The Colombian group, composed of Goyo, Tostao and Slow, has released their new single “Bitcoin.”
Co-written by the group, Gerald Jiménez, Edgar Barrera, Jael Andrés Correa and Juan Diego Medina, the lyrics hold a very mature reflection after a breakup.
“I’m only rising, I look like a bitcoin and you’re calling me like a loser,” chants Goyo. “You never gave me importance, now respect the distance.”
Produced by Slow himself, “Bitcoin” is a catchy urban pop single with the group’s rhythmic melodies at the root.
Goyo recently embarked on her solo career but made it very clear that ChocQuibTown was not separating. This single is evidence of that promise.
Gloria “Goyo” Martínez is saying na (na na) to going it alone…
The Afro-Colombian singer/rapper, who co-founded the Colombian hip-hop group ChocQuibTown 20 years ago, has officially marked the beginning of a solo career by releasing her new single “Na Na Na.”
The dembow-infused, club-ready track is a perfect introduction to what Goyo’s project as a soloist is all about: female empowerment.
“With ChocQuibTown I could also sing about empowering women — but to say it alone and in my own words, it just has a different impact,” she tells Billboard. “Writing on my own has allowed me to reflect, analyze and really think about what I want to say,”
Launching her own career doesn’t mean she’s leaving the trio, which also includes her brother Slow and her husband Tostao. The trio are still very much committed to ChocQuibTown and, are even set to release a new single in April.
But having her very own independent project is something Goyo has been planning for quite some time.
“We’ve always considered ourselves a group where we can also respect each other’s individuality. For example, Slow likes the production side more and is often producing for other artists. I wanted to invite our fans to my world and give them the opportunity to know the woman behind Goyo.”
Timing was everything Goyo explains, and she’d have to find the right song to aunch her solo career. After many studio sessions searching for the song, inspiration came when she sat with Rauw Alejandro‘s go-to producer, Mr. Nais Gai, artist Fuego and her brother Slow during a writing camp at her favorite studio House of Hits in Miami.
“When we all come together, because we’re Afro, we always say that Wakanda is in the house. That day, they were showing me some beats and I suggested instead we start from scratch. So we brought in some instruments and built a structure. My brother stopped by and created a melody and it was pure magic,” she says. “I wrote the song’s first verse on the spot. The end result is a song that I love and I believe many women will adopt as their own anthem.”
Going solo coincides with the release of her upcoming album and HBO documentary, En Letra de Otro, where she re-imagines classics like Shakira‘s “Antologia,” Tego Calderón‘s “Pa’ Que Retozen” and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong‘s “Summertime.”
“The creative process for this project was easy in a sense — because I just had to revisit my roots and remember those days when I used to stay up to watch Shakira videos. Or during the pandemic, my vocal coach asked me to sing “Summertime,” and it really had a huge impact on me — because it was around the time when George Floyd was killed,” Goyo explains. “Recording this album pretty much trained me, and gave me an idea of what working alone would be like.”
For now, fans can listen to Goyo’s new single “Na Na Na.”
En Letra de Otro is out DSPs and on HBO March 4, with additional projects (as a solo artist and with ChocQuibTown) to be announced later this year.
“I’m ready to explore a new side of me and reach new ears. Sometimes, you just have to what your heart tells you to do.”
It looks like art will be imitating ChocQuibTown’s life…
Sony Pictures Television Latin America is developing Somos Los Prietos, a new drama series based on the Colombian hip-hop group, consisting of rapper Carlos “Tostao” Valencia, singer/rapper Gloria “Goyo” Martínez and rapper/producer Miguel “Slow” Martínez.
The series will examine racism in Latin America and explore what it means to be Afro-Latino.
The new series, which was announced during the American Black Film Festival, is set in Condoto, a town on Colombia’s Pacific coast.
Somos Los Prietos follows a group of adolescent friends of Afro-Latin descent as they struggle with the challenges of poverty and racism and seek to avoid the recruitment efforts of local armed commandos while trying to form a band and take part in a festival organized by their favorite group, ChocQuibTown. Along the way they confront their family, friends, underhanded racism, violence and their own fears to finally define their identity and find their place in the world.
It marks the first cross-company collaboration – referred to internally as “One Sony” – between Sony Pictures Television’s international production arm and Sony Music Latin, which counts the Latin Grammy-winning Afro-Colombian trio among its roster of artists.
The Latin Grammy-winning Colombian group has signed a management deal with La Industria, according to Billboard.
The trio, comprised of Gloria Martínez “Goyo,” Mike Martínez “Slow” and Carlos Valencia “Tostao, joins the Industria family led by Juan Diego Medina, who manages Nicky Jam, Saga White Black and Valentino.
ChocQuibTown’s 2015 albumEl Mismoreached the No. 5 spot on Billboard‘s Latin Rhythm Albums chart.
Last summer, the Grammy-nominated group scored their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Songs chart with their single “Desde el día en que te fuiste” (chart dated August 6, 2016).
ChocQuibTown’s “De donde vengo yo” will be the official song for ESPN Deportes‘ 2017 World Baseball Classic coverage.
ESPN Deportes is featuring the Latin Grammy-winning Colombian hip-hop group’s prideful, feel-good song “De donde vengo yo” for their 2017 World Baseball Classic coverage.
ChocQuibTown, comprised of Carlos “Tostao” Valencia, his wife Gloria “Goyo” Martínez and Gloria’s brother Miguel “Slow” Martínez, took to social media to share news of their participation along with a video featuring the Latin teams that are playing in the tournament.
“Let’s experience the 2017 WBC to the beat of ‘De donde vengo yo,'” ChocQuibTown posted on Facebook.
The international tournament, with games taking place in major cities including Tokyo, Miami, Seoul and Los Angeles, will kick off March 6.
Co-written by the group, Gerald Jiménez, Edgar Barrera, Jael Andrés Correa and Juan Diego Medina, the lyrics hold a very mature reflection after a breakup.
