounded by all women, recording a female artist. I really hope I get to experience that again in the future.

Ramera Abraham, London Studio Resident: It was amazing to work alongside such a strong and accomplished reggaeton icon who was just as excited to work with us as we were with her. The day was filled with positive energy, nervous excitement, and support from all angles. We had our mentors from Berklee present as well, which contributed so much to the experience.

What is something you learned throughout the residency that you used during Ivy’s session?

Taylor Pollock: During my residency, I got very quick with recording and editing in Pro Tools, as I have been recording and comping vocals almost every day in the studio. This helped move the session at a pace Ivy was used to that allowed us to get the job done.

Jeanne Montalvo, NYC Studio Resident: I think more of what I learned has come into play in the post-production work. I’ve always struggled with mixing and felt insecure to the point where I wouldn’t complete a project myself. So I used this time to really work on how to improve that. I committed to the decisions I suggested, and with each revision we came closer to a point where Ivy was happy.

What did you take away from the experience of working with such established engineers, producers, and artists?

Ramera Abraham: This experience taught me a lot about how female professionals at various stages of their career can build each other up and create a safety net of support. Ivy expressed multiple times how grateful and excited she was to be working with the EQL team, often offering us words of encouragement like, “We’ve got this, ladies!” Her enthusiasm had a positive effect on our workflow and kept us on our toes.

Jeanne Montalvo: I learned a lot of tricks about mixing this genre of music. I’d always worked in jazz, Latin jazz, and classical prior to this, so getting thrown into reggaeton was really great. I’ve always admired Ivy Queen; since the first time I ever heard “Quiero Bailar” on my college radio, it became my anthem—it was everybody’s anthem. It’s hard to find a song in Latin music that is purely about women’s empowerment, and she managed to create one that holds true even more today than it did then.

What’s next up for the EQL Residency? “Opening applications for our second class,” says Kerry. “We’ve worked with our first class of residents and our mentors from Berklee to provide insight into how we can make this program more supportive and successful. We’re thinking about new cities, new partnerships, and new ways to nurture incredible female talent in the studio. And we can’t wait.”

Take a listen to the remastered “Quiero Bailar” below.