“Lao Ra takes her country’s traditions and the tropes of love and turns them into gloriously unadulterated, uplifting pop” – i-D
“Lao Ra is a new pop voice to get excited about…transports you to the streets of Colombia” – The FADER
“An exhilarating musical mix full of brash ‘listen to me’ bravado” – Billboard
The critically acclaimed Colombian pop star Lao Ra – who has been hailed as “a new pop voice to get excited about” (The FADER) and as “South America’s most audacious pop export” (NME) – has returned with her first release of 2019 with the standout single “Picaflor” featuring recent Latin GRAMMY Award-winning Spanish rapper C. Tangana.
CLICK HERE to listen to the Capi (J. Balvin, Dominic Fike, Lele Pons) and DVLP (Eminem, J. Balvin, DJ Khaled) produced track available across all digital streaming platforms now via Disruptor Records.
The release of “Picaflor” is accompanied by its official video, which is directed by Hector Dockrill (Jorja Smith, Maverick Sabre) and depicts a toxic relationship. CLICK HERE to watch the stirring video. “Picaflor” marks the first track of new releases that will span 2020, introducing fans to Lao Ra and her Latin pop sound.
On her new single, Lao Ra shares, “Picaflor offers a sultrier and more melancholic version of me. It’s a song about a hunter and a prey, where a hunter is hunted and where hummingbirds fly and flowers grow in the foreground of chaos. The song is a metaphor for a toxic relationship.”
Influenced by Catholic imagery and reminders of the war on drugs prevalent in her hometown of Bogotá, Colombia, Lao Ra released her debut single “Jesus Made Me Bad” in 2016 that drew comparisons to M.I.A. and put her artistry on the map.
Lao Ra self-describes her music as “subversive pop.” The singer attributes part of her eclectic sound to the places that she’s called home: London and Colombia. She credits the English capital – where she lived for over 10 years – for bestowing upon her that punk attitude and Colombia for instilling the power of the tropics. The result is a multi sensory collage where energetic beats and blunt lyrics are at the heart center.
Through reggaeton beats and untamable wild animals, her vibrant storytelling is a nod to the female artists who’ve inspired her journey so far, from Debbie Harry to FKA Twigs; from Frida Kahlo to Madonna.
In 2018 she released her singles “Me Gusta,” “No Pressure,” and “Patrona,” which saw Lao Ra mixing both English and Spanish, further embracing her South American roots. More recently, she collaborated with Dillon Francis on the single “White Boi” and her recent single “Pa´Lante” which was featured on the FIFA 2019 soundtrack.