Girl Ultra

Born in Mexico City during 1994 as Mariana “Nan” de Miguel, the performer known as Girl Ultra developed her buttery vocal style after her father’s record collection exposed her to the Doors, Pink Floyd, and especially David Bowie. Mexican cinema’s golden-age divas, above all Silvia Pinal, later shaped the facial expressions and physical gestures that define her photographic and stage presence. While still in high school she fronted the soft post-disco outfit AFFER alongside producer Andrés Jaime, better known as Wet Baes, and brothers Miguel and Hugo Galicia, who would later form the experimental French-house duo Tayrell. The group paused activities, reconvened during college, and stayed close after disbanding. Wet Baes eventually produced her lounge track “U Betta,” which brought her emotive delivery to the attention of Finesse Records; once signed, she began writing R&B material in Spanish, beginning with a Spanish-language take on Drake’s “One Dance.”

As part of the Finesse roster she appeared on several label collaborations and first drew notice in the CDMX Boiler Room circuit through covers of Drake, the Weeknd, and Daniel Caesar. Original songs such as “Abril,” “Duele,” and “Ella Tu y Yo” expanded her profile. The 2017 Boys EP carried her Latinx-infused R&B grooves overseas, while the 2018 Adios EP generated press coverage and chart traction. In 2019 “Dame Love,” featuring Cuco, surpassed one-and-a-half million views inside its opening fortnight and propelled the full-length Nuevos Aires onto streaming charts. The following year the duet “Ojos Negro” with Paula Cendejas climbed Spain’s upper rankings. Girl Ultra joined Niia on the 2021 title track “If I Should Die,” then issued a series of singles over the next two years before returning to the stage at Coachella’s main platform in May 2024; July brought the self-produced seven-track Blush EP, a homage to early-2000s club, rock, and garage sounds.

The video for “Cruel,” released with Boys, already displayed Pinal’s stylistic imprint. That visibility earned her a 2018 Festival Ceremonia slot alongside Beck, St. Vincent, and Arca. Ahead of the performance she dropped the January single “Llama” and the February single “Duele,” both produced by Guadalajara’s Phyx, the noted remixer of Drake, J Balvin, and Plan B. Those tracks anchored the eight-song Adios EP issued in March, which also featured guest appearances by Coco Santos and Fntxy. Festival acclaim led to Boiler Room headline slots and club dates stretching from Mexico City to Los Angeles; an ensuing bout of writer’s block was broken by the self-imposed rule of composing fresh material for every show. March also brought a featured turn on Ximena Sariñana’s “No Sé” and a guest spot on Little Jesus’ “Fuera de Lugar.” She confirmed her renewed momentum with the sultry single “Ella, Tu y Yo,” built around jazzy Rhodes piano and lithe funky bass lines, followed in May by “Dame Love,” whose video later accumulated tens of millions of views. Later that year Nuevos Aires, her debut album, landed inside the Latin Top 20 at streaming services; its androgynous aesthetic drew explicit inspiration from Grace Jones and David Bowie. Additional 2020s singles included “Punk” and “Locochona,” while a featured role on Alba Reche’s “La Dosis” further extended her reach.