Javiera Mena

Photo: Sharon Lopez

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Javiera Mena On New Passion-Fueled EP 'I. Entusiasmo' & Being The First Lesbian Latina To Perform At Coachella

Chilean synth-pop queen Javiera Mena shares the inspiration behind her latest project, 'I. Entusiasmo,' and helping open doors for the LGBTQ+ community on stage in the Latin music industry

Lucas Villa

GRAMMYs

Jun 7, 2021 - 2:51 pm

In her latest music video, "Diva," Javiera Mena celebrates LGBTQ+ culture as people from all walks of life get their lives on the dance floor to the empowering icy club cut from her new EP, I. Entusiasmo. The Chilean synth-pop queen has always let her rainbow flag fly high throughout her career and in the video, there is no dance floor more liberating than hers. As people dance to her rhythm, she sings to the diva of the night: "I am so ready, my love/ To receive your sensuality."

"It's very much an anthem for the community," Mena tells GRAMMY.com. "The video is out in time for Pride and my birthday was on June 3, so it’s a very queer celebration."

In the EP, released on May 26, Mena comes through with more club-ready jams. While she's now known for her fresh dance tracks, Mena started out as an alternative singer/songwriter with her coming-of-age LP. The leading electronic artist in Latin music also throws in a few ballads on the new EP that are reminiscent of her debut album, 2006's Esquemas Juveniles. Now coming on 15 years into her career, it is evident she's continuing to look into the future of dance music. As Mena continues to expand in the scene, she’s making space for queerness in the Latin music industry. From the get-go, she’s represented the LGBTQ+ community as an openly lesbian artist. One of her most memorable messages was through her 2014 Otra Era single "Espada" where her love for electronic music and her queer identity intersect. In the '80s-styled visual, swords are flying and women holding each other in a deep embrace.

Mena has also made history for the community. At Coachella in 2019, Mena, who has remained an independent artist in her decades-plus career, broke ground for both Latin and queer artists as the first openly lesbian Latina to perform at the music festival. Now she's warming up for a new album with I. Entusiasmo being the first taste of the project. In an interview over Zoom, Mena talked about the inspiration behind her EP, what it takes to stay independent and the meaning behind more Latinas in the industry coming out as lesbians.

What do you like about working with synth-pop and electronic music?

I love that there's like an infinite amount of sounds to work with. I have my synthesizer. Turning the knobs and experimenting—It's a sound that's very much today and current. It's also personal to me. I also like to bring those melancholic melodies of the '80s into today.

2014's "Otra Era" is your most popular song on Spotify. What was the inspiration behind that song?

It's crazy that that's my most popular song because I didn't have any expectation for this to be a popular song. This is an example of the [belief] that the best songs are the ones you're not thinking, "Oh, this is going to hit!" That song doesn't have a chorus. It's all verse, verse, and verse. It's a very romantic song that talks about falling in love with someone and hallucinating that it's happening in other eras of time. That's the kind of hallucination that falling in love produces.

"Espada'' has become an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community. What was the inspiration behind that song?

It's a song that the gay and lesbian people really like. Of course I'm talking about a sword, and it can be seen as something phallic. The lesbians see it as lesbianism. The music video is very lesbian. I believe the music video really helped the song explode. The song did very well in the U.S. because a lot of gay clubs were playing it.

You wrote "Agüita" for Danna Paola and it's become a gay anthem in Mexico. What was that experience like to work with her?

They called me directly from MTV to write a song for a novela called Niñas Mal. I wasn't familiar with her. At that time, she was just starting off. I met her when we performed the song at the MTV Millennial Awards. She was very nice. I'm very cool with her now. That's definitely become her gay anthem. The gay people loved it and the clubs in Mexico helped that song explode.

How did you feel about performing at Coachella in 2019?

Wow! That was the last Coachella before the pandemic. That was amazing. That was for both weekends. I got to know a lot of people. I saw a lot of shows. We [created] a show that came out great, and a lot of people from the LGBTQ+ community came out to see it. Also, I was the first Latina artist that's lesbian to perform at Coachella, so I was representing. That opened the door wide for me to the U.S. That was one of the most important experiences that I've lived.

Why did you name your new EP I. Entusiasmo?

The word Entusiasmo also means passion, fire, and picking yourself up. I believe this EP has fire in it. A lot of the songs talk about passion, falling in love and heartache. I also started making this EP when the Chilean protests were happening. That was a social movement that moved the people and there was a lot of enthusiasm and fire in the streets. I was looking for a word synonymous with fire and I found enthusiasm. I love how that word sounds. All of these songs on the EP have a lot of enthusiasm and fire in them.

What was the experience like to work with Chico Blanco in the song "Diva"?

I met him here at a party in Madrid. He's a young guy. We have our love for house and '90s music in common. To me, he was the perfect person for this collaboration. I sent him the song. He doesn't only sing on it, but he helped produce it too. At the end, this beautiful song came out of it.

"Dos" is like a power ballad on the EP. It's a very different song for you.

I wanted to go back to the ballads that I did on my first albums. With piano and strings. I love ballads, but I don't release a lot of them because it's very difficult for me to make one. I really have to think when I'm making a ballad. I have a lot of respect for people who write ballads. I don't release that many ballads, but when I do, it comes out incredible.

How do you feel to see more artists in the LGBTQ+ community in Latin music?

I love to see that happening. There have been a lot of women that have come out, like Joy Huerta from Jesse y Joy and Kany García. Before it was more men coming out like Ricky Martin, but not as many women. I feel that each time a woman comes out, they're being an example for girls and boys to love who they love so that this isn't an issue in the future. Unfortunately, right now it is an issue so being part of the community needs to be claimed and said so that the world embraces it more hopefully.

Do you have advice for artists that are trying to be independent like you are?

Yes, to be very strategic with your things, and to use social media well. Find your place in social media. Don't copy other people. I think authenticity is what's really valued on social media, which will lead to more engagement. Obviously as well, to keep working hard every day because it's difficult being independent. Everything depends on you. Like in any job, if you don't move or pick up the phone, nothing's going to happen. To be independent is a bit like being a workaholic, working 24/7. But if you love it, that's going to fill your heart with drive, and you can do great things. Right now these times are more for independent music. You can do it. You can make a hit as an independent artist.

You're going on 15 years since your debut album, Esquemas Juveniles. What have you learned about yourself in that time?

Wow! Now I feel like a vintage artist because of that album. I feel like there are young people now, like 20-year-olds, that like that album. To me, that feels great because my songs are aging and beautifying well. That's all an artist can ask for. To continue being current, and that's what's happening to me. I'm very happy. I feel like I did a great job making music that came from my heart without ever betraying myself. I'm still that same artist that I was then.

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Artwork featuring Jonah Xiao, Niña Dioz, Mabiland, Georgel, Villano Antillano

L to R: Jonah Xiao, Niña Dioz, Mabiland, Georgel, Villano Antillano

Illustration by Lauryn Alvarez

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5 LGBTQ+ Latinx Artists You Need To Know

Ricky Martin, Kany García and Joy from Jessie & Joy aren't the only LGBTQ+ artists bringing visibility to the community, here are five more artists on the rise you should know about

Lucas Villa

GRAMMYs

Jun 1, 2021 - 5:24 pm

Artists in the LGBTQ+ community aren’t just continuing to break ground in pop music’s heavily heteronormative landscape, they are making moves towards the forefront. A turning point in the past decade was Lady Gaga, who is openly bisexual, taking her queer anthem "Born This Way" to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 2011. Lil Nas X is the latest artist to bring queerness to the masses through his performance on Saturday Night Live last month. The openly gay singer and rapper brought the unapologetically queer music video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" to life onstage at Studio 8H with a stripper pole and a team of all-male dancers. Artists like Lil Nas X are helping queer representation reverberate through the music industry and it's something we're seeing within the Latin music world, too.

More Latin artists in the LGBTQ+ community are embracing the ways their identities intersect with their culture, despite the machismo embedded in its roots. A major cultural touchstone for the community was when Ricky Martin, a massive global pop star who began his career singing in Spanish with Menudo as a child, came out as a gay man in 2010. The GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winner has continued to crank out hits, including the Billboard Latin Top 5 smash "Vente Pa’ Ca" with Maluma, after that personal revelation, showing that Latinx communities may be becoming more open to the LGBTQ+ community. While more space is being created for LGBTQ+ folks within Latinx communities, there's still a ways to go for the culture and Latin music industry as a whole—more needs to be done to dismantle the machismo that has historically put down women and queer people and continues to inhabit the industry. Since Ricky Martin’s coming out, many more artists like Puerto Rico's Kany García, Jesse y Joy's Joy Huerta and Spanish pop star Pablo Alborán, have become public about their sexualities, and there seems to be much hope for a more inclusive future in the industry.

Case in point: it was incredible to see the big three categories, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year, at last November's Latin GRAMMY Awards filled with entries from Martin, Huerta, García, and Alborán. The LGBTQ+ Latinx representation was strong and we're continuing to see more of it this year with younger artists like Demi Lovato, who intersects both the pop and Latin music worlds and recently came out as non-binary. In honor of Pride month, here are five more Latin music artists in the LGBTQ+ community to look out for.

Mabiland

Mabely Largacha, who professionally goes by Mabiland, is an emerging singer/songwriter and rapper from Colombia. She hails from Quibdó, the capital of Chocó region that has a predominantly Afro-Colombian population. Her breakthrough came in 2018 with the release of her debut album 1995 in which the lead single, "Cuánto Más," blends hip-hop, R&B and reggae, and tells the story of an intense romance that leads to heartbreak. There's no limit to the music that Mabiland makes as she gives reggaeton a soul music twist with the help of Colombian acts like Crudo Means Raw, Piso 21, and CIAN. In the highly male-dominated Latin hip-hop genre, Mabiland is representing intersecting identities in the industry as a Black, queer woman. And as a star in the MTV Latin America series Latin Flow, this month she will bring that intersectionality to the world.

Villano Antillano

In Puerto Rico's Latin trap scene, Villano Antillano is an emerging queer voice. The rapper from Bayamón identifies as non-binary, meaning that they don't subscribe to the gender binary of male or female. In the music video for "Pájara," Antillano can be seen presenting both masculine and feminine gender expressions and they look fierce doing it. In the queer trap anthem, Antillano reclaims derogatory Spanish terms like "Pájara" which are used to put down the LGBTQ+ community, turning those words into an empowering moment in rap. Making music in a genre that has a history of machismo, Antillano's breakthrough came in 2018 when they released the response song "Pato Hasta La Muerte" to a rapper that used a queer slur in their diss track. Expect Antillano to bring more color to Puerto Rican rap with their next single "Muñeca" that's due out later this month.

Niña Dioz

With artists like Gera MX and Alemán, Mexican rap is making more noise around the world this year. Niña Dioz is a queer pioneer in Mexican rap who hails from Monterrey. Her career spans over a decade since making her live debut at South by Southwest in 2009. Dioz expanded her reach in 2018 when she teamed up with Nacional Records for her breakthrough album Reyna. In honor of Women's History Month in March, she released her latest LP Amor, Locura y Otros Vicios. With hip-hop's history of excluding women and queer people, Dioz more than makes up for that. With Mexican pride, she teamed up with Mexican rapper Hispana in "Mezcal" that gave the rap a ranchera music twist. In the music video for "Último Perreo," Dioz spotlights people in the LGBTQ+ community who are living their best lives in the club.

Georgel

Along with Mabiland, Georgel is another queer artist who is pioneering the Latin R&B movement. The two collaborated on his song "Demasiado Bueno 2.0" for this year's Claro EP. He dropped his debut EP on Valentine's Day after a year of releasing R&B bops en español like the sensual "Adrenalina" with Colombian rapper Nanpa Básico and the serene "Casa" with indie artist Katzù Oso. In 2019, Georgel teamed up with Mexican act Raymix and Colombian singer Esteman and became a part of a queer summit of Latin artists. The trio of openly gay artists covered Mexican flamboyant icon Juan Gabriel’s classic track "El Noa Noa" with the late Celso Piña and the Mexican Institute Of Sound. Georgel recently teased his next EP Oscuro with his recent single "Desilusionándome" featuring Immasoul and Ferraz.

Jonah Xiao

Jonah Xiao is one of the newest artists in the LGBTQ+ community who is making a splash in Latin music. The singer/songwriter hails from Chile and on his father's side and also represents the Chinese community that's prominent in the northern part of the country. In his debut single "Inhala Inhala," Xiao blended '80s-inspired synth-pop with elements of Latin trap. In a major moment for queer representation in Latin pop, Xiao teams up with fellow queer Chilean singer Dani Ride for his latest single "California Santiago." The dreamy duet is accompanied with a music video that features Xiao and Ride sharing romantic moments along the coast of Chile’s capital. There’s no doubt sky's the limit for this recent Warner Music Chile signee.

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Grammys Newsletter

Tomasa del Real

Photo: Maria Jose Govea

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Tomasa Del Real On Bringing Her Take On Reggaetón, NeoPerreo, To Coachella

"I think the fact that there are more international and diverse artists on this lineup goes to show how accepting this generation is in general," the Chilean tattoo-artist-turned-rapper told us

Ana Monroy Yglesias

GRAMMYs

Apr 24, 2019 - 3:24 pm

Chilean rapper Tomasa del Real has been making waves with her bold female-empowering take on reggaetón, which she has dubbed "NeoPerreo;" "perreo" is Spanish slang for the way you dance to reggaetón. From making music in her bedroom to starting an underground movement in Latin music and culture, she is ready to introduce you to her big sound and growing crew.

A tattoo artist from the small town of Iquique, Chile, she began uploading tracks and DIY videos on SoundCloud and YouTube for fun in 2013, which caught on and led her to rerelease them as a debut album, Bien Y Mal, in 2016. That same year, she also coined the term NeoPerreo and began to really catalyze the movement around it, connecting with even more rappers, like Madrid's Ms Nina, the two of whom collabed on "Y Dime" in 2019.

In 2018, her NeoPerreo Records teamed up with Los Angeles-based indie record label Nacional Records, home to other Latino artists like Aterciopelados and Ana Tijoux, and she dropped her second album, Bellaca del Año. Over the last two weekends, del Real brought her big energy to Coachella to make her debut at the fest, so we caught up with the rising rapper to learn more about the big moment and bringing NeoPerreo to California.

You recently made your Coachella debut, how did you feel to share your music at such an iconic festival?

It was an amazing experience, and I'm happy that such a big festival is recognizing and featuring artists from the underground music scene.

What was the most inspiring part of your first Coachella experience?

I love seeing people have fun while I'm performing, and the audience was having a lot fun with us!

A lot of people, myself included, were excited to see such a diverse musical lineup this Coachella, especially in terms of Latin music. What does it mean to you to be one of the international/Latina artist at the fest, and to be bringing NeoPerreo to California?

I think the fact that there are more international and diverse artists on this lineup goes to show how accepting this generation is in general. I'm so excited to bring NeoPerreo to Coachella and show the audience this new way to "perrear."

How do you explain NeoPerreo to someone who is unfamiliar with it? What does it feel like to be an important part of this female-led musical movement, especially when considering the gender imbalance in the larger reggaetón space?

[The term] NeoPerreo was born when I was trying to explain the type of music I was making. It was inspired by reggaetón, but I didn't want to appropriate it since I'm not from Puerto Rico. And this style of music was being made by people who were born in the digital age, who were always connected to each other and to music through their computers. I wanted to say that it was a "new" way to "perrear." Because this music is made to party.

Can you tell us a little bit about your most recent album, Bellaca del Año; how did you choose who to collaborate with, and what was the biggest thing you were trying to achieve with that project?

I wanted to make an album that was hot and catchy, and I think Bellaca del Año is that. I wanted people all around the world to know about NeoPerreo and know about the NeoPerreo crew, who is out here making music that we can party to.

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Crowd at Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival 2019

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella

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Breaking Down The Coachella 2022 Lineup: Headliners Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Ye Are Just The Beginning Of An Epic, Long-Awaited Return

GRAMMY.com digs deep into the 23 rows of the Coachella 2022 lineup — featuring Swedish House Mafia, Doja Cat, Anitta, Pabllo Vittar, Phoebe Bridgers and many more — to highlight major trends across the star-studded roster

Ana Monroy Yglesias

GRAMMYs

Jan 13, 2022 - 4:54 pm

After two long years off, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is finally set to return at the Empire Polo Club on April 15-17 and 22-24.

Goldenvoice, the producers of the festival, announced the long-awaited lineup for Coachella’s 2022 installment on Jan. 12, and there’s plenty for festgoers to be excited about.

GRAMMY-winning pop hero Billie Eilish returns, moving from the second lineup row in 2019 to the coveted top billing, becoming the youngest-ever Coachella headliner at 20. Fellow GRAMMY winners Harry Styles, Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) and GRAMMY-nominated EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia share headliner status, closing out each night of the desert extravaganza with pop, rap, dance, plenty of fanfare, and surprise guests.

Doja Cat, Big Sean, 21 Savage, Disclosure, Karol G, Anitta and Banda MS are just a handful of the other heavy hitters on the bill, which covers just about every corner of music (even The Nightmare Before Christmas composer Danny Elfman will make an appearance).

The Coachella lineup announcement is always a major moment in the industry, as it unofficially marks the beginning of festival season. Its roster traditionally includes a mix of music’s hottest hitmakers and promising rising stars, making for a real-time reflection of what's happening now and next.

What goes down at Coachella is even more monumental, setting music, festival and fashion trends for the year ahead. Performers use the Coachella stage as a testing ground to try new elements of their live show, debut unreleased songs, reunite with collaborators, and deliver plenty more headline-worthy moments (who could forget when Billie first met Justin Bieber?).

Beyond the buzz of the biggest names, there's countless noteworthy acts on the 2022 Coachella lineup. Read on for six major takeaways from this year's stellar offering.

Rap & R&B Continue Their Reign

Hip-hop and R&B led the (ultimately canceled) 2020 lineup, with some of those artists making their way to 2022. Not only does Ye return to close out both weekends of the fest (he did a special Sunday Service set on Easter in 2019), the lineup is a treasure trove of rap talent.

Women represent, with Megan Thee Stallion, City Girls, Doja Cat, Sampa the Great and Princess Nokia all ready to throw down bars and vibes. Vince Staples, Big Sean, Lil Baby, Denzel Curry, J.I.D, Run the Jewels, Isaiah Rashad, BROCKHAMPTON, Cordae and 2022 Best New Artist nominee Baby Keem also represent a solid selection of rappers continuing to shake up the game.

As for R&B, showcasing some of the sweetest sounds coming out of the current alt-R&B wave, Amber Marks, Ari Lennox, Snoh Aalegra, Steve Lacy, Daniel Caesar, Emotional Oranges and Pink Sweat$ are sure to make listeners swoon.

Latin Representation Expands Beyond The Superstars

As Rolling Stone writer Tomás Mier noted, this might be "the most Latino lineup in Coachella history."

It offers an exciting sample of the breadth of Latin music, with Mexican regional bands Grupo Firme and Banda MS, from Tijuana and Mazatlán, respectively, receiving prime billing in the second tier. Other Latin music acts include Brazilian popstars Anitta and Pabllo Vittar, Colombian reggaetonera Karol G, Argentine rappers Nathy Peluso and Nicki Nicole, Mexican corrido trap artist Natanael Cano and Mexican alt-folk singer/songwriter Ed Maverick.

Mexican-American alt genre benders Cuco and Omar Apollo, both of whom sing in Spanish and English and serve up an infectious blend of influences and styles with pop and rock, will make their Coachella debuts.

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The Roster Spans The Globe

In addition to the rich Latin music offerings from Mexico, South America and the U.S., Coachella attendees can also hear an eclectic mix of sounds from the rest of the globe.

You'll be able to get lost in the funky Turkish psych-rock of Altin Gün; the energetic, bright and super kawaii J-pop of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu; the hair metal rock of Italian band Måneskin; and the sublime French nu-disco of L'Impératrice. South African house music legend Black Coffee and rising Benin-born, Brooklyn-based DJ/producer AMÉMÉ will each command the dance floor with their sublime, sultry African-infused beats.

The Desert Rave Happens Day And Night

Dance music has never been lost on Coachella, as the fest's legendary Yuma Tent — an enclosed (and air-conditioned!) disco ball-glittered and laser-streaked stage — brings the underground dance club energy to the middle of the desert. And with this year’s roster of dance and electronic acts, it’ll clearly be bumping all weekend.

Beloved EDM trio Swedish House Mafia return to the fest 10 years after their first headline set there, since breaking up in 2013 and reuniting in 2018. Major dance acts Fatboy Slim, Jamie XX, Flume and Disclosure will also get the dance party going.

As with rap, women are also holding it down in the dance category, with TOKiMONSTA, Ela Minus, Jayda G, Logic1000, ANNA, Sama' Abdulhadi, DJ Holographic, Honey Dijon and The Blessed Madonna, the latter two whom are billed together, ready to serve up house, techno and beyond. Black Coffee, Channel Tres, The Avalanches, DJ Koze, Hot Chip, Dixon, Caribou — who's also performing as his DJ alias Daphne, ARTBAT, Damian Lazarus, Richie Hawtin, Tchami, Madeon, Purple Disco Machine and more round out the dance acts.

Alternative Acts Are Aplenty

Sunshine plus alt and indie acts always make for a perfect festival mood. While Coachella has served up a larger rock menu in the past, there are plenty of indie rock and alternative genre blenders to see this year, including Phoebe Bridgers, Maggie Rogers, Japanese Breakfast, Omar Apollo, Caroline Polacheck, girl in red, Nilüfer Yanya, and the Wallows.

Amyl and the Sniffers and IDLES will serve up some punk energy, while the always-masked crooner Orville Peck will deliver his artsy, queer brand of country. Ed Maverick, The Marías and Chicano Batman represent Latinx artists making beautiful music across the alternative spectrum from their life experiences.

Pop Doesn’t Stop At The Headliners

What's Coachella without some big popstar headliners (Beyoncé in 2018, Ariana Grande in 2019) to serve us everything we need and more?

Harry Styles and Billie Eilish will wear the crowns this year, but beyond their mega-glow, there's plenty of alt-pop acts we can't wait to see. Billie's big brother FINNEAS will make his solo debut at the fest, and Conan Gray, Cuco, Alec Benjamin, Joji, Still Woozy, and hyperpop boundary-pushers 100 gecs will also keep things poppy.

Yet again, women are well-represented on the lineup in the ever-evolving pop genre. Carly Rae Jepsen, Kim Petras, Beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, Bishop Briggs, Japan-born, London based art-pop queen Rina Sawayama and Indonesian 88-rising act NIKKI bring so much to the art form and will bring that energy to Coachella 2022.

For the full Coachella 2022 lineup, visit coachella.com, where you can also join the weekend one waitlist and register for the upcoming weekend 2 presale (taking place this Friday, Jan. 14).

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Grammys Newsletter

Twice Música

Photo: Esteban Barco

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Positive Vibes Only: Watch Twice Música Perform Lively Fireside Version Of "Que No Se Apague Tú Luz"

In the latest edition of Positive Vibes Only, witness Peruvian Christian pop band Twice Música shine their light around the fire in their performance of "Que No Se Apague Tú Luz"

Ana Monroy Yglesias

GRAMMYs

Aug 8, 2021 - 11:15 am

We all have a light within us that's linked to the light and energy of the universe, a power that can be multiplied when we connect authentically with community. In the latest edition of Positive Vibes Only, Peruvian Christian pop band Twice Música do just that as they radiate joy and love around the fire in their performance of "Que No Se Apague Tú Luz" (translation: "Don't let your light go out").

Twice Música Performs "Que No Se Apague Tú Luz"

Every moment is a new opportunity to connect with your light, your power, your community, your inspirations. Twice Música's performance of "Que No Se Apague Tú Luz" is a shining example of that concept.