Photo courtesy of Hispanicize

Our newest Artist To Crave is Doris Anahí. She’s an emerging Mexican-American artist who recently released her debut EP, “Aprendiendo por las Malas” — but she’s not a rookie in the Latinx music industry.

She’s actually been in the Latinx music industry as a manager and event producer for quite some time now. You may have heard her behind artist projects like Cuco and August Eve. Or for the events she’s previously produced, like the Selena for Sanctuary, which was a free Selena-themed outdoor concert in support of immigration rights.

Fast forward to now, she’s finally stepping into the spotlight with this new 5-track EP. While listening to the EP, you hear her empowering voice that sings about tough life lessons in the most poetic and romanticized way. 

“It really tells the different stories of that whole chapter of my life,” she said in a press statement. “Where I felt like all these suppressed songs came from all these lessons that I had to learn the hard way over the last few years.”

She continued: “Largely in part because I wasn’t obedient to what my gut was telling me. I was really stubborn and holding onto a version of myself, the version that people wanted me to be. At the end of the day, that’s when you learn the hard way. When you’re not being honest with yourself, you’re not being honest with others – and that is exactly where the tough lessons come into play.”

Rolling Stone describes her music as: “a delicate EP that weaves traditional bolero melodies, ranchera influences, and R&B and indie rock sensibilities together.”

Along with the EP, she’s also leaving her mark in the film industry. At the beginning of the year, her intimate documentary “Mija” was released at the Sundance Film Festival. The Isabel Castro-produced documentary, described as a “poignant and emotional dedication to immigrants and their children,” made such an impression that Disney+ acquired it. It will be shown in selected theaters on Aug. 5.

On July 15, along with the EP, Doris Anahí also shared her newest music video for “Aprendiendo por las Malas.”

In the press release, she described this particular song as: “sometimes in life, you just have to learn that way. Aveces la vida no hace aprender por chingadazos. The title track explains itself; it’s probably the most vulnerable song I’ve written – telling a painful story begging for the hard-learned lessons to stop.”

Watch her newest video for “Aprendiendo por las Malas” below.