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Los Angeles Times
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
El Malilla is Coachella's first reggaeton Mexa star. Here are other acts to know
El Malilla made headway last weekend as the only reggaeton act billed at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He is also the first reggaeton Mexa act to introduce the fast-growing genre on the desert stage. Reggaeton Mexa artists take inspiration from the early 2000s, when dembow beats were powered by Puerto Rican hitmakers like Daddy Yankee, Héctor el Father, Tego Calderón, Arcángel and Plan B. Those old-school beats are fused together with traditional Mexican sounds, including cumbias sonideras (like Pablito Mix's 'Por que no te pones en 4'). Its lyrics are often salacious, showcasing slivers of working-class life in the Mexican barrios (like Sayuri & Sopholov's 'Muñecas Del Estado'). In El Malilla's case, he gravitated toward old-school reggaeton while running errands at the local tianguis, or flea market, often purchasing pirated discs. As an artist, he began to add his own Mexican flair to the mix, incorporating slang from his barrio, or 'ñerismo.' Before returning to the Coachella stage for a second weekend on Saturday, he'll perform in Los Angeles with Spanish Venezuelan singer Judeline on Thursday, April 17 at the Roxy. In the meantime, here are five more must-know reggaeton Mexa acts that are taking the sound to new frontiers. Bellakath Trailblazing the reggaeton Mexa movement is Bellakath, a diva who has wedged herself into the male-dominated genre with her titillating lyrics and cheeky flow. The Mexico City native, originally from the Agrícola Oriental neighborhood, was a law school graduate from the esteemed National Autonomous University of Mexico. She leveraged her social media following after appearing as a contestant on the dating show 'Enamorándonos' to jump-start her music career. In 2022, her steel-drum infused song 'Gatita' reached the masses on TikTok, further propelling her, and the genre, to greater heights. A year later, she released her debut album 'Kittyponeo' under her label La Mafia del Perreo and Warner Music Latina, which included her monumental hit, 'Reggaeton Champagne,' with Dani Flow. It was the first of Bellakath's songs to chart on the international Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Since then, the 27-year-old has continued to collaborate with some other industry giants, notably on the 'Vaquero Remix' (featuring Andres Castillo, El Malilla , El Bogueto, La Dinastia, Riky Produce), and pays tribute to the origins of reggaeton Mexa. No tour is in store for the singer just yet, but she is making a stop at the Sueños festival in Chicago on May 25. Yeri MuaAlso making moves on the reggaeton Mexa scene is 23-year-old MC Yeri Mua, a glitzy beauty influencer whose success in the glam world has translated to the Mexican music world. Originally from Veracruz, the artist began uploading makeup tutorials and lifestyle videos to social media at age 16, which grew in popularity thanks to her knack for generating chisme. Boasting over 27.3 million followers to date, Mua was named TikTok's No. 1 artist in 2024. Her pivot to the music scene came in 2023 with the release of her single 'Chupon,' featuring El Gudi, Jey F, Alan Dazmel, Oviña. Mid-2024, she released her campy hit 'Traka,' a perreo jam that lambasted her haters, including those who've criticized her plastic surgery. The singer, who signed under Sony Music Mexico last June, is currently working on her first album. She is set to perform at the Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, on Aug. 10. El Bogueto Inspired by reggaeton titans Tego Calderón, Héctor & Tito and Daddy Yankee, El Bogueto has taken the emerging genre by storm with his bold rapping skills. Originally from Nezahualcóyotl, which lies at the edge of Mexico City in the State of Mexico, El Bogueto has released numerous hits under Candela Music, Uzielito Mix's record label. He reached greater fame following the debut of his 2023 album 'Reggaetoñerito,' which is a combination of the word reggaeton and ñero, a Mexican slang word for a person from the hood. The LP included popular hits like 'G Low Kitty,' which includes Uzielito Mix, El Malilla and DJ Rockwel Mx. Bogueto's sophomore album, 'No Hay Loco Que No Corone,' features hits like the tantalizing song 'Nena Moxita' with Yeri Mua and Uzielito Mix, which has counted over 66 million streams on Spotify. Uzielito Mix Behind the genre's most popular hits is Uzielito Mix, a DJ with a talent for finding the perfect beat for his industry friends under his homegrown label, Candela Music. Originally from Mexico City, the self-taught producer has become a pillar in reggaeton Mexa. He has a few hits of his own, including 'Se Menea' and 'Suena Perreo,' both featuring Michael G. Mix is the rhythm genius behind Yeri Mua and El Jordan 23's 'Línea del Perreo' featuring DJ Kiire, which has clocked more than 121 million YouTube views to date, as well as El Bogueto and El Malilla's 'G Low Kitty' featuring DJ Rockwel Mx, which was later remixed to include Colombian hitmaker J Balvin and Yeri Mua. In 2022, Mix opened for Bad Bunny in Mexico City during his World's Hottest Tour. Dani Flow Though controversial for his crude lyrics, Dani Flow has distinguished himself as one of the leading acts in the genre. Compared to the majority of his contemporaries that live in or around Mexico City, he originates from Irapuato, Guanajuato, where he competed in freestyle rap battles as a teen. Some of his earliest freestyles can still be seen on YouTube, where he's been active since 2012. Yet the self-proclaimed 'morbid king' has been most successful in reggaeton Mexa, most notably for the 2023 smash 'Reggaeton Champagne,' a collaboration with Bellakath. This year, the 29-year-old debuted his album, 'El Rey Del Morbo' which highlights popular hits like 'Martillazo' (featuring El Bogueto and Uzielito Mix) and 'Las Que No Tienen Papa.'
Los Angeles Times
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
TikTok's top artist Yeri Mua gets real on immigration, Bellakath beef
Inside Santa Ana's Yost Theater last Saturday night, the thick bass of gritty reggaeton beats turned the crowd into one sweaty, shimmering mass of limbs. Twerking at the center of the action was Yeri Mua: a fiery, red-haired Mexican woman holding court in a sparkling, skin-tight dress. After becoming the No. 1 global artist on TikTok — outperforming American superstars like Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish in total number of views on the platform — Mua took center stage at the Yost with a power stance, ready to win over the United States. 'Reggaeton mexa is what opened the doors for me to [enter] the world of music,' she says. 'It's allowed me to continue connecting with my people. We call it 'reggaeton mexa' because it's reggaeton that's hecho en México.' In the past decade, reggaeton has migrated from its spiritual home in Puerto Rico to Colombia, where the genre helped launch the careers of superstars like J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G and Feid. Mexico has since become a new hotbed for the genre; although dominated by men, it was initially a woman, Bellakath, who first brought global recognition to the Mexican scene with her viral 2022 hit, 'Gatita.' Since making the jump from beauty influencer to reggaeton mexa baddie, 23-year-old Mua is now running the scene. Born Yeri Cruz Varela in Veracruz, Mexico, the singer has become known for her Bratz-doll-inspired aesthetic and unfiltered approach to topics like her sex life, plastic surgeries and past beef with reggaeton mexa trailblazer Bellakath. Having counted over 26.4 million followers on TikTok last December, Mua was ranked by the social media platform as its No. 1 artist in 2024. Yet given the accelerating deportations of Latino immigrants under President Trump, Mua has opened up about a far more serious topic: her own deportation. At 13, Mua and her parents were deported at the border, after trying to re-enter the U.S. with expired tourist visas. 'When you get deported, you feel like you don't have any rights,' she recalls. 'I was 13 years old, but they treated me as if I were an adult. They gave us a kick in the ass and said, 'Don't come back here ever again.'' Ten years later, Mua is headlining her own 'Traka Tour' across the U.S. and Mexico. She worked a double shift last Saturday night — first, by appearing as a special guest at Luis R. Conriquez's concert at the Kia Forum, then speeding to Santa Ana for her own show, as part of the Reggaetonlandia Latin party series. During her 45-minute set, she powered through hits like the sexy 'Linea Del Perreo,' the freaky 'Brattiputty' and 'Traka,' a diss track to her legion of haters. 'Estoy coronando y ustedes llorando,' she taunted in Spanish, in a verse that translates to 'I'm rising to the top while you're all crying.' Mua puffed from a marijuana pen that was passed to her from the audience, who also showered her with dollar bills. (She later used them to wipe the sweat off her forehead.) She also teased her catty upcoming single 'Él No Es Tuyo' — set for release in early March, the song notably features her former rival, Bellakath. De Los caught up with Mua backstage, minutes after her show, to dish on her life and her career. How do you feel to be back in the U.S. and headlining your own tour across the country?This is the second time I'm touring the U.S. It's an honor to be here with my Latino community, especially at this moment in time, because now more than ever we need more visibility, support, and unity among us. I'm loving being here and I love California! Why do you think that millions of people are connecting with you on TikTok?I believe people connect with me because I'm authentic. I always show all the sides to myself, whether it's pretty or ugly, or that could scare people, or that they might not like. I'm never afraid to be myself and say what I'm thinking. That's something that a lot of people won't like, but I think the majority of them can relate to what I'm saying. As you were saying about this moment where many Latino immigrants in the U.S. are being deported, why was it important for you to speak out about this topic on social media?I believe a lot of Mexicans that don't live in the U.S. think that what's happening to our community here doesn't affect us, but it's definitely going to hurt many people, including us and our economy. How things work in Mexico are going to change if we keep ignoring this. We simply can't ignore that our Mexican brothers and sisters are suffering, they're being labeled as criminals, and being treated in the worst ways. I believe it's not fair. I feel like I have a responsibility to bring visibility to this issue. It's something I can't ignore because I've experienced being deported myself and the way they treat you and talk to you, so that you feel dehumanized. You feel like trash that doesn't belong in another country because of where you come from. I'm always going to talk about what makes people unconformable. If I believe something is important and unjust, I'm going to talk about it. How do you want the world to see Mexican immigrants?I want everyone to see that Mexican immigrants are not only good for cleaning, because that's what they always say. We're not only good for cleaning or bricklaying. We have a lot of talent. We have a lot of ways to entertain people. We can also appear on music charts, we can break records, and break down barriers. We can also win awards. America is not just the United States. America is this whole continent. It's time for people to open their eyes. I want the world to see that us Mexicans are very talented. There's a lot of men in the reggaeton mexa scene. What does it mean for you to represent the perspective of women in that space?Men are always talking about women in the ways that they want to and no one says anything, so why can't we do the same thing with them? It's very difficult because I'm judged a lot for being vulgar or people say that I only talk about sex. I'm doing the work to be more a part of my lyrics. Before, it was my male friends writing my lyrics. Now that I'm writing more of my music, I'm giving it a touch of empowerment and that feeling de chava (girly). I'm talking about things that could happen to any woman. My lyrics aren't as sexist now because I'm writing them. Now that I'm taking this more seriously, I'm doing the work to express myself freely while also showing love for myself. How would you describe the experience of burying the beef with Bellakath for your next single 'Él No Es Tuyo'?It was time. I could no longer take that fight with her to heart because at any moment, we were going to bump into each other. On top of that, she's my colleague and we're in the same genre. It had to come to an end and both reached a mutual agreement with each other. Now we're putting the song 'Él No Es Tuyo' together, which comes out next month. El Malilla, your collaborator on 'Avión Privado' and the 'G Low Kitty' remix, is going to perform at Coachella in April. Is there a chance that you could appear as a guest during his set?I've already told El Malilla to invite me to Coachella. I hope so. I believe it's very probable that will happen. I would love that. My dreams are to sing on even bigger stages in the U.S. and with artists from here like Ice Spice, Doja Cat and Kali Uchis. They're artists I share a lot of the same musical tastes with and I believe we could be a very good match and do interesting things together. You were recently spotted in L.A. with American rapper Rich the Kid. Will he be a part of your debut album? What can we expect? We have some songs that we recorded together in the studio. We got along very well. He's very chill. It's my second collaboration that I have with an artist from the U.S. I also have another one with Yung Gravy, who is also very lovely. Notice how I'm now mixing my style of music with the style of music from the U.S. This album will have perreo. There's also going to be what I call reggaeton pop. There's going to be a lot of songs that women can relate to. I've been thinking a lot about the situations in my life as well as those of my girlfriends. They're songs for my female fans. It's something I'm making with all of my heart for them.
