Alvaro Diaz (PR)

About

Also known as: Alvaro Diaz, Alvaro Díaz

Alvaro Diaz built his sound somewhere most Puerto Rican artists weren't looking, pulling from soul, funk, indie, and hip hop influences like Kanye West and Kid Cudi rather than leaning straight into reggaeton. His 2015 debut album Hato Rey already showed that range, mixing reggaeton with plena and bomba in a tribute to his San Juan neighborhood. He spent years sharpening his craft through a string of EPs and collabs, including the charting 2019 single "Videos" with Rauw Alejandro and a feature on Tainy's electro cumbia track "Mera." His 2021 album Felicilandia was the real breakthrough into the mainstream Latin urbano scene, built around the concept of a euphoric fictional amusement park. The 2024 follow up Sayonara pushed even further, blending old school tambor heavy reggaeton, Latin trap, punk rock, and heavy synth work into something Rolling Stone compared to a vintage arcade bathed in neon Eighties sounds. During the delays on that album, he was busy writing for Karol G and Daddy Yankee, and he capped things off with a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music.