After spending nearly a decade generating buzz with mixtapes and singles, Bad Gyal is ready for her next big move. At the beginning of the year, the Barcelona-based star released her debut album La Joia , which is Catalan for the “The Jewel.” On the adventurous LP, she explored genres like dancehall, reggaeton, Brazilian funk, and house music while subverting the male-dominated urbano space with big femme energy.
“I like the concept that a jewel comes from a dirty, hard space, but then you work on it, you cut it, and it turns into something beautiful and shiny,” Bad Gyal tells Rolling Stone . “That was the same with the process of creating this album and trying to make the songs the most perfect that they could be.” Last year, Bad Gyal extended her reach beyond Spain when Karol G featured her on the song “Kármika” with Jamaican icon Sean Paul.
She also scored her first global hit with the alluring “Chulo,” where she flipped the male gaze of urbano the other way around. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko and Dominican provocateur Tokischa joined on a remix of the song; Brazilian superstar Anitta also teamed up with her for the baddie anthem “Bota Niña.” Now Bad Gyal is getting the blessing of reggaeton pioneer Ivy Queen on the “Perdió Este Culo” remix.
“I feel like the more women there are, the better,” she says. “At the end of the day, each woman has her own identity and her own way to say her things. It’s great that we have this space.
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