COVER SHOOT: Latina Homegrown

On a Saturday in late May, we invited Yvly, Diva Brown, JSCA, Pao Pestana, Keiddy Cruz, Nicole Silva and Ashley Nahomy for the UK’s first cover photo shoot of homegrown Latina Urban Artists. From Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Equatorial Guinea, some of them were born in the British capital, while others have made this great metropolis their home. They filled the studio with their costumes and high heels, with their dreams and talent and a particular determination and resilience that only young women know. In their own way, all share a love of rhythm, whether it be in the form of reggaetón, drill, and Latin trap or pop music. They also share the dream of fusing and reigning those rhythms in British lands, where foreign is still suspicious and where Latin is still exotic. But, the global domination of Latin music, the success of UK Urban music and the rise of Caribbean flava and afro-beats to the mainstream has inspired them. It they can do it, so can we.