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There are gestures, such as saying thank you or asking how each person you come across, is doing, which seem anecdotal but say a lot about us. Nicki Nicole (Rosario, Argentina, 2000) has them all going for her. Friendly and smiling, she arrives from the Latin Grammy gala in Seville with a bit of a cold but doesn't object when we ask her to sneak between plants to take some photos. "Sorry for my voice, I don't normally have it like that," he jokes, lowering his tone even more.

Perhaps he cannot boast of being the most illustrious person in his city. A neighbor like Leo Messi makes it difficult to think about fighting for that title. But she can boast of being the first Argentinian to have performed live on the Jimmy Fallon show, one of the most sought-after programs on American television. Moreover, he achieved it a couple of years ago, when he was only 21.

Since he came of age, his rise has been unstoppable. His career started anecdotally thanks to Wapo Traketero, a song recorded at home in a rudimentary way. He posted it, the young people liked it, they shared it, and it reached Duki's ears. At the time, the trapper – who will perform at the Santiago Bernabéu in June – was one of the few urban references in a country that is now sweeping the genre. He saw something in that girl and decided to encourage her to continue. And he wasn't wrong. A contract with Sony, a viral session with Bizarrap, several albums, massive concerts and even award nominations have proved him right.

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Music.

Emilia: "Coming from where I come from and having the resources I had, success is having become a singer"

  • Written by: ANDREA M. ROSA DEL PINO Madrid

Emilia: "Coming from where I come from and having the resources I had, success is having become a singer"

Music.

Anitta, from Rio's favelas to global star: "I really like my body and I'm going to show it if I feel like it"

  • Written by: RAQUEL R. INCERTIS Madrid

Anitta, from Rio's favelas to global star: "I really like my body and I'm going to show it if I feel like it"

"I dreamed of this," he confesses. "When I was little, I used to pick up the broom and put on shows in the kitchen. The best part was that I didn't think I was someone else. I didn't want to be Britney [Spears] or Christina [Aguilera]. I wanted to be me, you know? That helped my family to be by my side, so that I didn't see it as a stage," she says.

It surprised at home when the youngest of four siblings wanted to drop out of school to put all her efforts into singing. But her mother, the one who cooked her those potato omelettes that she now remembers every time she sets foot in Spain, knew that Nicole – her real name – had to try.

"It's nice that your family is there. And I think it's also important that my team believes in me," he says. "I never just dream. I feel like when you start doing it, it's like when you toss a coin into the fountain. The illusion begins to grow within you and what you want flows. It's very difficult for something to come out of nowhere if you don't look for it. That's why it's so important that your environment doesn't pull you back," he says.

Anyone might think that this is the thinking of an artist who only knows success. However, she confesses that it has taken her time and tears to reach that level of confidence in herself and what she does.

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At first I had a very hard time. I was very affected by the criticism and felt so insecure that I believed everything others said about me. Maybe it was a 13-year-old sitting at home waiting for you to not even see him. But you read it and it hurts. And you see one and you want to see another. And another. And another. The start of a career is hard because you don't understand a fuck and, obviously, people have opinions," he says.

"Now it's very difficult for someone to tell me 'your music sucks' and I believe it," he continues. At the same time, he clarifies: "I don't say this from ego, but from security. You can tell me you don't like what I do and I'll understand. But that doesn't qualify a job as good or bad."

His songs, encompassed in that immense label of "urban", mix genres such as RnB, rap or reggaeton. She claims to drink from many references but two stand out among the rest: Amy Winehouse and Kendrick Lamar.

Returning to the Latin Grammys, the Argentinian competed in the categories of 'Best Rap Song' for Dispara, a song with the young Milo J, and 'Best Urban Music Album', for Alma, her latest album. This award went to Karol G's Mañana Será Bonito, but both have an important coincidence. The two works are born from a love breakup. The Colombian with Puerto Rican Anuel AA and Nicki Nicole with her ex-partner, Argentinian singer Trueno.

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The album came out organically and genuinely. It was a time when I felt like I wanted to do it and Santi [Tatool], who is the producer and one of my best friends, also had a lot to say. That's where we put our emotions together," he says. "I think it's good to do catharsis through music," he adds.

In this sense, he points out that one of the most important parts of his work comes at the time of concerts. "I want them to be super intimate," she says. "I have a lot of very personal songs that have touched the audience in their own conflicts and it's good to sing them and let go of everything they feel."

And what about your own feelings?

"I like to be myself. There are some that I sing happily because I know that I am no longer in that moment and others that, obviously, bring back memories and emotions. But I feel like it all depends on the day you're in, how you're feeling. I mean, I've never pretended to be an emotion or, if they're breaking my heart, pretend they weren't. I like to let go because I feel like there's nothing better than being confident with your audience. Butit's one thing to release emotions, and another to take charge of them. I let them go, but there's like a line. I don't talk about what's happening to me because I feel like that's something I have to figure out with myself," she says.

It took her a while to confirm her romance with the trendy Mexican artist, Peso Pluma. It was he who publicly took the step by going on stage together to sing Por las noches, the single on which they collaborate. He kissed her on the mouth to her surprise and that of thousands of crazed people.

In Argentina, Nicki Nicole has sold out seven consecutive tickets at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, bringing together more than 80,000 people. As if that wasn't enough, it has just announced an eighth date. A record in the venue only surpassed by Luis Miguel. He will arrive in Spain in March with concerts at the WiZink Center in Madrid and at the Sant Jordi Club in Barcelona.

"I'm very excited to be singing here," she says. And she fondly remembers that the first time she played was at the Madrid Salvaje festival, back in 2019, invited by the Malaga rapper Delaossa. "There's a video from that day just before I left where I was super nervous. I didn't have scenarios. Literal. I only had one song, but he liked it and had invited me. Before, the most I'd ever done was sing karaoke at a birthday," she smiles, recalling the moment.

Like his tablas, his collaborations with Spanish artists have been increasing in this time. She has already joined Rels B and Aitana and the latest to join has been the Catalan Bad Gyal.

"It's cool to make a lot of music among women because I feel like before there wasn't so much collaboration because of the comparisons. There was a lot of judgment if two women got together. People were comparing what the best part was," he says. And she adds: "For me there is no longer that constant criticism of women and it is something that I like."

She thanks others, such as Ivy Queen or Cazzu, for having led the way "running so that others can walk." But he also believes that change starts from within: "It always starts with you, when you stop thinking so much about what people will say."

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