Reyna Tropical is a US band founded by Fabi Reyna and Nectali "Sumohair" Díaz in 2016. Their music is influenced by

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian, and Mexican musical styles, as well as Congolese rhythms. Reyna Tropical has released two EPs and one studio album. Since Díaz's death in 2022, Reyna has been the sole member of the band.

History

Fabi Reyna and Nectali Díaz were both born in Mexico and raised in the US. Reyna is the founder of ''She Shreds Media'' and has played guitar professionally with bands including

Priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

Raveena Raveena is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Raveena Ravi (born 1993), Indian voice actress * Raveena Tandon (born 1974), Indian actress, model, and producer * Raveena Aurora (born 1993), American singer-songwriter mononymously ...

, and

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member Janet We ...

. Díaz was a DJ and producer, and was active in the nightclub scene in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The pair met at a

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

event in 2016, where they bonded over a shared appreciation for

Bomba Estéreo Bomba Estéreo is a Colombian band founded in Bogotá in 2005 by Simón Mejía. Their music has been described as "electro tropical" or "psychedelic cumbia". History 2005–2008: Career beginning and ''Vol. 1'' The origins of the group go back t ...

. In early recording sessions Díaz encouraged Reyna to sing, which she wasn't previously comfortable doing.

2018–2022: Career as a duo

Reyna Tropical self-released their first EP ''Reyna Tropical'' in January 2018. It was called "refreshingly succinct and buoyant" by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

. The tracks were initially recorded in a series of 4-hour improvised sessions. In December 2018 Reyna Tropical supported Bomba Estéreo on their US Jungla Tour, after being invited to do so by lead singer Li Saumet. In March 2019, Reyna Tropical performed at the opening party of

SXSW Music Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...

, and in April they played at Estéreo Beach Festival in

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

. Reyna and Díaz's experiences with nature in Colombia inspired their second EP ''Sol y Lluvia'', which they released in August 2019. Similarly to the first EP, the tracks were initially recorded in improvised sessions. Nectali Díaz died unexpectedly in July 2022. In a 2023 interview, Reyna said that "for several months I didn’t know how to perform on stage without him, or how to write music without him...it left me with the question of, "How is this going to continue? Is this fair, is this what he wants?" But the answer was always a resounding yes." The first song that Reyna wrote after Díaz's death was "Ya Va Pasar", using a beat created by Díaz, and the song was released as a single on independent record label Psychic Hotline in November 2023.

2022–present: ''Malegría''

In March 2024, Reyna Tropical's debut album ''Malegría'' was released on Psychic Hotline. The album includes material that Reyna and Díaz had been working on together as far back as July 2020. The title of the album is a portmanteau of the Spanish words (bad) and (happiness), and was taken from the title of a

Manu Chao Manu Chao (; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish musician. He sings in French language, French, Spanish language, Spanish, English language, English, Italian language, Italian, Arabic, Catalan language ...

song. Isabelia Herrera of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' described ''Malegría'' as "an incisive exploration of the porosity of diasporic life", and rated it 7.7/10. Herrera also wrote that the album contains influences of

chicha ''Chicha'' is a Fermentation, fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jo ...

, zapateado, and

soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo). It derived from Congolese rumba in ...

rhythms. ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' rated the album 8/10, and called it a "wild creation." Anne Lorenz of

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (; "West German Broadcasting Cologne"), shortened to WDR (), is a German public broadcasting, public-broadcasting institution based in the States of Germany, Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a const ...

described the album as "a stormy celebration of queer Afro culture." Reyna Tropical toured with

Portugal. The Man Portugal. The Man is an Alaskan rock band from Wasilla, Alaska and based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met and began playing music t ...

to support the album, and performed at

Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...

in July 2024.

Musical style and themes

Reyna Tropical's music takes influence from traditional Latin American and African rhythms and musical styles. In an article for ''

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, before broadeni ...

'', Bill Pearis described ''Malegría'' as incorporating "musical styles from all over the Southern hemisphere, including Congolese, Peruvian, Colombian grooves," and Fabi Reyna named tracks by Manu Chao, Priya Ragu,

Café Tacvba A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...

, and

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

as influences on the album. In 2024 Reyna told ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'' that "recently, my influences have formed to become folks that play in West Africa, in the Congo, soukous,

champeta Champeta, also known as terapia, is a musical genre and dance that originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the early 1980s. It developed from an earlier style termed chalusonga, which originated in Palenque de San Basilio in the mid-197 ...

, chicha, Peruvian cumbia, and those folks are mimicking bird sounds and a lot of nature sounds." Richard Villegas of

Remezcla Remezcla is an American media company focusing on the Latin American cultural sphere. It serves the millennial market. History The brand was founded by Claire Frisbie, Andrew Herrera and Nuria Net in 2006, had no outside funding; it first re ...

wrote that "influences from champeta, buyerengue and ancestral chanting can be heard across Reyna Tropical’s small but vibrant catalogue." According to Emilly Prado of

, Reyna Tropical "highlight and reimagine the multicultural influences of their childhoods through Afro-Mexican melodies,

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...

s spanning from Mexico to Peru, and expert digital mixing."

Improvisation

Both of Reyna Tropical's EPs began as improvised sessions between Reyna and Díaz. Reyna has said that "my creative process often involves being in Colombia, learning from local people, recording on the beach with my interface and guitar, improvising lyrics on the spot."

Culture and identity

Fabi Reyna sees her mixed cultural heritage as fundamental to her music.In 2019 she said that "when I met Sumo, we blended our worlds of music and activism, where I focus on queer identity and being a Mexican woman living in America." Díaz was

Afro-Mexican Afro-Mexicans (), also known as Black Mexicans (), are Mexicans of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. As a single population, Afro-Mexicans include individuals descended from both free and enslaved Africans who arrived to Mexi ...

, and the band had a motto of "Queer Love and Afro-Mexico", which

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

described as being "at the heart of their music". Reyna has described Reyna Tropical as "a project that explores diasporic experiences," and said that the album ''Malegría'' focuses on the process of "learning to trust myself and discovering the power of being a woman." In another interview she said that "I am a mixture of many worlds, so my art...brings together all the worlds, all the diasporic experiences of my own life."

Discography

Albums

*''Malegría'' (2024, Psychic Hotline)

Extended plays

*''Reyna Tropical'' (2018, self-released) *''Sol y Lluvia'' (2019, self-released)

Singles

*"Oro" (2018, self-released) *"Como Fuego" (2019, self-released) *"Dolor" (2020, self-released) *"Ya Va Pasar" (2023, Psychic Hotline)

References

{{reflist , refs = {{citation, url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/reyna-tropical-ya-va-pasar-interview-1234879498/, title=How Reyna Tropical Channeled Grief Into a Vibrant Celebration of Life, publisher=

, website=rollingstone.com, author=Jordan Hernandez, date=2023-11-16, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128023224/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/reyna-tropical-ya-va-pasar-interview-1234879498/, archive-date=2023-11-28 {{citation, url=https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2024/03/reyna-tropical-malegria-self-portrait-interview, title=Reyna Tropical Is in Concert with the Universe, publisher=

Portland Monthly ''Portland Monthly'' (also referred to as ''Portland Monthly Magazine'') is a monthly news and general interest magazine which covers food, politics, business, design, events and culture in Portland, Oregon. The magazine was co-founded in 2003 b ...

, website=pdxmonthly.com, author=Matthew Trueherz, date=2024-03-27, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331093331/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/arts-and-culture/2024/03/reyna-tropical-malegria-self-portrait-interview, archive-date=2024-03-31 {{citation, url=https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2018/01/22/578339043/songs-we-love-reyna-tropical-ni-a, title=Songs We Love: Reyna Tropical, 'Niña', author=Emilly Prado, date=2018-01-22, publisher=

, website=npr.org, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422082517/https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2018/01/22/578339043/songs-we-love-reyna-tropical-ni-a, archive-date=2018-04-22 {{citation, url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/14/1149265723/reyna-tropical-how-fabi-reyna-learned-to-listen-to-her-revolutionary-intuition, title=Reyna Tropical: How Fabi Reyna learned to listen to her revolutionary intuition, publisher=

, website=npr.org, author1=Anamaria Artemisa Sayre, author2=Fabi Reyna, date=2023-01-18, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205230803/https://www.npr.org/2023/01/14/1149265723/reyna-tropical-how-fabi-reyna-learned-to-listen-to-her-revolutionary-intuition, archive-date=2024-02-05 {{citation, url=https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2019/09/04/757481868/alt-latino-playlist-looking-forward-to-fall-with-new-music, title=Alt.Latino Playlist: Looking Forward To Fall With New Music (Reyna Tropical, "Tristeza"), publisher=

, website=npr.org, author=Stefanie Fernández, date=2019-09-04, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417170624/https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2019/09/04/757481868/alt-latino-playlist-looking-forward-to-fall-with-new-music, archive-date=2023-04-17 {{citation, url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/reyna-tropical-alternative-debut-album-tour-solo-interview-1235620252/, title=How Rising Act Reyna Tropical Spun Tragedy Into a Long-Awaited Debut, publisher=

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

, website=billboard.com, author=Taylor Mims, date=2024-03-05, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312202358/https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/reyna-tropical-alternative-debut-album-tour-solo-interview-1235620252/, archive-date=2024-03-12 {{citation, url=https://www.altpress.com/reyna-tropical-malegria-interview/, title=Reyna Tropical’s Malegría is a documentary of love and strength, publisher=

, author=Neville Hardman, date=2024-03-25, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-22, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329223214/https://www.altpress.com/reyna-tropical-malegria-interview/, archive-date=2024-03-29 {{citation, url=https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2019/08/16/751473715/guest-dj-fabi-reyna-she-shreds-magazine-founder-and-musician, title=Guest DJ: Fabi Reyna, She Shreds Magazine Founder And Musician, publisher=

Alt.Latino ''Alt.Latino'' is a radio show and podcast about Latin alternative music and Latinx culture, produced by NPR. The show launched in 2010 and is hosted by Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre. It features music and interviews with Latino musician ...

, website=npr.org, author1=Felix Contreras, author2=Fabi Reyna, date=2019-08-16, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701203411/https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2019/08/16/751473715/guest-dj-fabi-reyna-she-shreds-magazine-founder-and-musician, archive-date=2022-07-01 {{citation, url=https://remezcla.com/features/music/nuevo-noise-reyna-tropical-queer-love-revolution/, title=Reyna Tropical: A Queer Love Revolution, publisher=

, website=remezcla.com, author=Richard Villegas, date=2019-09-26, url-status=live, access-date=2024-04-23, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130050907/https://remezcla.com/features/music/nuevo-noise-reyna-tropical-queer-love-revolution/, archive-date=2023-11-30 {{citation, url=https://www.grimygoods.com/2018/12/13/bomba-estereo-and-reyna-tropical-heat-up-the-novo-with-a-fiery-jungle-of-sounds/, title=Bomba Estéreo and Reyna Tropical heat up the Novo Los Angeles with a fiery jungle of sounds, publisher=Grimy Goods, website=grimygoods.com, author=FarahSosa, date=2018-12-13, access-date=2024-04-23, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128045924/https://www.grimygoods.com/2018/12/13/bomba-estereo-and-reyna-tropical-heat-up-the-novo-with-a-fiery-jungle-of-sounds/, archive-date=2024-01-28 {{citation, url=https://www.sxsw.com/music/2019/2019-sxsw-music-opening-party-lineup-announced/, title=2019 SXSW Music Opening Party Lineup Announced, publisher=

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

, website=sxsw.com, author=Hayden Bagot, date=2019-02-27, access-date=2024-04-23 {{citation, url=https://www.radionica.rocks/regiones/estereo-beach-2019-una-fiesta-llena-de-baile-sagrado, title=Estéreo Beach 2019: una fiesta llena de 'Baile Sagrado', publisher=

Radiónica Radiónica , also known as “Repitionica” is a Colombian state-owned music radio network, formerly known as ''99-1 Frecuencia Joven'' ("Young Frequency"). It belongs to the National Radio Television of Colombia, Colombia's state-owned national ...

, website=radionica.rocks, date=2019-04-11, language=es, access-date=2024-04-23, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211033340/https://www.radionica.rocks/regiones/estereo-beach-2019-una-fiesta-llena-de-baile-sagrado, archive-date=2023-12-11 {{citation, url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/reyna-tropical-malegria/, title=Malegría (review), publisher=

, website=pitchfork.com, author=Isabelia Herrera, date=2024-04-11, access-date=2024-04-23, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418162846/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/reyna-tropical-malegria/, archive-date=2024-04-18 {{citation, url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/reyna-tropical-on-how-manu-chao-bid-seu-jorge-robin-s-and-more-inspired-her-debut-album-malegria/, title=Reyna Tropical on how Manu Chao, BiD/Seu Jorge, Robin S and more inspired her debut album 'Malegría', publisher=

, website=brooklynvegan.com, author=Bill Pearis, date=2024-03-29, access-date=2024-04-23 {{citation, url=https://www.popmatters.com/reyna-tropical-malegria-review, title=Reyna Tropical Find the Bitter and the Sweet on 'Malegría', publisher=

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, website=wdr.de, author=Anne Lorenz, date=2024-04-05, language=de, access-date=2024-04-23, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421034245/https://www1.wdr.de/radio/cosmo/musik/musikserien/reviews/review-reyna-tropical-malegria-100.html, archive-date=2024-04-21 {{citation, url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/women-are-forging-new-guitar-pathways-reyna-tropical-writes-for-clash/, title=Women Are Forging New Guitar Pathways: Reyna Tropical Writes For Clash (An International Woman's Day essay), publisher= Clash, website=clashmusic.com, author=Fabi Reyna, date=2024-03-08, access-date=2024-04-23, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423124859/https://www.clashmusic.com/features/women-are-forging-new-guitar-pathways-reyna-tropical-writes-for-clash/, archive-date=2024-04-23 {{citation, url=https://www.vibras.com.mx/post/reyna-tropical-malegria-album-debut-entrevista, title=Entrevista con Reyna Tropical, publisher=Vibras, website=vibras.com.mx, author=Rocío Merino, language=es, access-date=2024-04-23, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423130414/https://www.vibras.com.mx/post/reyna-tropical-malegria-album-debut-entrevista, archive-date=2024-04-23 {{citation, url=https://newportfolk.org/lineup, title=2024 Lineup, publisher=

, website=newportfolk.org, access-date=2024-04-23

External links

Reyna Tropical
on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

American Latin musical groups Musical groups established in 2016 American musical duos Mexican musical duos