Justin Quiles

Justin Quiles, whose name is pronounced “keyless,” works as a Puerto Rican Latin pop and urbano rapper, singer, and songwriter. A high-tenor vocal style, rapid-fire phrasing, and hook-driven songcraft lifted his first full-length release, the 2016 album La Promesa, onto the uppermost reaches of the Latin charts. He has also become a sought-after writer for fellow artists such as J Balvin, Natti Natasha, Maluma, and Karol G. From 2015 through 2019—the year his second charting album, Realidad, arrived—he placed nine singles on the charts while his videos accumulated hundreds of millions of views. The 2021 release La Última Promesa, which reached the top of the charts, echoed the title of his debut yet consisted entirely of fresh material recorded with an elite roster of guests. Quiles extended his run of success in 2022 via the single “Gucci Fendi” featuring Eladio Carrion and in 2023 with “Whiskey y Coco” featuring Myke Towers, ahead of issuing his fourth album, Permanente, in 2024.

Born in Connecticut, Quiles grew up in Puerto Rico following his parents’ separation and later returned to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to complete high school. Early musical passions were shaped by his older brother’s collection of recordings by reggaetoneros including Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, and Tego Calderon. At age 12 he wrote his first song. After graduation he relocated once more to Puerto Rico to pursue a singing career without a fallback plan. A brief partnership with the duo Genio and Baby Johnny ended after little more than a year, prompting a move to Orlando, Florida, where producer Lelo (of Jowell & Randy and Wisin & Yandel) helmed his debut single, “Algo Contigo.”

Rich Music, the Miami-based label, signed Quiles in August 2013. His initial releases for the imprint were “Orgullo” and its remix with Colombian singer J Balvin, which reached the Top 20 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. “Me Curare” climbed well inside the Top Ten on multiple Tropical Songs charts, followed by “Esta Noche” featuring Maluma and J Alvarez; Farruko supplied a remix that resurfaced in 2015. That year also brought the debut EP Carpe Diem and, shortly afterward, the Justin Quiles Edition curated by producers Los de la Nazza for their El Imperio Nazza mix series, which peaked at number nine on the Hot Latin Albums chart. Rich issued the proper full-length La Promesa in July; it topped the Latin Rhythm Albums tally and debuted at number two on the Top Latin Albums chart. Its single “Si Ella Quisiera” received a remix by Yandel & Gadiel that climbed to number eight on Tropical Songs and number 20 on Latin Pop Songs, earned platinum certification in Spain, and remained on the charts for 50 weeks. Later in 2016 Quiles released a self-titled EP under the alter ego JQ Miliano.

A Premios Juventud nomination for Best New Artist arrived in 2017. He toured Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States, and unveiled his first trap single, “Crecia” featuring Bad Bunny & Almighty. Subsequent releases included “Cuestión de Tiempo” featuring Jory Boy, “Tu Pollo” featuring Sech, a featured turn alongside Fuego on Osmani Garcia’s “Baila Toma,” and an appearance on Becky G’s “Todo Cambio.” In July he opened the Premios Juventud Awards with a performance of “Egoísta,” which reached number 18 on Latin Pop Songs and number 25 on Latin Airplay in the United States while also charting inside the Top 20 throughout Latin America. Beyond his songwriting for others, touring, and album work, Quiles advocates against domestic violence through campaigns with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, informed by his own early family experiences; in 2018 Puerto Rico’s Paoli Awards named him a “Humanitarian Ambassador” for these efforts. That same year he issued two Top 50-charting singles, “Ropa Interior” and “No Quiero Amarte” featuring Zion & Lennox, as precursors to his sophomore full-length on WEA Latina.

Quiles appeared on Mozart La Para’s charting hit “Mujeres” in January 2019 and, two months later, released the single “Comerte a Besos” featuring Nicky Jam and Wisin. His second album, Realidad, comprising all-original material, arrived at the end of May and entered the album, airplay, and streaming charts inside the Top 40. Among the four singles and videos he put out in 2020, “Pam” featuring Daddy Yankee and El Alfa reached number 14; “Jeans” entered the Top 40 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and lingered for nine weeks. His collaborative appearance on Feid’s “Porfa” alongside J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam, and Sech peaked at number 11, spent 20 weeks on the chart, and earned Quiles a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Reggaeton Performance.

In 2021 he ascended to the summit of the Latin Rhythm Albums chart and number 12 on Top Latin Albums with his third full-length, La Última Promesa, which featured contributions from Rauw Alejandro, Sech, Maluma, Zion & Lennox, Mariah Angeliq, and Lenny Tavarez. March 2022 brought the collaborative single “Gucci Fendi” with Eladio Carrion, whose video amassed nearly ten million views in its opening week. Additional singles that year included the Robin Schulz-assisted hit “AEIOU.” In 2023 Quiles joined Myke Towers on “Whiskey y Coco” and El Alfa on “Fiesta Loca,” while also making his Billboard Hot 100 debut alongside Angel Duro on Karol G’s “Ojos Ferrari.”

January 2024 saw the release of another collaborative single, “Faldas y Gistros,” with Anitta and Lenny Tavarez. That August he returned with his fourth full-length album, Permanente. Blending reggaeton, trap, and electronic textures, the set included the reggae-infused single “Boom Boom” with Rawayana.