Today, Venezuelan artist Arca and Dominican artist Tokischa officially unveil their first collaboration ‘Chama’.
‘Chama’ takes the listener to the darkest corners of the dancefloor, even if its messaging is aspirational. Replete with trance-like transitions and icy reggaeton breaks, ethereal moans and granular murmurs, the pair fashion a borderless frontier-free anthem for the ostracised and disenfranchised.
Of the hybrid anthem, Arca shares:
“This one’s for all the dolls, the queens, and the good little witches,
if I shine, it’s for us. Courage to all my butterflies in defending softness, tenderness, magic, and sweetness in a world full of hardness. Shine without fear, chamas.“
Last November photos of Arca and Tokischa at Electric Lady Studios appeared on the internet receiving a rapturous applause from fans. Since then, the two have been spotted riding a chariot through Times Square, hanging out backstage at Ceremonia Festival in Mexico City, and performing the collaboration together at LadyLand Festival in NYC.
In May, Tokischa performed the single at select US shows and Arca debuted the track in her DJ sets, most recently at her Boiler Room set in Barcelona.
Throughout her career, Arca has built a trangressive body of work, probing at themes like art and artifice. Her 2021 ‘KICK’ series heralded a new phase in Arca’s career, elevating her from a figure in the experimental fringe into a cultural phenomenon and a vanguard in Latin American music. Since the release of her widely-acclaimed ‘KICK‘ series, Arca’s been nominated for two Latin Grammys and one Grammy.
‘Chama’ arrives with a music video shot by director and photographer Stillz in Barcelona, starring a very pregnant Arca and Tokischa.
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Photo Credit: Aurora Anthony
