Vallenato, a folkloric genre with roots in the department of Cesar, northern Colombia, has seen many artists take its essence beyond their homeland. Taking as a basis its typical instruments, such as the accordion, the snare drum, and the guacharaca — and adding modern musical arrangements that have given it a contemporary sound — artists such as Carlos Vives and Silvestre Dangond have been ambassadors of this genre at a national and international level. Behind them comes a new wave of artists with the task of continuing to preserve the legacy and expand its boundaries.
As the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata 2024 takes place in Colombia, we highlight six artists from the new wave of the genre that you should know. Some of them will be performing at the concerts that will take place within the framework of the festival from May 2 to 4 (See more here).
On the men’s side, Elder Dayán Díaz, Diego Daza, Rafa Pérez, and Mono Zabaleta are some of the new names that are making noise in their native Colombia, and we hope that their echo also resonates strongly outside the country.
On the women’s side, few venture into the world of vallenato, and even fewer singers stand out in this genre mostly dominated by men. Therefore, it is gratifying to see artists like Ana del Castillo and Karen Lizarazo making a space for themselves at the table and embarking on an upward trajectory in this folkloric genre.
“It has been very difficult to have a position because sometimes they did not see it well for a woman to play accordion, sing vallenato, or play guacharaca. But over time they have respected that and I think that after me come many very talented women, sweeping through vallenato,” Ana del Castillo tells Billboard Español.
Below, we present six new exponents of vallenato that you should listen to and know, in alphabetical order by name:
Ana del Castillo
Image Credit: Andrea Ramirez PR Agency
With hits like “Ay ay ay”, “Ya es Mío” and “Sabroso”, Ana del Castillo has established herself as an outstanding female exponent of vallenato. In an interview with Billboard Español, Del Castillo confesses that, although her genre is vallenato and she is inspired by great figures such as Diomedes Díaz and Patricia Teherán, she is also open to collaborating in other musical genres. An example of this is her recent foray into popular music with Paola Jara in “En Teoría.”
In addition, he reveals that on July 27 she will release a new 13-song album titled Con Fuerza, in Parque de la Leyenda Vallenata, with a surprise — “something that sounds different from vallenato,” in her words — inspired by her taste for music by Ana Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal. “The last CD was El Favor de Dios, it was a bit of a struggle, a lot of struggle, really. But this CD is more complete, more organized, more focused, and mature for people who like good vallenato,” she adds.
The singer-songwriter will be touring the United States beginning May 30, with stops in cities including Dallas, Miami and New York.
Diego Daza
Image Credit: Deimer Gámez
Few artists manage to make an impact with their first production, and this was the case of Diego Daza. Originally from Valledupar and raised in La Guajira, he initially stood out as a prolific composer, with numerous well-known artists and groups performing his songs, including Silvestre Dangond, Peter Manjarrés, Felipe Peláez, El Binomio de Oro and Martín Elías, who recorded the popular simple “Al Fin Llegaste Tú.”
His debut as a singer-songwriter with the album Esto Que Dice, released in 2017 with accordion player Carlos Rueda, quickly gained followers. Songs like “Me Llevó a la Luna”, “La Soltería”, “El Despecho”, and “La Química” are among his most popular songs. With the release of his third album, A To’ Timbal, which contains songs like “La Foto”, “Cupido” and “El DM”, Daza has consolidated his status in the industry, managing to fill the Parque de la Leyenda Vallenata in 2023 as an example of this.
Elder Dayán Díaz
Image Credit: José Vergara “Frankejazz”
Coming from an illustrious vallenato dynasty, being one of the sons of the legendary Diomedes Díaz, singer-songwriter Elder Dayan Díaz is carving his own path in music. With a unique style that fuses the tradition of the genre with contemporary elements, he has managed to position himself as one of the main exponents of current vallenato. Elder Dayan has seven albums under his belt, including Descontrol Total (2018) and El Disco Que Me Gusta (2019) with accordionist and composer Rolando Ochoa, which contains “Amantes,” one of his most popular songs; In addition, his most recent Para Ustedes (2023) with Lucas Dangond, with songs like “Reina Guajira” and “Modo Avión”, the latter winner of the Nuestra Tierra 2023 award for the best vallenato song.
Karen Lizarazo
Image Credit: Giorgio del Vecchio
Karen Lizarazo has been immersed in the world of music since her childhood, but it was not until 2022 that she released her first studio album, Sin Miedo al Éxito. Born in Aguachica, Cesar, “La Patrona del Vallenato,” as she is known, brings her personal touch to the genre with a charismatic presence on stage and themes that range from love to female empowerment, standing out as one of the main female exponents of the vallenato. Songs like “Amor de Papel,” “Ganas Locas” (with a remix with Eddie Herrera), and “Tarde lo Conocí,” an emotional tribute to the deceased Musa del Vallenato Patricia Teherán — as well as her most recent single “El Cora Me Duele” — are favorites among their loyal fan club, known as “Karenistas.” Lizarazo has been signed since 2019 with Universal Music.
Mono Zabaleta
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo
José Vicente Rosado Zabaleta, popularly known as Mono Zabaleta, is one of the most prominent voices in vallenato today. Coming from a family with a solid musical tradition in the genre (which includes Beto Zabaleta), he has built an extensive discography over the years, collaborating mainly with accordionist Daniel Maestre on his most recent productions.
Zabaleta has several hits, but perhaps one of the most remembered is “El Secuestro” (“The Kidnapping,”) a song that went viral after the father of the famous soccer player Luis Díaz, Luis Manuel Díaz, uploaded a TikTok video dancing to the song after surviving a kidnapping. Other of his best-known songs are “Amor de Locos,” “Mi Plan” and “Imborrable,” the latter included in his album Mono released in January 2024.
Rafa Pérez
Image Credit: Esteban Escobar
Rafa Pérez got his start with the group Vallenato Joven in 2001, and was part of the groups Los Chiches del Vallenato, Los Diablitos and Kvrass before launching as a soloist in 2021. Standing out as a great interpreter of the new wave of vallenato, his seven recording projects include Rafa Pérez Canta Vallenato: Homenaje a los Compositores Vol. 1 (2018) and Vol. 2 (2021), in which he pays tribute to different icons of the genre such as José Alfonso “Chiche” Maestre and Omar Geles. His albumMi Mejor Versión was recorded live from Parque de la Leyenda Vallenata in 2023, where he invited figures such as Gustavo Gutiérrez (author of “Sin medir distancia,”) accordionist Alfredo Gutiérrez and maestro Iván Villazón to the stage.
