Kobi Cantillo

Venezuelan singer/songwriter Kobi Cantillo wove a classic singer/songwriter sensibility into the prevailing Latin currents of the 2010s and 2020s, relying on smooth, understated vocals to narrate tales of romantic pursuit and emotional turmoil in love.

Abraham Cantillo entered the world in Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, where he refined his singing and guitar playing at the José Ángel Lamas School of Music on an instrument his grandmother had given him. Taking the stage name Kobi—“King of Big Ideas”—while retaining his surname, he stepped forward in 2018 with the debut single “Sigue Creyendo,” a breakup ballad that merged singer/songwriter intimacy with trap textures. The Afro-pop-esque “OMG” and the sentimental “Aunque Intentes” appeared shortly afterward, followed later that year by two joint releases: the hedonistic “Culito Nuevo 2,” recorded with Jerry Di, Big Soto, and Micro TDH, and the Lenny Tavárez-assisted “Perfecta,” which emerged as his breakthrough track. He rounded out the decade with the guitar-led “Oye Oye” and the Puerto Rico’s Cauty collaboration “Qué Malo.”

Entering the 2020s, Cantillo expanded into Latin pop and reggaeton terrain, first guesting on Sharlene’s summery “Quién Dijo Miedo (Remix)” and then scoring a minor hit with the reggaeton-lite “Hechizo.” Additional steps in this direction came via appearances on Byron Salas’ “Toca,” Blackie & Lois’ “De Pana,” Alejandro Santamaria’s “Sin Querer,” and the Big Soto and Farruko track “Vacile,” together with the solo cuts “Pal Cara” and “Peor Capítulo.” In 2021 he released a wide-rostered remix of “Hechizo” and the collaborative single “Tarantino” alongside Big Soto and Alvaro Diaz.