Música Urbana Star Young Miko Says Her Voice ‘Has to Have a Purpose’

Young Miko vividly remembers the first time she realized her music could make an impact. It was in 2021, after the Puerto Rican singer-rapper released her second single, “Vendetta,” in collaboration with trans artist Villano Antillano — a hard-hitting trap song in which the two spit bars about empowerment, individuality, resilience and self-confidence, all while spotlighting the LGBTQ+ community.

“That’s when I felt a before and after in my life,” Miko tells Billboard. “It’s a moment that I always return to, and I realize that it wasn’t just a song. I feel in my heart that it started a very beautiful movement or gave it more strength. I love feeling that from the beginning I’ve been doing something good with the voice that life has given me and with the space I have, which has to have a purpose.”

That same voice — one that effortlessly transitions from unapologetic rap rhymes to smooth, sugary vocals — and a devoted work ethic have propelled Miko to become one of música urbana’s brightest new stars, breaking through in the male-dominated genre while primarily singing about her queer identity.

The 25-year-old artist born María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano Cardona has landed major collaborations with Bad Bunny, Arcángel, Feid, Bizarrap and Karol G — most recently playing the latter’s romantic interest in Karol’s cinematic “Contigo” music video. She has also had a strong presence on the Billboard charts, including four hits on Hot Latin Songs and three on Latin Airplay, two entries on the Billboard Hot 100 and five on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S.

But even amid those successes, Billboard‘s 2024 Women in Music Impact honoree says she’s still learning. “It’s important to have that mentality and to not think I’m at my peak,” she says. “I want to feel like I’m never going to stop being a student, and for me, that’s the coolest part.”

How has embracing your queer identity in your lyrics affected your art?

It has been everything. My lyrics demonstrate a Young Miko that’s 100% true to herself. Thank God, I’ve felt comfortable enough from the beginning to be able to do it and give myself that space to be myself and do what I want with my music. I think it’s very nice that it had a good impact on the music industry in general and on the people around me. Obviously, sometimes, it can get loud — your surroundings, the opinions of others — but I feel like Young Miko would never have been the same if I wasn’t 100% honest in my music.

How have you used your social media presence to create change around you?

Beyond a social media platform, I like to start with my circle and the people who are with me every day. In whatever way I can help, I will always try to add or contribute my grain of sand. Obviously, being aware that anything I publish or associate with will have an impact, period. I know that now people are listening and paying attention to what I say, which gives me more reason to want to promote a good message. There are so many people with so many followers, and they don’t use it for sh-t. For me, it’s a blessing that life has decided to put me in a spot where my voice matters.

You joined Karol G for her Mañana Será Bonito tour and headlined your own Trap Kitty tour last year. What effect did the touring life have on you?

I f–king love touring! It’s so much fun. I feed off a lot from the crowd and the energy. Sometimes you have to see it to believe it — the emotion of all the people and how they know your songs. I learned that it’s not always going to be pretty. There are days that are going to be super tiring, and if you cancel or postpone a show, it’s horrible [for the fans] but you must get through it. Beyond learning as an artist, I learn as a person. When I’m on tour, I miss my home, my parents, my island, the warmth of my people. It’s a roller coaster and not for the weak. It’s so surreal, but I f–king love it.

This story will appear in the March 2, 2024, issue of Billboard.

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