Queer Latin icons you need to know, according to MJ Nebreda

The Miami-based singer-producer selects the cultural heroes – from Frida Kahlo’s rumoured lover to an icon of ballroom – you should know this Hispanic Heritage Month.

One of our favourite videos in the – occasionally gratifying – content graveyard that is YouTube? MJ Nebreda’s 2023 Miami Boiler Room. 

Seconds after being introduced, the producer-vocalist-DJ unleashes the unforgettable intro to Cascada’s “Every Time We Touch” until – wait for it – the expected chorus implodes, shattering into the “Gimme that Mo-Moet-wet, Gimme that Cry-Crystal-stal” refrain from Far East Movement’s “Like A G6”, layered over switchy percussion which segues into a trancey version of Stromae’s “Alors On Dance”. From there, the crowd – dressed in crop tops and neon – dance along to a free-wheeling set which sees Nebreda skid from Tokischa’s “Calentura Vaginal” into a sped-up version of “My Neck, My Back”, as well as cuts from Nebreda’s own Arepa mixtape. Wearing a pink and red corset with lilac hair, Nebreda jumps, dances, sings to her tracks and hypes up the crowd in Spanish. 

Nebreda’s force as a selector is cataclysmic: white-hot, unexpected and hardcore. As a producer and artist she’s chameleonic – working with the likes of DJ Plead and Logic1000 (check her gossamer vocals on “Every Lil”), raptor house legend DJ Babatr and Miami scene heroes like La Goony Chonga and Nick León. Despite only releasing her first track in 2021, she’s quickly stacked up an infectious body of work across an EP (Amor En Los Tiempos De Odio), a mixtape (Arepa), a collaborative project with Danny from Miami and Danny Daze (Con Cariño) and a slew of dance floor-ready singles. Through it all, the Miami-based musician has continued to switch up styles and moods – at times sultry, and at others resilient, such as on standout single “Perreo Contra La Depresión”. Most recently, she’s unleashed “Soy Sentimental” – a frenetic track that took shape via WhatsApp back-and-forths between Nebreda and the Bogotá-based producer CRRDR.

To celebrate the new single and to mark Hispanic Heritage Month, Nebreda has shared the queer Latin icons you should know – from rising reggaetonero La Cruz to ballroom icons and ranchera pioneers. Despite looking up to contemporary heavy-hitters like Arca, Tokischa and Villano Antillano, Nebreda explains that she wants to highlight lesser-known artists that have inspired her to be “the realest version of me”.

Chavela Vargas

“Such a beautiful voice. Not only rumoured to have been Frida Kahlo’s lover, but also a musician who was gender-non-conforming and brave enough to be herself during a time where there was absolutely no representation, especially in the male-dominated ranchera music scene.”

Angie Xtravaganza

“An icon in the ballroom scene and one of the most important pioneers within the scene. She was also one of the main characters in the iconic movie documentary Paris is Burning. Her death was tragic and a reminder of the pain the community went through during the HIV/AIDS Crisis. Though I wasn’t alive I can’t imagine the nightmare it must have been for so many. Angie is literally one of the main people who have started a culture that has impacted our society and world in so many ways.”

Kumbia Queers

“I really love this queer cumbia band. It’s not really about them being queer, their music is soo good – but this goes for absolutely everyone on this list, and their art! I listen to ‘Mientes’ by them all the fucking time. I am a cumbia girl at heart, the real ones know.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GAY TIMES (@gaytimes)

Puppy Sierna

“One of the first producer-DJs that I ever saw and was like, ‘OMG, it can happen, it does exist’. It’s so important to have representation from queer women who make beats. Puppy is an OG in the guaracha scene and has been making amazing electronic music for years. When I started making beats she was one of the people that most definitely made me feel secure and in my right to do my art and express myself.”

Mabiland

“I’ve been listening to Mabiland for many years now. I am a big, big fan of her melodies and the energy she always brings into her songs. Her voice is enchanting, she was a no brainer. Some of my favourite songs by her are ‘Ensayo de Ceguera’ and ‘Instinto Fugaz’.”

Yajaira La Bellaka

“Mi hermana Veneka. If you don’t know Yajaira’s music, you clearly don’t go to the right parties in my opinion.  Yajaira and long-time collaborator Genosidra (also a queer icon) have been making waves with their club music and representing so many.  For really amazing music, check it out before you’re late bebés.”

Tayhana

“Tayhana is an OG in the Latin club world and one of the best producers coming out of Latin America: someone to look to for deep club cuts with Latin American sonic landscapes. This goes for a lot of women producers on this list, but it is so important for femme, women, non binary, and gay producers to be seen and shown. Artists like Tayhana are breaking barriers that we desperately need to be broken.”

Ana Macho

“Ana Macho a collaborator of mine, a pop star on the rise who’s ready to take over the world with their unapologetic Caribbean pop. Listen to ‘Caribbean Style’, ‘Muñeca’, ‘Drogas En La Playa’ and of course ‘Rápido’.”

Kevin Fret

“One of the first gay urbano artists that would have been making waves had he not been murdered. People like Kevin Fret should be a clear reminder that in Latin America homophobia and transphobia run rampant and at a crazy level. Many fear for their lives in their homes and are afraid to be who they really are for fear of being hurt.”

La Cruz

“A Venezuela heartthrob. Literally my favourite genre of music is gay reggaeton. It’s so amazing seeing such a healthy representation of masculinity be celebrated for its damn sexiness. I’m all about it.”

Want more MJ? You can follow them on IG, TikTok, Bandcamp, or catch their full Spotify discography below.

The post Queer Latin icons you need to know, according to MJ Nebreda appeared first on GAY TIMES.