RichMusic’s first female artist, the Puerto Rican Latin GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter paopao, recently released her first solo EP diamantes y espinas. The seven-track EP encapsulates a spectrum of genres. She touches upon reggaeton, alternative pop, trap, and drill — all with an empowering voice that takes the Latin urban genre to another diverse level.
“My first solo EP, diamantes y espinas, has been in the making for a while, and I am beyond grateful to put it out there finally,” she said in a press release. “This project is special because it is personal and one where I tell my story on my terms and in my own words. I’m excited for fans to see another layer of paopao and experience what I’m truly capable of doing through music.”
The edginess of paopao’s music is evident in songs like “como siempre,” which is a hard-hitting guitar, heavy-infused trap song that captivates the listener from the EP’s start. “Ea diache” and “diablo” both give you the moody perreo that she’s known for; showing off an alternative, melancholic side of pop reggaeton. With “cuenta” and “noches largas, faldas cortas,” she continues to show her emotional side about love stories that don’t work out in the end.
Towards the EP’s end, we hear “algo así,” and “paopao,” which both demonstrate the versatility of her flow, coated with sentimental lyrics.
Born Paola Nicole Marrero Rodríguez, paopao is part of the new generation of Latinas pushing the traditionally male-dominated urbano genre into new spaces. Before this debut release as a soloist, paopao released two successful collaboration EPs that put her on the genre’s map. She released hembrismo in March with La Gabi, ARIA VEGA, Cami Da Baby, and Villano Antillano, and relaciones tóxicas in April, with iZaak. To show the magnitude of her collaborative work, “Roce,” was nominated for this year’s Premios Juventud awards in the category of “Best Girl Power Collab.”
And that’s just the start.
What’s clear is that she not only delivers successful collaborations with a team, but she also delivers a solid solo EP. This chameleon-like artistry will surely continue cementing her as one of Puerto Rico’s most exciting artists to look out for. We’re thrilled to see what’s in store for this innovative artist.
“This is me. This is my music. Mommy, I made it,” she wrote on an Instagram post when she released diamantes y espinas.
Watch her latest music video for “ea diache” featuring Dalex below.