From Sounds and Colours:
A longtime pioneer of Dominican roots music, Xiomara Fortuna’s catalogue is a veritable representation of our island’s musical diversity. Whether collaborating with full-blown orchestras or homegrown beatmakers, the Dominican ‘Queen of Fusion’ navigates the kaleidoscopes of syncretic folklore, urban politics, and popular culture with grace and ease. Some of her albums, such as
Kumbajei and
Son Verdad, are encyclopaedic and far reaching in nature, interpreting rural folk tales and old countryside choirs with a modern approach, while her very first album,
De La Loma Al Llano from 1984, is an incredible journey into rural kiskeya and meticulous iterations of Afro-Dominican fusion. Her newest work,
Viendoaver, is fresh and socio-politically charged, coupling hard-hitting electronics with
dembow, rap consciente, reguetón, and a futuristic direction for our country’s sound.