Alkilados

Colombia's Alkilados characterize their musical approach as "pure beach," even as audiences typically encounter an eclectic mix drawing from Latin pop, reggaeton, tropical, dancehall, soca, and hip-hop. Their videos and singles have accumulated hundreds of millions of YouTube streams, while a 2015 Latin Grammy recognized the remix of their track "Una Cita," which incorporated appearances by J Alvarez, El Roockie, and Nicky Jam.

The group took shape in Pereira, Colombia, during 2010, built around Juan David Gálvez (aka Juanito) handling lead vocals and ukulele, Felipe Echeverri (aka Eche) on bass, Javier Villa (aka Xavy) on guitar, Luis Fernando Torres (aka Lucho) on keyboards, and Juan Manuel González on drums. It emerged from the earlier, larger ensemble Se Arrienda, which had operated since 2004. Local party gigs followed, along with an independent recording of the album Sala con Partida; its cut "Retazo Tirip" entered the national radio contest La Mega at RCN Radio, winning the regional round and finishing third nationally. Because their original name created frequent search-engine confusion, the five members adopted the spelling Alkilados (a playful nod to Aquilados, meaning "rented") in 2011.

Under the revised name, "Sola" became their debut release and, aided by prior radio exposure plus nonstop touring, spread throughout Colombia on the strength of its ukulele-led, tropically suggestive vibe. The follow-up "Esto Es Amor" received a Medellín remix by Master Chris that added J Balvin, securing both radio traction and urban-market penetration. Next came the Dalmata-produced "Solitario," aimed directly at contemporary urban listeners; it spread rapidly across radio, video, and digital rankings, surpassing 20 million views before receiving Italian and Romanian versions that charted from Colombia through Mexico.

Subsequent releases "Respira" and "Mona Lisa," both helmed by DJ Electrik, preceded "Amor a Primera Vista" and "El Orgullo," the latter benefiting from a Farruko-featured remix that outperformed the original and served as the flagship single for the 2015 album Pura Playa. That project housed the Latin Grammy-winning "Una Cita," reached the Colombian Top Ten, and registered in the Top 40 of multiple Latin American streaming and digital charts. Three further singles emerged from the set: the remix of "Amiga Mía" with El Roockie, Zion y Lennox, "No Me Llames" featuring Sebastián Yatra, and "Magdalena" featuring Mike Bahía.

In 2016 Alkilados issued "La Bicicleta" and "Me Gusta," then previewed the next project with "Flaca" and "Chiquita"; the resulting full-length Mas Playa arrived in late 2017.