Ile

The performing moniker iLe belongs to Ileana Mercedes Cabra Joglar, who functions as singer, songwriter, and rapper. Prior to launching a solo career she contributed vocals and rap verses as a member of Calle 13. She shares full sibling status with Visitante (Eduardo Cabra Joglar) and stepsibling status with Residente (Rene Perez Joglar). Although her sonic palette keeps shifting, it remains grounded in longstanding Latin traditions spanning the Americas. Released in 2016 as her first solo project, iLevitable assembled carefully assembled boleros and folk-tinged retro-pop tracks that highlighted her vintage vocal approach; the album secured a Latin Grammy nomination in the best new artist category while capturing a Grammy in the best Latin rock, urban, or alternative album field. Almadura, issued in 2019, set itself apart from the debut by integrating electronics with Afro-Caribbean elements and longstanding Puerto Rican folk textures. Nacarile, arriving in 2022, blended textures from the prior two releases and pushed further still, incorporating an unusually wide array of guest appearances alongside Flor de Toloache, Natalia Lafourcade, Mon Laferte, Ivy Queen, and additional artists.

Daughter of actress Flor Joglar de Gracia and musician-producer José Cabra González, iLe received formal vocal training. Piano and singing lessons commenced in elementary school, where she also performed in choir. During high school she studied with Puerto Rican soprano Hilda Ramos and Cuban vocalist Gema Corredera of Gema y Pavel. La Lupe stands as her foremost influence. At age sixteen Residente collected her from school to request a vocal on a demo he and Visitante had begun; that recording, “La Aguacatona,” served as Calle 13’s introduction and led to a contract with White Lion Records. Despite being younger than her brothers she appeared on their singles and albums and featured in their videos. Outside school hours she joined Calle 13 on tour and performed several solo segments within their live presentations.

She took part in Puerto Rico’s Banco Popular TV Christmas Special in 2012 and was selected by boxer Miguel Cotto to deliver the Puerto Rican National Anthem before his bout with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

In 2015 iLe revealed her stage name and disclosed that she was cutting a solo album of Afro-Caribbean boleros, boogaloos, mambos, and danzons alongside co-producer Ismael Cancel. Most selections were established numbers, yet several originals penned by her father, sister, and grandmother addressed sexuality, varied forms of love, and heartbreak while paying tribute to the classic repertoire that had formed her musical foundation. The project enlisted some of Puerto Rico’s best-known musicians, among them her father and brothers, Cheo Feliciano (in his final recorded performance), Piro Rodríguez, Charlie Sepulveda, Bayrex Jiménez, and Ciro’s Fofé Abreu. Lead single and video “Canibal” appeared in April, with the complete iLevitable following in June and reaching the Top 15 on the Latin albums chart. July brought the Kacho Lopez-directed clip for “Te Quiero con Bugalú.” After completing sold-out runs through multiple Latin American countries and the United States, plus two Grammy nominations and one win, iLe paused briefly before returning to the studio.

She and Ismael Cancel wrote and produced the politically charged Almadura—its title a wordplay on “armor” literally meaning “strong soul”—in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The songs convey raw feeling, explicit calls to action, and militant stances on behalf of a population colonized by the United States for over a century. Among its many original compositions the opening electro-bomba track “Odio” and the sultry salsa number “Dejame Decirte” (featuring Eddie Palmieri on piano, who also supplied an interlude for “Mi Novia”) stand out. Sister Milena Perez contributed the song “De Luna” and served as creative adviser. The sole bolero on the album, second single “Temes,” carries a non-romantic meaning—“You Fear”—to align with the record’s socio-political focus. Almadura reached the public to uniformly favorable notices in May 2019.

The following April she and Natalia Lafourcade issued the rumbling pre-release cumbia single “En Cantos.” August saw her join Leonel Garcia on the smooth, jazzy bossa single “Libro Ábierto.” Two months later she released the cinematic groover “Donde Nadie Mas Respira.” 2021 brought further advance tracks including the ballad “No Es Importante.” In March 2022 she supplied vocals for Adrian Quesada on the dramatic bolero “Mentiras con Carino.” Additional guest spots that year included singles and videos with Circo (“Me Saben a Miel”) and Los Rivera Destino (“Foto de Perfil,” also featuring Nengo Flow). She enlisted Mon Laferte as co-writer and duet partner on the cumbia/son fusion “Traguito” in September, then issued Nacarile, her third full-length, in October. The richly collaborative, infectiously melodic set contained the earlier singles with Lafourcade and Laferte plus appearances by Flor de Toloache, Trueno, Ivy Queen, and Rodrigo Cuevas.