Earlier this spring, Puerto Rican artist Villano Antillano announced her first U.S. tour and we couldn’t be more excited to see it kick off in August of this year. The reggaeton and trap artist has made waves with her latest album, “La Sustancia” X, and previous collabs with women and non-binary rap artists in Puerto Rico. She was also one of Spotify GLOW’s debut artists and has been hailed an “undeniable, barrier-breaking star” by Rolling Stone. She described the upcoming tour as “raw, unfiltered and revolutionary.”

Born in Bayamón, “la Villana” (as she’s lovingly referred to) says elevating women and LGBTQ voices — especially those from Puerto Rico —is important to her. She told Billboard this year, “I would have broken out in Puerto Rico, but being a woman…with all the social impact, the marginalization, and all the discrimination that goes with it… Making a name for yourself in one of the most misogynistic, sexist, and violent countries against feminized people and women is very strong.”

You can check out her latest album here:

Speaking of boundary-breaking artists from Puerto Rico, one of Villano’s longtime friends and collaborators, Ana Macho, is next up on music to check out. You may recognize them from the song “Muñeca” they released with Villano in 2021 or from the debut single off their EP “Realismo Mágico,” “Pero Gané” (which you can watch below).

In April of this year, the non-binary Puerto Rican drag performer and musical artist teamed up with WNYC’s podcast La Brega to reimagine a classic Salsa song from the 80s. “El Gran Varón” which weaves a musical narrative that centers on a gender-non-conforming child who’s kicked out of the house by their parents and dies years later without reconnecting with their family. It’s widely viewed to be one of the first Spanish-language songs to broach the topic of HIV/AIDS and familial homophobia. But Willie Colón, the Puerto Rican singer featured on the original track, wasn’t a part of the LGBTQ community — and while many artists have covered it since, Ana Macho imbues their take on the song with an emotional resonance and connection to the queer narrative that feels palpable. It’s part of a whole EP released by La Brega that features boricua artists covering well-known Puerto Rican tracks. Definitely worth a listen!

And last on our list is a TV show from Spain returning to Netflix. Season 2 of Bienvenidos a Edén, a Spanish-language suspense series, with an ensemble cast featuring Veneno‘s Lola Rodríguez. She plays Mayka, an enigmatic hacker whose budding romance with a new resident on the island of “Eden” causes her to question her allegiances.

“I find it super powerful that there’s a character like Mayka in Bienvenidos a Edén,” Rodríguez told GQ in a Spanish-language interview this past April. “But I find it even more powerful that she isn’t portrayed as a victim simply for being trans.”

Stay tuned for more entertainment and media updates as Summer approaches!