The energy of Argentina – at Coachella. Local stars Nicki Nicole and Nathy Peluso made their debuts at the famous US festival last weekend, which returned after a two-year pandemic hiatus.
“This is incredible,” said Nicki Nicole in an interview with AFP a few minutes after her performance, in which she performed hits such as 'Colocao,' 'Baby' and 'Wapo Traketero.'
Dressed in a black one-piece suit, boots and a harness similar to a police vest, the 21-year-old Rosario native made her debut on the Sonora stage, a sort of lounge behind closed doors with sofas and a bar.
As the crowd gathered before performance time, they began to shout: “Nicki, Nicki, Nicki.”
"I was scared and nervous, coming all the way here from Argentina for the first time and I said to myself: 'Maybe there's no-one there', but when I walked to the show and saw that it was full, that's when I relaxed," she says with a smile.
Nicki Nicole exudes humility. She celebrates not only being at Coachella – which, held in Indio in the California desert, has become one of the biggest music festivals in the world – but also her joy at being able to see other great artists at other stages.
"I'm always looking for things to learn," says the blonde star, whose song "Ella no es tuya (remix)" was included on former US president Barack Obama in his summer playlist last year.
For her, success is no more than a reminder to “continue working hard to keep moving forward.”
She cites the late Amy Winehouse as one of her great inspirations, but in general, she says it is fellow women in music who inspire her most.
"They make me want to keep going, knowing that as women, we support each other," she said.
Among these women she mentions compatriot Nathy Peluso, who also made her debut at this year’s festival.
“We are very close, we support each other and love each other a lot, I have always admired her.”
Peluso, 27, who has lived in Spain since she was a child, took the stage on Sunday, on the last night of the first weekend of the festival, and Nicki Nicole told everyone she could not to miss her for anything: “She always rocks, it's the show I've seen the most times.”
‘Let the music dictate’
Peluso, who has just begun an international tour in Mexico, says she feels “refreshed” and is happy to see a massive, standing-room-only audience again.
“We artists needed it,” she adds in an interview with AFP, referring to the hiatus imposed by the pandemic.
This year's Coachella has a strong Latin American presence, with artists like Brazilians Anitta and Pabllo Vittar, among others, on the line-up.
Peluso reflects on the strength of the region on the global scene.
"I have never felt limited as an artist because I am Latina — on the contrary I have always felt powerful, and with infinite possibilities, like any other person in the world,” she affirms, dressed in brown and black, short hair and sunglasses.
"My role is to communicate in any language, emotion has no language," says the singer, who performed with her band hits such as 'Buenos Aires' and her collaboration with Bizarrap, 'BZRP Music Sessions #36.'
Outside of the tour, like Nicki Nicole, Peluso is working on a new musical project. But she leaves a little room for improvisation too.
"I don't like to be premeditated," the performer of 'Ateo,' her track with Madrid-born C. Tangana, says when asked about new collaborations on the way.
"Let the music dictate."
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by Paula Ramon, AFP
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