
As one of Latin rap's first transgender artists, Villano Antillano is a true trailblazer who has carved out a revolutionary path. She's not only made her way onto more than 40 Spotify playlists-including Viva Latino-but has also been featured on multiple Exitos & Top 50 lists. Now we're excited to welcome Villano to share her personal, unfiltered story with fans across the world as our latest RADAR artist.
Spotify's RADAR program spotlights emerging talents from around the globe, and in partnering with Villano, we're also amplifying an incredible talent from a largely underrepresented community within the urban music scene in particular.
Born in Bayam n, a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Villano generated early buzz with tracks such as Pajara, Culo, and Mu eca, the latter of which was recorded with nonbinary rapper Ana Macho.
In 2021, Villano enjoyed viral success with the release of her single Vendetta, and went on to feature on Bizarrap's Bzrp Music Session, Vol. 51. She then released the single KLK, which has generated more than 900,000 global streams to date, was featured as a panelist at the 2022 Latin American Music Conference, and was named one of its 2022 Wonder Women of Latin Music.
And just last week, Villano celebrated the release her debut album La Sustancia X, a project that embodies the beauty and horror of growing up queer in the Caribbean.
As part of the RADAR program, we will be releasing the first live recorded performances of Villano's new tracks, Kaleidosc pica and C scara de Coco.
For the Record had a chance to talk with Villano to learn more about how her experiences and inspirations are reflected in her music.
What are you looking forward to most as Spotify's latest RADAR artist? I think being highlighted as Spotify's latest RADAR artist is an affirmation of progress and a shift towards raw authenticity. At a personal level I feel very blessed and empowered because I have had to overcome so much to be here. It's nice to look back and see that, after everything, I have remained victorious. I want the up-and-coming generations to have as many diverse role models as possible-and I believe that myself and a number of other queer artists are heralding a new era.
I want to reach as many people as possible with a message of power and defiance; I want to wake them up and to have them ask themselves the big questions in the pursuit of happiness.
For new fans, how would you describe your music? I'd say my music is tantric. It's a buildup. It flares you up and makes you feel sexy and in control, but it's also very political and concise. I think that if you pay attention, I play into the conventionalities of pop music and exaggerate elements of consumerism and vanity as a form of critique while also admitting that I partake in some of these things as well.
I'd say my music is just human, admitting to your shortcomings and rising above them with prowess and without guilt. From the trap/reggaet n perspective my music is also very dark and antagonistic; it's also subversive and upsets the delicate egos of a lot of powerful men. I take that into account in my creation process.
Who inspires you, musically? Sade, Gustavo Cerati, Willie Col n, Rub n Blades, Silvio Rodr guez, Buika, Myrta Silva, La Lupe, Bebe, Tego Calder n, H ctor El Father , Ivy Queen, Frankie Ruiz . . . the list goes on. Nicki Minaj has also been one of, if not THE biggest inspiration in my musical development. Maybe it's a Caribbean connection, but the way we bend colonially imposed languages and adapt them to us, we both speak in very magical ways. To me she's a writer, and a lot of people don't catch half of the metaphors or puns Nicki crafts into her verses. She elevates anything she touches and I admire and respect that a lot.
Many of your projects touch on the realities of growing up as a queer person in the Caribbean. Can you tell us a bit about that? The Caribbean is a magical place-anyone that is actually from here can attest to that. But all of the islands have a horrible history of atrocious abuse, colonialism, and enslavement. Puerto Rico is still to this day a colony of the United States with absolutely no sovereignty, and growing up in a place without freedom is confusing.
There is a lot of poverty in the Caribbean, and most queer youth end up living in difficult and inhumane conditions. We survive as a community, help each other in the ways we can, and hold each other's hands when there is nothing we can do. I think this pushes us to exercise and perfect our magic and crafts, because as Puerto Ricans, we are very proud and resilient, and LGBTTQIA+ youth on the island are the most revolutionary of all demographics.
I have a beautiful story to tell because as an artist, I employ realismo m gico to showcase very terrible things that need to be discussed with urgency in a more palatable way. It's all about awareness. I had to leave home at 17 because of my identity and sexual orientation. I did everything I could to survive and I held on to my friends when I thought I couldn't keep going or didn't see the point in doing so. All I can say is that growing up queer in the Caribbean is dangerous, painful, emotionally unbearable, almost always tied to poverty and living under the constant hunt of the church (which is basically the government) and many other terrible things.
But I would not be anything else. I am where I have to be with the people I have to be with, and in so much chaos we have crafted for ourselves a network of happiness and strength that is the only peace I've known, and the only one I need.
How important is it to represent queer voices in Latin rap? We are at a pivotal moment in history. Women are at the forefront of the push for change. Men are starting
More from Spotify
09/05/2025
As excitement builds for the annual Eurovision Song Contest, Spotify data offers...
07/05/2025
Discovering music should feel effortless and fun. That's why Spotify continu...
06/05/2025
In Colombia, music isn't just background noise-it's center stage. It'...
06/05/2025
En Colombia, la m sica no suena de fondo: es el centro del escenario. Es el cora...
06/05/2025
At Spotify, we always seek ways to connect users with their next favorite podcas...
06/05/2025
Since Spotify's 2019 launch in India, the growth of the country's local ...
05/05/2025
As Europe gears up for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Spotify is celebrating the spirit of unity and musical legacy with a new series of Spotify Singles. Fiv...
02/05/2025
Updated May 9, 2025: Earlier this morning Spotify submitted a new update. If app...
02/05/2025
Since 2022, Spotify and FC Barcelona have brought the worlds of music and footba...
02/05/2025
With more than 678 million users worldwide tuned in to Spotify, we're at the heart of music and culture. Our unrivaled global community of artists, songwrit...
01/05/2025
After four years of lectures, study sessions, exams, and parties, college senior...
30/04/2025
EA SPORTS FC 25 fans in Australia and Saudi Arabia, get ready to immerse yourselves in the beautiful game like never before. Spotify is excited to announce a n...
30/04/2025
The past year has been nothing short of a whirlwind for Tucker Wetmore. After th...
30/04/2025
Mexico's love for podcasts is no longer a trend-it's a lifestyle. With m...
29/04/2025
Idag rapporterar vi f r det f rsta kvartalet 2025, och vi inleder ret starkt med ett resultat som vertr ffar f rv ntningarna inom v ra nyckeltal. Vi levererad...
29/04/2025
Today, we announced our first quarter 2025 earnings, starting the year off strong by outperforming across key metrics, including the highest Q1 Subscriber net a...
29/04/2025
April is Arab Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the vibrant creators from acro...
28/04/2025
Podcasts have become a cornerstone of the Spotify experience, evolving from a ni...
28/04/2025
Each April, runners and walkers of all stripes gather together in Lower Manhattan for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K. This race remembers those killed on Septemb...
24/04/2025
Playlists have always been at the heart of the Spotify experience. Since AI Playlist in beta launched last year, Premium users have used it to create millions o...
24/04/2025
From the California desert and Chicago's Grant Park to New York City's Flushing Meadows Corona Park and beyond, music festivals this spring and summer w...
24/04/2025
The sounds of Asia are as diverse and vibrant as the continent itself. From the lively beats of Indonesian pop to the gritty rhymes of Pinoy hip-hop, the region...
22/04/2025
Music has the power to connect us to one another and to the world around us. Spotify is once again teaming up with the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live...
22/04/2025
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all g...
22/04/2025
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22. On Spotify, listeners can explore a world of stories about our planet in our...
15/04/2025
In March this year, Spotify unveiled its annual Loud & Clear report, a transpare...
15/04/2025
As the world's most popular audio-streaming subscription service, Spotify is...
14/04/2025
On Monday, April 14, Blue Origin's NS-31 mission lifted off from Launch Site...
14/04/2025
Whether it's having first access to tickets, being a part of once-in-a-lifet...
11/04/2025
Since entering the audiobooks space in 2022, Spotify has positively impacted the industry, paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to rights holders on an an...
11/04/2025
Latin America's love for scripted audio is about to get a thrilling new chap...
08/04/2025
As part of the first-of-its kind partnership between Spotify and FC Barcelona, w...
03/04/2025
Spotify Advertising hit a new high note today as we unveiled how we're makin...
03/04/2025
The next stage of Spotify Advertising has arrived. Today, during our Spotify Advance event in New York City, we unveiled a host of updates that make it easier f...
03/04/2025
Some of the biggest names in marketing, advertising, publishing, traditional and social media, and the creative worlds gathered yesterday at Chelsea Factory in ...
01/04/2025
USHER's London takeover is in full swing. After kicking off his sold-out run of shows at the O2 Arena to rave reviews, the R&B icon joined forces with Spoti...
27/03/2025
Since announcing the Spotify Partner Program last fall, we've heard from cre...
26/03/2025
nda sedan Spotify grundades har vi arbetat h rt f r att ka betalningsviljan f r...
26/03/2025
Spotify's RADAR program spotlights rising talent from around the world, and in Spain, it's been making waves since 2020. Five years in, RADAR Spain has ...
20/03/2025
Spotify listeners love discovering new artists and songs, but they also love fin...
18/03/2025
Looking for inspiration this Women's History Month? Discover the stories of trailblazing women with audiobooks on Spotify. Our Women's History Month aud...
18/03/2025
From morning commutes to late-night listening sessions, Spotify is the essential daily companion for millions of listeners globally. Podcasts, in particular, ha...
14/03/2025
Time flies when you're having fun and we can confidently say that Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer and Spotify's Head of Talk Strategy, is having not...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...