Reyna Tropical
electronic · indie pop · latin
Reyna Tropical is an American project based in Los Angeles, founded in 2016 by guitarist and singer Fabi Reyna and producer Nectali "Sumohair" Diaz, who met at a Red Bull Music Academy event over a shared enthusiasm for Bomba Estereo. Reyna was born in Mexico and raised in the United States, founded She Shreds, the first magazine devoted to women and nonbinary guitarists, and has played guitar with Priests, Raveena and Sleater-Kinney. She has continued Reyna Tropical as its sole member since Diaz's death in July 2022. The music blends tropical, Afro-Latin and electronic styles drawn from Mexican, Colombian, Peruvian and Congolese traditions, reaching into chicha, zapateado and soukous, with Chavela Vargas cited as a touchstone. Two self-released EPs, Reyna Tropical (2018) and Sol y Lluvia (2019), preceded the single Ya Va Pasar (2023), the first song Reyna wrote alone after Diaz's death. The debut album Malegria was released on March 29, 2024 by Psychic Hotline, the label run by Sylvan Esso; its title fuses the Spanish mal and alegria into something close to bittersweet, and the record grew out of two years of travel through Colombia and Puerto Rico, weaving short interludes between songs about queer love, sensuality and land. Malegria drew a 7.7 from Pitchfork and an 8 from PopMatters, and the project toured with Portugal. The Man and played the Newport Folk Festival in July 2024. A remix companion, Malegria en la Oscuridad, followed on May 23, 2025. In 2026 Reyna released Helado Tropical, a nine-song collaborative album made with Roberto Carlos Lange of Helado Negro and issued under the joint name Helado Tropical on July 17; the two met in North Carolina in June 2024 and wrote most of the record across a three-day studio stay. Reyna Tropical performs at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver.
Upcoming shows in Front Range / Southern Rockies
- Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical as “Helado Tropical” — Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · 8:00 PM at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom