A couple of years in the past, the Puerto Rican artist Paopao was working as a songwriter in Miami, bouncing round totally different studios and periods all through the town. She had a knack for crafting swelling pop ballads on her guitar and liked telling tales by way of music. However after she’d hung out grinding it out within the trade, she began seeing the best way the Latin pop machine can flatten narratives about ladies, treating female-led songs with out a lot nuance and portray empowerment anthems with broad, common strokes.
“I began to be like, ‘Every little thing sounds the identical,’” she remembers. “I used to be like, ‘It’s cool that this works, however there’s extra to being a lady than simply saying we’re unbiased and highly effective within the literal sense.’ I used to be like, ‘What is that this?’”
That’s when she took it upon herself to dive deeper and excavate her personal interiority to seek out one thing new. “I’ve at all times been the darkish, moody lady, however I stored it beneath wraps to be semi-normal at college,” she says, laughing. As she started exploring her personal artistry, she began writing extra private lyrics and expressing her most intimate ideas and emotions, pairing such vulnerability with shadowy, woozy soundscapes. Her sound and elegance, marked by edgy goth-kid aesthetics and a have to consistently experiment with surprising strains of alt-urbano, ultimately made followers out of artists like Unhealthy Bunny, who shared that he’d been blasting her tune “Algo Asi” continuous, and Mora, who hit her up for a few collaborations.
These days, she’s been on a roll: Final yr, she launched Hembrismo, an EP made up completely of ladies that featured La Gabi, Cami Da Child, Villano Antillano, and Aria Vega. Then she dropped the primary a part of her EP Diamantes y Espinas in the summertime — and this week, she’s again with a deluxe model that reveals much more of the distinctive artistry that’s attracting followers from each nook of the music world. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she broke down six songs from her newest undertaking and shared the way it’s let her uncover who she actually is. “I really feel like I’m unapologetically myself and this EP has given me the braveness to take action,” she says.
“Como Siempre“
I had been listening to that Drake tune “Life Is Good,” and I mentioned, “Why don’t we do one thing like that?” I liked that movement, and I really like entice sounds, and it felt prefer it wasn’t a typical factor to do. So I wrote that tune with my all the things, my proper hand, whose artist identify is Toy Wapo, and it got here out in like half-hour. That’s most likely the quickest tune we ever wrote. I wished it to be a fronteo tune, like one to entrance to, and I bear in mind him telling me, “What describes you? What the weather of your character we will discuss?” So we began going off of that and made it private.
I simply moved again to Puerto Rico after residing in Miami for 10 years, and on the first live performance I did right here, I began off with that tune. I felt like I used to be a digital artist in numerous methods — I didn’t know if one individual would come, if 10, if 20, if 100 would come. However my first present there, it was offered out. It was packed. Folks have been singing each single tune. It was such a surreal feeling and I used to be like, “OK, so that is truly working.”
“N La Disco”
That’s one other tune that I wrote in the beginning of once I first was discovering who I used to be. After which it acquired an entire revamp with the manufacturing with Los Puche. I bear in mind I confirmed them the tune in its unique kind and I used to be like, “I promise it’s good! Simply belief me. Simply do the beat. Simply take heed to the tune for a way it’s.” After which it got here out that very same evening. They have been like, “Oh shit.”
I really feel prefer it’s an ideal tune to start out the yr with, after individuals get this entire unhappy lady in a membership vibe. I had a number of tweets, too, being like, “Pao is crying within the membership and I’m crying on the health club!” and stuff like that. That’s why I adore it; it’s actually turn out to be this stamp that claims who I’m.
I bear in mind I needed to go away the studio to go someplace. and once I got here again, Los Puche have been like, “Test this out.” They added this little outro, there’s a little bit piano, with a little bit synth factor occurring. After which the vocals I added after, so it’s cool they created their very own little area there.
“Diablo” that includes Robi
After I had my first session with Robi, I used to be like, “How outdated are you?” I believe he’s like 19 or 20. I stored pondering, “In a number of years, this man goes to be taking on.” I wasn’t even an artist and I had no music out, however Toy introduced me right into a session that they had arrange, which is the place I first met him.
Then quick ahead a yr and a half, two years later, I bear in mind looking for a characteristic for this tune and I used to be like, “Oh shit, Robi can be excellent.” It’s humorous, I despatched it. to him and he acquired it again to me a day and a half later, once I was with Toy’s household out axe-throwing [laughs] He despatched me this tune and I used to be like, “Shit, I can’t take heed to it now.” So I bear in mind driving again dwelling and listening to it. It was like he gave it what the tune wanted. That’s one in all, I believe, individuals’s favourite songs on the EP. And truthfully, I wish to see what he does. I’m a fan.
“Gatx”
I bear in mind I used to be at my home in Miami needing to rant. I used to be at dwelling in the lounge, and I used to be listening to the unique beat time and again. Generally, I let songs breathe. and I’ll let it relaxation for a number of days and I’ll come again to it. However for this, I used to be like, “I want to complete this tune now.”
It’s type of a drill beat, and I really like that style. In Puerto Rico that style may be very revered, and I’m truly a little bit scared to see how persons are going to react to it. However I don’t assume anybody has completed it this fashion earlier than there. I don’t wish to say it’s girlier, nevertheless it’s extra business. I’m singing about eager to be with this man, however we’re each in several relationships, and often, that doesn’t occur in drill — it’s numerous road, weapons, medication. However I’m actually pleased with it. It was additionally produced by Los Puche. I wished it to be a drill, and so they have been like, “We’ve by no means truly completed a drill. I don’t know, however let’s attempt it and see what occurs.” That they had turned down different artists, as a result of they have been like, “Look, drill shouldn’t be our sturdy swimsuit.” However after I heard how nice they made this, I used to be like, “You lied.”
“Algo Así (Remix)” that includes Mora
That is my first radio tune! I used to be checking it earlier and, no less than on Spotify, it’s at 17 million streams. It simply blows my thoughts. It’s insane as a result of I bear in mind I used to be in Puerto Rico — I believe Robi invited me to carry out at a launch occasion for Jay Wheeler, and I used to be right here for a number of days. However this was round when Unhealthy Bunny had re-posted the tune and I acquired to Miami and my label was like, “Mora desires you on one in all his songs. You must get again to Puerto Rico in three and a half hours.”
I went on to the studio, and he began writing. I used to be on this sofa, at his place, simply falling asleep, nevertheless it was actually cool, simply bouncing concepts off one another. And that got here fairly rapidly. After which the subsequent day we wrote “Cositas,” “which is on his new album.
“Noches Largas, Faldas Cortas”
I initially wrote that tune for a man [to sing]. I used to be planning to pitch it to Eladio Carrion, however there was one thing that wouldn’t let me do it. His lyricism, it’s unimaginable, and it’s loopy what he’s completed for the Latin music ear. He’s one of many few artists that I listened to prior to now yr the place I used to be like, “That is recent!” He makes me wish to get higher as a songwriter. I began scripting this at a songwriting camp, and I bear in mind I used to be the one lady there. I ended up shutting myself off in my room and discovering a beat on my pc, and I wrote the refrain in 10 or quarter-hour. Then I needed to go away for the airport and wrote the remaining on the airplane.
It was meant for a man, however I used to be like,”I like this tune.” I attempted to vary the road the place it says, “Soy un cabrón,” as a result of that’s clearly for a man, however then I used to be like “Fuck it, I’m gonna go away it.” And now I really like once I’m singing it stay and listen to ladies go, “Soy un cabrón!”