Chilean indie pop brat Namuel is back in the spotlight with “Maldita Ingenuidad,” a cotton candy Tumblr daydream serving as first single from his upcoming debut album. Namuel finds himself in a transitional period, where two EPs in two years and an often controversial online presence have molded him into a bolder, more outspoken artist. “Maldita Ingenuidad” is a sticky sweet plunge into europop, more polished than his previous efforts. The visuals find him in pink fur and glitter makeup alongside a cavalcade of friends wreaking havoc along the gender spectrum.
Namuel has long endured criticism for his open queerness in Chile’s staunchly conservative society. However, he denies wanting to make a particular statement with the song or video, instead offering, “Namuel has always been ‘femme;’ I just happen to feel much more comfortable in my own skin now. ‘Maldita Ingenuidad’ is about bursting the social bubble that tells you what and how to be, which is why our color scheme for the video is in pastels.”
Having made diversity and visibility essential to his brand, Namuel recently got into hot water for taking on the wave of racism sweeping Chile in the wake of mass migrations from largely Afro-Latinx nations like Colombia and Haiti. Just last week, he called out local drag star La Botota, who, along with a several other actors, donned blackface and used racial epithets in an online segment. His criticism drew enormous backlash and highlighted the pervasive anti-blackness that often haunts Latinx culture. “It’s becoming normal to hear people say ‘the race is dirty’ in reference to immigrants of darker skin tones. My intention wasn’t even to diss La Botota, but to bring attention to the lack of intersectionality we have in Chile. ”