If you’re a diligent waist-winder, you should remember when Chile’sTomasa del Real and theNeoperreo movement ushered a new age of digital reggaeton nearly a decade ago. Then, in 2019, aSpotify study revealed the Andean nation had actually grown into the genre’s No. 1 consumer in the world. But since then, Chile has evolved from reggaeton’s ideal target audience to its new consecrated tastemaker, drawing industry power players eager to tap into Latin America’s next hit factory.
In 2022,Polimá Westcoast and Pailita’s “Ultra Solo” emerged as one of Chile’s first crossover blockbusters, receiving a mid-pandemic boost fromDua Lipa and a remix with Feid,Paloma Mami, and De La Ghetto that bridged reggaeton’s biggest epicenters. That same year, Cris MJ’s jet-set fantasy “Una Noche en Medellín” became a TikTok sensation. The eventual remix with Paisa superstars Ryan Castro and Karol G was folded into the latter’s massive Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) LP, dovetailing into the success of her own ode to Medellín glitz, “Provenza.” More recently,FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s vaporwave-ish “Gata Only” swelled into one the biggest songs of 2024, achieving social media ubiquity with a remix featuring Ozuna and Anitta and even landing a spot on Barack Obama’s end-of-year playlist. Because of the song, reggaeton chileno is the top Latine subgenre on Spotify U.S. this year, but back in Chile, unprecedented mainstream success has fundamentally transformed the country’s musical DNA.
“When Marcianeke blew up [in 2021], it was a watershed moment for Chile,” remembers Sinaka, a reggaetonero from the small town of Quilpué who made an international splash with the perreo throwbacks of his third LP, Kema. “Marcianeke is your average Chilean flaite [hoodrat], and brings irreverence to his music. I like using slang, so I felt really represented hearing a Chilean artist using Chilean expressions in reggaeton. Later, when I went to Mexico, I couldn’t believe how much of our reggaeton they were listening to. And they knew our words, which was like a dream.”
Though Chile was once synonymous withnostalgic indie pop, the gritty socio-economic realities of 2019’s Estallido Social and the subsequent pandemic demanded a narrative shift, with reggaeton and trap offering a fresh, peripheral perspective. Like in Argentina, trap became an idiosyncratic sound, with Shishigang godfather Pablo Chill-E spearheading this new wave as early as 2015. He eventually landed a guest spot alongside Duki on Bad Bunny’s 2020 nu-metal trap hybrid“Hablamos Mañana,” later delivering the new-money malianteo anthem “JFM (Jóvenes Flaite Milloneta)” with Aqua VS and Julianno Sosa.
Plugg, jersey club, R&B, drill, cloud rap, and even the roots-oriented corte chilenero are redefining Chile’s growing role within el movimiento. Meanwhile, a vibrant local ecosystem of parties (La Chismoteka), venues (Navaja Prod’s Espacio 56), labels (Lotus Records), and media outlets (La Junta, Trap2Day, Sonido Radar) is working in tandem to keep the momentum going. With so much boundary-pushing music coming out of Chile, we’ve compiled a list of 10 rising artists in el movimiento and reggaeton chileno to keep on your radar as we enter 2025.
Akriila
Akriila is a prime example of consistent hustle. Since hitting the scene in 2020 with a series of atmospheric plugg ruminations, the Maipú native gradually honed her voice and artistic vision, making her first splashes with energetic trap bangers “XEKERAU” and “MONA XINA.” While 2023’s impressionistic 001 mixtape hinted at Akriila’s sonic ambitions with flashes of cueca and ambient, it was her 2024 debut album, Epistolares, that cemented her promise as the voice of a generation. Dazzling genre bleeds of reggaeton, trap, K-pop, U.K. garage, and acoustic folk landed her on dozens of year-end lists, while hefty features from Princesa Alba, Young Cister, Taichu, and Broke Carrey confirmed her as a favorite among her peers.
Sinaka
Everyone talks about loving “reggaeton del viejito,” but few artists have captured the raucous, euphoric magic of the genre’s classic eras and trends like Sinaka. Hailing from the small town of Quilpué, the young rapper and freestyler first raised eyebrows in 2021 with a cheeky Juanes interpolation on “Camisa Negra” alongside Ivo Wan Kenobi. And though his 2023 LP Moja harnessed the crunchy synths of 2010s romantiqueo, it was his sprawling ode to the ‘90s underground on Kema that stands as one the most inspired perreo records in recent memory. Nodding to Jowell y Randy and El General, and with new singles evoking the sensual kitsch of Plan B, it’s clear Sinaka has studied the greats while developing a sonic signature all his own.
Kode
In a scene where malianteo and hedonism monopolize headlines, emotionally curious artists like Kode keep this music tapped into the richness of human experience. His introspective 2024 LP, Estados de Ánimo, explores anxiety and online seduction tactics over a silky canvas of R&B. On the spacey “Señales” and the Young Cister-assisted “Derrumbándome,” he injects flashes of plugg and Afrobeats that’ll rattle your bones. And though he never strays from sultry crooning, recent collaborations with Marlon Breeze on “Zaddy,” as well as with KAIISITO and Almazz on “Disociada,” plunged Kode into trap and reggaeton, hinting at a robust BPM boost for 2025.
Kuina
At 22-years-old, Kuina is the culmination of a lifelong pursuit of artistic expression. Hailing from the town of Lautaro in Southern Chile, she has delved into a multitude of disciplines, including ballet, painting, fashion design, songwriting, and music production. That same voraciousness applies to her sound, bouncing from the drug-addled perreo of “Gata Ingrata” to her uproarious 2023 breakthrough “Kartier,” which sampled Shakira’s “Loba” for some hyped-out plugg. Now on the radar, Kuina is scoring big-league collaborations with Harry Nach and Polimá Westcoast, honing her hit-making skills and fast-tracking her toward the global spotlight.
Fxcky
Hailing from La Florida in Santiago, Fxcky could have easily run with the pack of local reggaeton stars. He’s certainly very good at it, as evidenced by his lovelorn collaboration with Fr3 and Kidd Voodoo on “Me Haces Mal.” But in 2024, he pivoted into Jersey and Detroit drill, and his excellent VDrill EP not only reached for ski masks and the blicky, but also sampled Chilean anthems from Mon Laferte, Los Prisioneros, and Glup! Though amusing on the first listen, the bars are solid and the beats are devilishly catchy. It would also be unwise to write him off as a novelty, as he’s deftly hopped onto dembow (“Ring Ring”) and drum&bass (“Olvídame”), and promises to continue surprising fans in 2025.
Akatumamy
Long before picking up a mic, Akatumamy was entrenched in Chile’s perreo scene as a makeup artist and dancer. In 2020, she stepped into the spotlight with the singles “Me Esfumó” and “Agresiva,” finding success on social media and steadily fleshing out her oeuvre with features from Akriila, KYA, and even reggaeton mexa vixen Charly Gynn. While her 2023 EP Gata Pistola tapped into the classic raunch of neoperreo, recent singles “ICONIC PERRA” and “Kieren ser como yo” sent her careening into U.K. garage and Bb trickz-esque antics.
FaceBrooklyn
Up until 2021, FaceBrooklyn was an indie kid. Though his EP Brooklyn 999 came loaded with synthpop and straightforward rap tracks, the reggaeton single “pk stas así?” snuck in at the last minute, blasting him from his bedroom in Viña del Mar to Santiago’s hottest parties. Since then, his trajectory has been meteoric, dropping two more albums – caricias in 2023 and HABLANDO DE TI in 2024 – filled with buzzy guests, including DrefQuila, Easykid, Akriila, and Kidd Voodo, and occasionally dipping back into his indie roots. The single “FANTASSYY,” in particular, is a vibey, organic slice of soul-pop evocative of Mac Miller and Rawayana.
LonelyFriendly
2024 gave us gems of South American plugg and cloud rap like weed420’s Malandreo Conceptual and the Stiffy & AgusFortNite2008 team-up, Murió La Música. In Northern Chile, Arica native and likely Internet virus LonelyFriendly delivered KOKAENLAPIPA, a deranged, hypnotic stream of consciousness filled with videogame samples and R&B deep cuts. It’s a weird but rewarding ride, the culmination of a layered, experimental sound the 18-year-old rapper and producer has been uploading to his equally confounding YouTube page since 2021.
Fufibunni
With brazen leaps between plugg, trap, and techno, terminally online pop culture references, and a wicked sense of humor, it’s difficult to pinpoint who Fufibunni is and what exactly she’s doing. But that doesn’t make her any less fun. Debuting back in 2023 with the smokey flexes of “Ms bunni,” the Puente Alto native has since swerved into ballroom on “CUNTQUAKE (LGBT version)” and stalker-ish cloud rap on “Kim&Ye.” Her most recent single, “SEXXXDOLL,” is a raunchy club thumper evoking equal parts Six Sex, Nicki Minaj, and Æon Flux, a slice of uncanny maximalism that is no less delicious.
Martín Acertijo
One of the many fascinating subgenres currently developing in Chile is corte chilenero, where artists and musicians meld the streetwise narratives of el movimiento with traditional cueca instrumentation. Rapper and former competitive freestyler Martín Acertijo has emerged as one of the leading forces of the scene, showing love for soccer superstar Alexis Sánchez on his drill-inflected breakout, “Alexis,” and tackling class inequality on the stirring “Estación Central.” While this rising scene harkens to the acoustic-meets-hip-hop essence of corridos tumbados, these Chilean artists are reclaiming their history and culture while updating its codes for contemporary audiences.
