Reyna Tropical

Reyna Tropical originated as a creative partnership between guitarist and vocalist Fabi Reyna and DJ-producer Nectali Díaz, known professionally as Sumohair. The two first crossed paths in 2017 during the Red Bull Music Academy session held in Nashville, each already active in separate musical ventures. Their overlapping tastes in music, along with a mutual Mexican background and queer perspective, prompted them to work together on an occasional basis. The 2018 self-titled debut EP blended organic instrumentation with electronic textures and tropical rhythms in a manner that caught the ear of Li Saumet, leading to an invitation for Reyna Tropical to support Bomba Estéreo on an ensuing U.S. tour. Additional singles, live dates, and festival slots followed until the moment the pair intended to devote themselves solely to the project, when Díaz was killed in a traffic accident in July 2022. At that point Reyna, then performing as a touring member of Sleater-Kinney, resolved to preserve the endeavor in her collaborator’s memory, continuing even in a solo capacity. The resulting full-length debut, Malegría, surfaced in early 2024.