NPR is continuing to highlight Latin acts on the rise with the El Tiny spin-off of the Tiny Desk series. Dominican rapper Tokischa is the latest artist to perform re-imagined versions of her hits in a performance that was released (October 12).
NPR revived the El Tiny spin-off of Tiny Desk for Latinx Heritage Month. Omar Apollo was the first artist to kick off the series last month. Mexican singer Girl Ultra and Argentine rapper Trueno followed his lead and now Tokischa is up next.
This past year, Tokischa has helped globalize Dominican dembow music. Spanish pop star Rosalía enlisted her for last year’s “Linda” and then “La Combi Versace” from the Motomami album. Last month, Madonna tapped Tokischa for a dembow-infused remix of “Hung Up” that was retitled “Hung Up On Tokischa.”
For her El Tiny desk performance, Tokischa substituted the dembow sound of her hits with other genres of the Caribbean. She transformed “Hola” into a bachata track and infused “Somo Iguales” with a mambo rhythm. Tokischa also dabbled in other genres like bossa nova in “Perra,” her collaboration with J Balvin, and Mexican corridos with the brand new song “Kilos De Amor.” The most striking moment of her set is her soulful performance of “Estilazo,” her LGBTQ+ anthem with Marshmello.
“Kilos De Amor” was the only song from Tokischa’s set that hasn’t been released yet. It could be her upcoming collaboration with Mexican singer Natanael Cano. In May, Tokischa and Cano were spotted filming a music video together in Mexico City.