In the decades-long, one-sided war between rock and reggaeton, Kidd Voodoo has emerged as an unlikely ambassador. The baby-faced crooner behind monster party hits “Whisky a la Roca” and “Ponte Lokita” broke out mid-pandemic as part of a second wave of Chilean el movimiento stars following in the trailblazing footsteps of Pablo Chill-E and Polimá Westcoast. But unlike the explicit perreo crossovers of Cris MJ, or the gritty trap bars of Julianno Sosa, Kidd Voodoo’s hybrids of euphoric reggaeton and atmospheric indie rock deepened the scene’s emotional storytelling and captivated audiences loyal to the pop-rock hegemony. From the longing of his breakthrough ballad, “Confortas Pero Dañas,” to his headline-making collaboration with Chilean rock icons Los Bunkers, the 23-year-old polymath proves that more than brokering a symbolic musical peace, he’s here to create generational anthems.
“It’s funny, because when I decided to go hard in reggaeton, I left my guitar by the wayside,” Kidd Voodoo tells Remezcla, remembering the transitional period from his cult indie band Resonancia Etérea into his chart-topping solo career. “Young Cister, Easykid, and DrefQuila were the first to give me a hand, and we became this new wave [of Chilean reggaeton].” The four teamed up last year for the Avengers-level LP, Los 4F: El Origen, pooling their dance floor-igniting powers while producers Swift 047 and Kreamly injected the record with noisy synths and unrelenting perreo drums. “The moment everything changed was when I picked up the guitar again and people learned to differentiate me,” he adds. “It was like, ‘Oh, he’s urbano but also plays guitar,’ which wasn’t a big deal to me because I listen to so much different music, but I understood that in Chile, it wasn’t normal yet.”
Born David León Urbina, Kidd Voodoo traces his creative origins to childhood stints in church, where he was awestruck by his grandfather’s chops as the choir’s lead vocalist. Sunday daydreaming turned into curiosity over how sound reverberated within the church walls, and by the time he turned 12, he was translating those acoustics onto a guitar. Three years later, he formed a short-lived high school band that sowed the seeds of his next project, Resonancia Etérea, trying his hand at melancholy indie rock and psych fuzz. But then the pandemic hit, and seeing little point in rehearsing over WhatsApp, Urbina’s mind began to wander again, falling down endless SoundCloud rabbit holes and soaking up the trap, plugg, and reggaeton tunes that have become Chile’s new mainstream.
“I started experimenting with beats early in the pandemic,” says Kidd Voodoo, remembering how the hard bars and tender melodies of Puerto Rican trap stars Alex Rose and Myke Towers connected with his indie pedigree. “I was one of those rockers who didn’t like reggaeton, so I understood [the stigma], but trap was the first genre to hook me. It’s not what I do today, but it was my way into urbano. Plus, I was bored and wanted to make music, so I started writing and recording songs until I eventually decided to upload one.”
“The moment everything changed was when I picked up the guitar again and people learned to differentiate me. It was like, ‘Oh, he’s urbano but also plays guitar,’ … in Chile, it wasn’t normal yet.”
Kidd Voodoo’s rise was gradual, oscillating between trap and plugg, but bringing signature emotionality to a 2021 R&B-reggaeton hybrid called “Me Haces Mal,” alongside Fxcky, and scoring a buzzy feature from urbano heartthrob Harry Nach on the 2022 EP, Pa los Satiros, Vol. 1. Then his team suggested the release of “Confortas Pero Dañas,” an earnest torch song previously recorded with Resonancia Etérea that played against established reggaeton type.
“I thought I was self-destructing,” chuckles Kidd Voodoo. “I barely promoted the song and didn’t invest in the video because I didn’t think the audience would like it. At first, it was crickets, but a few months later, it became a phenomenon. After that, I reformed the band and we released “Ángeles” and “Recuérdame,” [which were also hits]. Then came Satirología, Vol. 3, an album where urbano and this indie vibe worked together, and all the rock songs became fan favorites. That’s when I knew I was onto something big.”
Satirología, Vol. 3 was released in March 2025, coinciding with Kidd Voodoo’s landmark performance at the Festival de Viña del Mar, Chile’s most beloved and prestigious stage. The album included features from Puerto Rican reggaeton royalty De La Ghetto and Álvaro Díaz, and months later, he dropped an explosive new single titled “Muñecota” with genre god Yandel. “He has a super positive energy, and his biggest contribution was experience,” reflects Kidd Voodo. “I learned a lot from him. If he gives you advice, you should definitely listen.”
The release of “Muñecota” coincided with yet another career milestone: an unprecedented seven-date run at Santiago’s 16,000 capacity Movistar Arena. Nothing short of a victory lap, the limited residency consolidated Kidd Voodoo’s superstar status, prompting the release of a new mixtape to commemorate the occasion. The perreo-forward Satirología (Deluxe Edition) dropped last week with a stacked international guest list including Ñengo Flow, Ryan Castro, Alemán, and Cachirula, as well as homegrown favorites like Pablo Chill-E and Sinaka. “When your country devotes a whole week to you, the fans deserve something special in return,” he muses.
So what’s next for the 23-year-old who would be king? “I really want to play a stadium,” he says slyly, setting his career goals ever higher while acutely aware of the responsibility that standing on a stage of that magnitude entails. “Here, in Chile, there’s the Estadio Nacional, which is the biggest venue in the country and holds a very important historical and cultural place,” he adds. “In the 1970s, there was a dictatorship, and lots of [terrible] things happened in that stadium. That’s why I, and so many other artists, see it not just as the pinnacle of our careers, but also as a crucial stage to talk about these things as Chileans. We have to keep that memory alive.”
Kidd Voodoo’s Satirología (Deluxe Edition) is out now.
