Mireya

From Puerto Rico, born to a Dominican mum and Mexican dad, Mireya is singer and founder of NYC-based all-women mariachi band Flor de Toloache, with whom she won a Latin Grammy in 2017.

Her solo debut is mainly anything but rancheras, ranging across an R&B ballad (‘Quédate Aquí’ [Sun Down]), soft-rock belter (‘Climbing Fences’), torch song (‘Mi Mayor Fortuna’), rap number (‘La Llama’) and a passable bilingual cover version of Bowie’s Aladdin Sane-era ballad ‘Lady Grinning Soul’. She is joined by Flor de Toloache for the opening track, ‘Nunca Te Voy a Olvidar’, but the guitar is more mariachi than the vox or horns. The lyrics cover the big Latinx themes for a serious-minded ‘Brown’ (her adjective) artist – Afro-Latino pride, police brutality, Black Lives Matter – plus unbridled love, break-ups, and self-love, all wrapped up in sassy and soft-on-the-ears tunes. The range of genres and sounds reflects Ramos’ recent years as a globe-trotting performer; ditto the army of collaborators. The variety also saves the album from being a mere showcase. Never boring, never throwaway, Mireya shows its namesake to be open-minded, free-spirited and oozing talent as well as style.