Puerto Rican Singer Bodine Is in Her Reggaeton Era

At a time when an artist can now chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with Latin trap, Mexican ballads, or Spanish pop tunes, it's interesting that Dutch-born Puerto Rican singer Bodine is making the leap from R&B to reggaeton. It's long overdue. She was raised on the island where reggaeton's popularity is a point of pride, and she's now living in Miami, where perreo is second nature to some.

"I am in my reggaeton era. When I really started making my own music, where nobody really was telling me what and how to do it, I was not against making reggaeton, but I was very inclined to really find different sounds and how to layer music down," she says. "Then, in the end, I was like, Okay, I feel very comfortable doing all this. I want to challenge myself. I want to go into my real roots, which is perreo."

Bodine is talking to New Times over Zoom from her home in Miami as Florida waits for Hurricane Milton to make landfall. She's just returned from practicing the routine for her upcoming performance at III Points, which will mark her debut festival appearance.

"Personally, it feels great, obviously, but also being part of the movement and seeing how reggaeton is open and mixed in all kinds of music," she shares. "I'm not going to be only performing reggaeton. I have a couple of records in there that are a little bit more alternative and experimental as well. So, I feel that I'm going through the good paths, and I feel that because of the universe, we are all connected. I feel that sometimes it happens that you have one idea, and then you get it down. In a strange way, I just feel connected to all those artists that are going to be part of this fest."

Bodine is one of a handful of Latin music acts on this year's lineup, which also includes Catalan rapper Bad Gyal and Venezuelan producer Arca. III Points has also previously hosted Spanish-language arts like Tokischa, the Marías, Cuco, Rosalía, and Bomba Estéreo.

While Miami hosts Latin music-focused festivals Vibra Urbana and Calle Ocho, III Points highlights more left field and niche acts with some mainstream appeal but are much more sonically distinct. That's what makes Bodine's set something to be excited about. Already delving into experimental sounds, she's now adding a bigger emphasis on reggaeton for this stage of her career. She looks to artists like Hector el Father and Ivy Queen for inspiration, wanting to bring back that classic Puerto Rican sound to audiences.
"I feel with reggaeton, you need to understand how to do an intro, then do this hook, that bass, that hook — easy. Then you need to come in with chanteo — you have to give that chanteo, and then you need to sing. You need to bring in these different characters, and I think it's one of the most challenging things I had to learn how to do because when I started to do reggaeton, music that I've never released, I would say, 'Oh, I love it,' and then the feedback would always be like, '¡Loca! Pero el chanteo. ¿Donde esta?'"

She admits she was intimated at first because reggaeton isn't something anyone can jump into. Most of the genre's beloved artists have dedicated themselves to the craft from the start of their careers.

"I feel that I took my time to really get myself there comfortably and get myself to write music that's genuine," she adds. "I think that I found out that not only do I enjoy it, but that I know what I want to talk about when I'm doing reggaeton."

The genre has evolved much from its early days, becoming a cultural force on a global scale. Reggaeton's biggest stars have the talent and songs necessary to sell out U.S. stadiums. Sonically, it's also undergone a transformation, with productions often including a Latin trap and tech-house edge.

However, that's not the direction Bodine is looking to take her sound.

"I think that reggaeton is so evolved, and It's so open. You can mix literally every sound with it, but something that I'm really drawn to right now, at least in my sound, and you will see, is that I love old-school reggaeton. I love Alexis y Fido, Wisin y Yandel, and Plan B. I'm super attached to all that music, so I'm trying to bring in my reggaeton elements and things that are easy — nothing is too metaphoric or too smart. I just want to be straight to the point where you're having fun."

Bodine will release her latest single, "Titerita," on October 25, but she plans to perform it this weekend during the festival. Though she doesn't have a ton of live performances under her belt, she feels like she's more than ready for her III Points debut.

"We've been practicing our routine for at least two hours every day," she says. "I'm nervous but so excited as this is my first festival appearance, but I also feel ready."

III Points 2024. 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19, at Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW Fifth Ave., Miami; iiipoints.com. Tickets cost $169 to $569 via iiipoints.frontgatetickets.com.