Nathy Peluso Doesn’t Have Salsa in Her Blood, But She’s Spent Her ‘Whole Life’ Preparing to Sing It

Nathy Peluso may not have salsa music in her blood, but she shines with the force of a hurricane on her new traditional salsa EP, Malportada. The Argentine-Spanish artist — best known for her Latin urban, alternative music songs with hints of neo soul and R&B — discovered the tropical genre during her teenage years while buying vinyl records in Madrid. Since then, she says she’s been “hooked.”

“When I started going to vinyl markets, I began buying and researching,” Peluso tells Billboard Español, noting that the first album to make a strong impression on her was Rey Barretto’s Indestructible (1973). “From there, I discovered Fania [Records] and all of its stars.”

Released on Oct. 17 under Sony Music España, Malportada was primarily produced by Peluso, Manuel Lara, and Servando Primera, and has that old-school salsa music sound with contemporary elements. Through six songs, ranging from “A Caballo” and “Insensata” to “Ángel” and “Malportada” with Rawayana, the singer challenges the male-dominated narrative that has historically characterized the genre, showcasing her vocal skills. With her powerful voice and hypnotic interpretative quality, Peluso seems tailor-made for this.

“I feel like I am — it’s a genre that I really enjoy singing. It’s demanding, and I like feeling challenged by what I sing,” says the five-time Latin Grammy winner, noting that she’s also a fan of bolero and ballads. “I think I’ve spent my entire life preparing to sing this album. It wasn’t something I had to suddenly prepare for — it’s something I’ve been training and studying for my whole life, so when the time came to do it, it felt natural, not forced.”

Peluso, who also recently collaborated with Gloria Estefan on the remix of the tropical track “Chirriqui Chirri,” released in September, has been exposed to a variety of rhythms over the years — both Latin and non-Latin. Born in Luján, Argentina, she has said she grew up listening to artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, João Gilberto, and Atahualpa Yupanqui. She emigrated to Spain with her family at the age of 9, first settling in Alicante, a place she says “was full of immigrants at that time,” before moving to Barcelona.

“I was surrounded by so many Latin cultures: Peruvians, Colombians, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, and of course, Argentinians. So I think that’s where Latin music became very natural for me, because when you visit a friend’s house, that music was always playing,” she explains.

As for salsa, she says she’s “a big fan of traditional salsa, especially Puerto Rican salsa. I also love Colombian salsa. I just love salsa in general.” For Malportada, she wanted to explore the different styles of the genre she enjoys consuming, “which is like a more — how do I put it? — a more aggressive, more rap-like salsa, like Juanito Alimaña. That more barrio-style salsa.”

“Then there’s the more romantic salsa, the more melodic Frankie [Ruiz]-style, which doesn’t tell the story of a character as much but rather conveys feelings,” she continues. “And then there’s perhaps the kind of salsa that’s more about lifting people up, more social, like [the track on the EP] ‘Que Lluevan Flores.’”

Nominated again for two Latin Grammys this year — best urban performance/urban fusion for “De Maravisha” with Tokischa, and best urban song for “Xq Eres Así” with Álvaro Díaz — Peluso might appear next year for the first time in tropical music categories with Malportada.

“I hope so,” she says about the idea. “Especially because that always means the music is reaching people. I always interpret it that way, as my peers valuing it, the music world recognizing it. I’d love it, honestly, because [this EP] was made with so much respect and also with the intention of helping and contributing my little grain of sand so that salsa reaches as far as possible.”

Peluso is among the artists confirmed to perform at the 26th edition of the Latin Grammys, which will air live on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT from Las Vegas via TelevisaUnivision platforms.