Maluca Mala | |
|---|---|
 Mala at the Chromat Autumn-Winter 2015 runway show | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Natalie Ann Yepez [1] |
| Origin | Washington Heights, Manhattan [1] |
| Genres | Electro, experimental tropical punk, ghettotech, hip house [1] |
| Labels | RPM MSC, Mad Decent |
Natalie Ann Yepez, [1] better known by her stage name Maluca,is an American singer who grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan. [1] Raised on a steady diet of bachata, cumbia, merengue, and mambo, as well as hip-hop and other club music, [1] Maluca's music has been described as "experimental tropical punk, ghettotech, and hip-house". [1] Although a bad case of stage fright kept her out of the spotlight for much of her life, a chance meeting with Diplo while performing karaoke eventually led to "El Tigeraso", Maluca's first single. [2]
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The years 2009 and 2010 saw her touring, performing, and releasing what she calls "tropical punk" tracks. [3] Since the release of her single in 2009, Maluca has recorded tracks that range from merengue mashups to kuduro to old-school deep house and focused on her stage show, which includes two dancers named the Cookies. [4] China Food is her latest release as she prepares for a second visit to South by South West.
The name Maluca in Spanish is a derivative of Mala which means bad or mean girl. In Portuguese Maluca means a crazy or mischievous girl. [5]
