If you don’t already know her name, you should get to know Gloria “Goyo” Martínez, the Afro-Colombian singer, rapper and composer gearing up to dominate the music industry on a global level.
“I had been thinking about moving here [Miami] for a while. This was the next step... I thought, why can’t we make it global?”, Goyo commented.
Goyo is the voice of Colombia’s Latin GRAMMY-winning and GRAMMY-nominated trio ChocQuibTown, which also includes her husband Carlos “Tostao” Valencia and her brother, Miguel “Slow” Martínez. As an Afro-Latina, the musician is a champion for a more equitable and inclusive music industry and invests time and resources in developing emerging artists from her region.
© GettyImages“It’s hard not to look at the current trend of Afro-Latinidad as performative... But I think no matter what it’s an opportunity we can leverage to create bigger changes in the spaces we occupy.”
Martínez’s love for music started at a very young age, influenced by her family. According to Goyo herself, her style has been inspired by the likes of Celia Cruz, Grupo Niche, and Lauryn Hill, with her music being described as a mix of urban, hip hop, R&B, alternative, tropical and a love letter to Colombian folklore.
© GettyImagesEarlier this year, the Colombian singer launched her solo career with HBO’s Latin GRAMMY-award winning series En Letra de Otro and a studio album of the same name. As a preview to the HBO Special and album, Goyo released her debut solo single and video, “Na Na Na.”
“With ChocQuibTown, I could also sing about empowering women – but to say it alone and in my own words, it just has a different impact,” the Colombian singer-songwriter told Billboard. “Writing on my own has allowed me to reflect, analyze and really think about what I want to say.”
