Musaraña's María Laboy Claims Her Place as a Modern Day Sonera with the Release of Debut Single "Munchie Sexual"

NYC and Puerto Rico-based music and art project Musaraña is harnessing the traditions of the past to pave the way to a more progressive and vibrant future.

Fronted by San Juan native María Laboy, the innovative band also features the participation of producer Andres Rigau, and together, the two creative visionaries have developed a new Latinx music genre coined “Despojo,” which combines styles such as salsa, perico ripiao, reggaeton, bomba, plena, and merengue with psychedelic/electronic and futuristic arrangements. Despojo challenges the current trends dominating the Latin music market and speaks to the topics that the millennial generation faces on a daily basis, aiming to shift the current mindset to empower listeners and usher them into a new awakened state of consciousness.

“When you look around, our generation is facing some of the scariest financial, political, humanitarian and environmental threats of any generation,” Laboy notes. “I wanted a sound that made people not only dance but helped people release suffering and all that weighed them, that emboldened them in joy. I want Despojo to feel like this utter sensual and soul release. That feeling you get after you’ve had true connected sex. That’s the feeling I want to capture with my music.”

Laboy’s journey in fulfilling her dream to upturn the status quo began a few years ago, and that dream is finally becoming a reality during a year when we truly need it most. “I was really feeling the weight of the world and went to the Cuban sacred’s drum & dance session in Central Park, which tends to be quite male-dominated and I got in the center and started dancing,” Laboy explained. “The dancing to these drums was a surreal spiritual experience. I can profoundly say that I was awakened in ways I had not been before. The idea for a new genre that did this to people, that harked back to our ancestors but also stood firmly in the present and future, was born.”

Laboy has already begun to form and fill a much needed space in the Latin music market, offering a percussion-driven style rooted in tradition along with a modern, gender-neutral perspective. At the same time, thanks to her effervescent and colorful natural energy, she effortlessly commands attention as a fierce female and well-rounded performer—a true modern day sonera—not unlike the legendary trailblazers that preceded her, specifically Celia Cruz, La Lupe, and Iris Chacón.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the Musaraña project is the way Laboy and Rigau incorporate surrealism, bringing listeners on a wild trip through intoxicating rhythms and enlightened lyrics, only further intensified by a pairing with bold and vivacious visuals meant to rouse the unconscious mind in what Laboy calls the “tostones con alas,” or flying fried plantains, effect.

The band’s first single, “Munchie Sexual,” was released this summer, and it’s an exciting, explosive, and epic introduction to the euphoric genre that’s about to set a new standard for the role of female performers in the years to come. Exploring the thoughts and feelings that surface when sexual desires swell, the multi-layered song reminds listeners to recognize their own worth while encouraging them to dance, let loose, and discover their personal pleasures. “Munchie Sexual” will be featured on the band’s upcoming album Musaraña, which in English translates to random thoughts or a wandering mind. Discover more about “Munchie Sexual” in Laboy’s chat with Musical Notes Global below and watch the music video after the jump.

For all of the latest news and updates on Musaraña, follow the project on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/MusaraniaMusic

Instagram: @musaraniamusic

Twitter: @MusaraniaMusic

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