Rauw Alejandro

One of the leading Puerto Rican pop stars of his generation, singer and songwriter Rauw Alejandro is known for his smooth tenor singing voice and genre-crossing reggaeton style that mixes Latin pop, R&B, hip-hop, and throwback sounds. After releasing his acclaimed debut mixtape, Punto de Equilibrio, in late 2016, he became a featured collaborator alongside Ozuna, Lunay, and Lyanno on “Luz Apaga,” and with Lyanno, Alex Rose, Cazzu, and Lenny Tavárez on “Toda Remix.” These and other collaborations resulted in Alejandro being nominated in four categories for Puerto Rico’s Tu Musica Urban Awards in 2019. They also paved the way for his debut studio album, 2020′s Afrodisíaco, which hit number two on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. In June 2021, Alejandro topped the Latin charts with Vice Versa, which incorporated electro, drum’n’bass, neo-disco, and mainstream pop into his brand of reggaeton. Following the 2022 EP Trap Cake, Vol. 2., Alejandro again reached the Top Ten of the Latin charts with his third full-length, Saturno. RR, a collaboration with Rosalía, appeared in 2023 ahead of its companion album, Playa Saturno. Referencing a classic Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe album, he delivered Cosa Nuestra in 2024. Born Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, he was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When he was a child, his family moved (temporarily) to the United States before returning to the island. His first passion was soccer, a sport he practiced seriously while studying at the Maria Auxiliadora School. Music was another hobby, but he never considered it as a career until his football playing was cut short by an injury during adolescence. As therapy to assuage his disappointment, he applied himself to music and began posting tracks to SoundCloud. Given his parents’ love of music (his dad is a guitar player), he was influenced early on by Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, and later by Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, and Chris Brown. As he learned to sing and write songs, he put his talent for dancing to work on local stages and in videos, meeting numerous musicians, producers, and dancers. He quickly developed a reputation as a triple-threat talent. Alejandro was signed to the Under Music Group label, which nurtured his writing and singing talent. The label began issuing his singles in June 2016, including “No Me Siento Igual” (featuring Joyce Santana) and “Días Así,” and “Se Tú” (featuring Lyanno and Sousa). Alejandro’s debut mixtape, Punto de Equilibrio, appeared at the end of the year, and he toured Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Southeastern United States. He was prolific and issued 14 singles and videos between 2016 and late 2017, not including guest appearances. The singer drew attention from trade and fan magazines across the Latin music spectrum, as well as Anglo industry weeklies. Between his own singles — the streaming chart hits “Mi Llamada” (featuring Lyanno, Alex Rose, and Lenny Tavárez), “T.T.I.,” and “Dale” (featuring Sousa and Mr. Naisgai) — and his guest spots with Rafa Pabön (“Tarde”) and Alex Rose (“Toda”), he appeared on no less than seven singles. He was featured on Ozuna’s “Luz Apaga,” which peaked at 26 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and even spent a week at number three on the Latin Digital Song Sales. Alejandro kicked off 2019 with the collaborations “Miénteme (Remix)” with Sousa, Cazzu, Lyanno, and Álvaro Díaz, followed by “Es Normal” with Javiielo, Lunay, Lyanno, and Sousa. He also delivered an EP, Trap Cake, Vol. 1, as well as the non-album duet hit “Que Le Dé” with Nicky Jam, which placed in the Top Ten on almost all the Latin streaming charts. In February he appeared on the club hit “Mírame” with Nio García and Lenny Tavárez. Alejandro toured Latin America and the United States in the winter and spring, and later that fall released the single “Fantasias,” which saw him collaborating with Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Farruko. The non-album track “Algo Mágico” arrived in July 2020. That summer, he also issued the live album Concierto Virtual en Tiempos de COVID-19 Desde el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. In November 2020, he released his Grammy-nominated debut studio album, Afrodisíaco, which included guest appearances by J Balvin, Sech, Anuel AA, and others. In February 2021, Alejandro appeared as Selena Gomez’s duet partner on the Hot 100 hit “Baila Conmigo,” which also topped the Hot Latin Songs chart. In June he released Vice Versa. Refusing to be pigeonholed, he worked with a slew of producers including Tainy and Mr. Naisgai (Luis J. Gonzalez) on a collection of originals that juxtaposed his fluid brand of urbano reggaeton with neo-disco, electro, drum’n’bass, funky breaks, and more, to jarring effect. The set entered the Top 200 at number 17 and the Top Latin Album charts at number one a week after its release. Its single “Todo de Ti” spent five weeks in the Hot 100. It also spawned the Top Five Latin hit “Desesperados” with Chencho Corleone. The singer’s second EP, Trap Cake, Vol. 2, appeared in February 2022, hitting number six on the Latin chart. In November 2022, Alejandro issued the 18-track full-length Saturno. Co-produced under the alias El Zorro with longtime friend Kenobi and Mr. Naisgai, and in select places, major influences El Playero and Tainy, the set juxtaposed reggaeton and trap with funk, throwback hip-hop, pop, and retro new wave. Among his collaborators on the date were Baby Rasta, El Playero, and Arcángel. The release entered the Billboard 200 at number 25, and landed at number two on the Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums charts. It also spawned several Top 30 Latin singles, including “Lejos del Cielo” and “Panties y Brasieres” (with Daddy Yankee). RR, a collaborative EP with Rosalía, arrived in March 2023 and featured the Top Ten Latin hit “Beso.” He then paired with Bizarrap for the song “Rauw Alejandro: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 56” as well as “Baby Hello.” The latter single heralded the singer’s Saturno spin-off album Playa Saturno, which reached number four on the Top Latin Albums chart and cracked the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. Alejandro again hit the upper echelon of the Latin songs chart in April 2024 with the non-album track “Santa,” with Rvssian and Ayra Starr. However, it was the arrival of his disco-infused single “Touching the Sky” a month later that heralded his fifth studio album, Cosa Nuestra. A reference to the classic 1969 Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe album of the same name, Cosa Nuestra, or “Our Thing,” once again found Alejandro balancing his salsa and reggaeton roots with forays into electronic dance music, trap, R&B, and Latin pop. Along with production from El Zorro, Dímelo Ninow, Kenobi, and others, it featured guest spots from Pharrell Williams, Bad Bunny, Feid, and more. It reached number six on the Billboard 200 and topped the Latin Albums charts. ~ Thom Jurek & Matt Collar