Luck Ra is the moniker of Juan Facundo Almenara Ordóñez, an Argentine singer and songwriter of Latin urban music. Like many kids of his generation, Ordóñez became interested in music thanks to the video game Guitar Hero, so much so that he began to learn guitar and even briefly formed a rock band. He eventually switched his allegiance to the much more popular trap and urban sounds of his day, and around 2017 he started releasing tracks. A dispute with his first label stalled his career for a while, but by 2020 he was attracting considerable attention as a streamer on Twitch. In 2021, he had a first big hit with "Te MentirÃa," and from then on, his ascent was unstoppable. Luck Ra became one of the leaders of the Argentine urban scene thanks to a continuous stream of singles and, perhaps more significantly, his willingness to collaborate with artists from other genres, in particular cumbia and cuarteto -- both strongly associated with his home province of Córdoba. Released by Sony Music in 2024, his debut album, Que Nos Falte Todo, featured several of his biggest hits such "La Morocha" with BM, "Hola Perdida" with Khea, "Que Me Falte Todo" with Abel Pintos, "Ya No Vuelvas (Versión Cuarteto)" with La K'onga and Ke Personajes, and "Quiero Creer" with La T y La M and Rusherking, all of which surpassed the 100-million mark on main streaming platforms. ~ Mariano Prunes
Exposed to the world at large by a freestyle session with Bizarrap, Argentinian singer and rapper Nicki Nicole swiftly became one of her country's most successful young talents. In addition to nominations at the Latin Grammys, she scored a number one-charting album in her home country with 2019's Recuerdos. More platinum hits arrived, with 2020's "Mamichula" and 2021's "Ella No Es Tuya (Remix)" leading up to her sophomore album, 2021's Parte de MÃ, which cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart.
Growing up in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina's Nicki Nicole (born Nicole Denise Cucco) spent her teens like many of Latin America's young rappers, testing the waters at freestyle competitions scattered across her home city. Soon, she began writing and uploading her own material online, finding significant success with her 2019 debut single "Wapo Traketero." But it was her work with Argentinian producer Bizarrap that put Nicole on the global stage: their freestyle session, Nicki Nicole: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 13 peaked at number three on the Argentinian charts, giving both musicians their first taste of the international spotlight. Emboldened by this success, Nicole began the roll-out for her debut album with "Años Luz" and "Fucking Diablo" before releasing Recuerdos that November. With appearances from Duki, Cazzu, and Bizarrap, the set fused sounds from across the pop, R&B, and hip-hop landscapes, and charted at number one in Argentina.
Nicole entered the 2020s with a string of hits; her first single of the decade, the trap-centric "Colocao," landed at number six on the Argentinian charts and became certified gold in Spain. A subsequent appearance alongside Trueno on "Mamichula" became Nicole's biggest hit to date, topping the Argentinian and Spanish charts and securing a triple-platinum certification in both territories. After being nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 Latin Grammys, Nicole found a third major hit that decade with an appearance on Rochy RD's "Ella No Es Tuya (Remix)," which racked up further platinum plaques and several hundred million streams online. With these successes under her belt, she completed the roll-out for her second LP, Parte de MÃ, with the Mora collaboration "Toa la Vida," the Mon Laferte duet "Pensamos," and solo singles "Parte de MÃ," and "Baby." Released in October 2021, Parte de Mà hit number 13 on Billboard's Latin Pop Albums chart. A slow trickle of singles followed in 2022 -- among them "Nota" with Eladio Carrión, "Intoxicao" with Emilia, and a feature on Cris MJ's "Marisola (Remix)" -- before the roll-out for her third album began with 2023's "No Voy a Llorar :,)." Preceded by major collaborative singles "Qué Le Pasa Conmigo?" (with Rels B), "8 AM" (with Young Miko), and "Dispara ***" (with Milo J), Nicole's third studio album, ALMA, surfaced in May 2023. In 2024, she landed another number one hit in Argentina and Bolivia with Mesita's "Una Foto (Remix)," before issuing her solo hit "Ojitos Verdes" and the nine-track NAIKI later that year. ~ David Crone
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