A typical weekend in the childhood of Maria Raquel would find her in the midst of a huge family party, perched between her uncles’ guitars and accordions belting vallenatos, cumbias, and salsa, the eight-year-old lead vocalist whose swing fired the engine that kept the adults’ feet and hips moving late into the balmy nights of Medellín, Colombia. She began her career as a professional lawyer moonlighting on vocals, and when a visiting group from New York heard her in a local salsa club, bandleader Samuel Torres immediately whisked her off to tours in Germany, Amsterdam, Israel. Soon after she moved to New York where she immediately found herself collaborating with legendary mentors such as as Arturo Ortiz, Ruben Rodriguez and John Benitez. She became a mainstay in the salsa scene, singing with Cuarteto Guataca, Astoria Salsa Company, and Grupo Mamey, joined the city’s preeminent Colombian group, La Cumbiamba eNeYé, and even toured the northeast and recorded as the lead vocalist for the electrifying Afro-Peruvian group, Festejation. More recently Maria Raquel was called upon as a special guest for the Latino America festival in Tel-Aviv.v

A versatile singer whose deep, dark velvet voice can bring the goosebumps to any ballad and can light the fire under an energetic pregón, Maria Raquel channels her upbringing in dance parties, displaying the killer instinct of a vocalist whose instrument speaks the language of percussion. Also citing her mother’s taste in music as a principal influence, and her voice evokes the nostalgia of bygone eras and sepia tones. Her upcoming release, Mucha Mujer presents a collection of songs united less by genre and more by the vintage treatment of each selection, with a large acoustic ensemble recorded live, her voice leading the listener seamlessly through the entire journey. In less than a decade in the big city, Maria Raquel has already become the lynchpin of New York’s Lain music scene, and her new release makes a bold statement of artistry and tradition.