Argentina's María Becerra Is Going Global

By Lucas Villa


In the past year, María Becerra has become the largest artist to emerge from Argentina. That’s thanks in part to her sex-positive album Animal, with its fierce title track featuring Cazzu and the girl-power anthem "Wow Wow" with Becky G, which pushes the limitations of Latin music. As her country’s most-streamed act on Spotify with 23 million monthly listeners, Becerra and her captivating music are also making waves around the globe. The 21-year-old singer was even recognized by the Latin Grammy Awards with a Best New Artist nomination; she is going to find out if she takes residence the trophy on Thursday (November 18).


"This is news that fully surprised me," Becerra tells MTV News. "It's major that this is a nomination for the Latin Grammys, and to have that with such a short career, and to be new and just getting began, it's something that's incredible and most crucial for me."


Becerra hails from Quilmes in Buenos Aires. Her mother was a fan of pop stars like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, along with Spanish opera singer Montserrat Cabellé, and she often watched the artists' live performances on television. Becerra sang along and took note of how they moved and ruled the stage. In 2016, she began up her own YouTube channel where she uploaded personalized vlogs, dance tutorials, and covers of songs like Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman." The online buzz led to a team-up with Argentine hit-maker Big One in 2019 for Becerra’s debut EP, 222. She put an angsty and atmospheric twist on the country's Latin trap movement.


In 2020, Becerra became the opening Latin artist to sign with 300 Entertainment, which is residence to Megan Thee Stallion and Young Thug. That September, she experienced a world breakthrough with the all-women remix of "High" with fellow Argentine artist Tini and Spanish singer Lola Índigo. Her debut album, Animal, flexed her versatility as an artist with pop, reggaeton, R&B, and salsa influences. Colombian superstar J Balvin enlisted her for the hugest hit from his Jose album, "Qué Más Pues?" In July, she became the opening to occupy four out of the best five spots on Argentina's Billboard Hot 100 chart.


Ahead of her big night at the Latin Grammys, Becerra spoke with MTV News about her breakthrough year and what's coming next, including a teased group effort with Camila Cabello.


MTV News: You have several all-women collaborations with artists like Tini, Cazzu, and Becky G. What do you adore about networking with with women?


María Becerra: I love to collaborate with ladies. It's something that's very pretty and also critical to show the world that we're not in competition simply for being females in the industry. I like the idea of showing that we support each other and with each other we can tear it up. We have admiration for each other. We desire to share our music with each person and mix our genres, cultures, and languages. We're all excellent friends.


MTV News: You also recorded several collaborations with your boyfriend Rusherking, like "Antes De Ti." What's it like to prepare music with him?


Becerra: It's sort of like the chemistry that I have with [my producer] Big One. It's different chemistry [with Rusherking] because he's my boyfriend. They're the only people [I work with] where everything flows so well. With my boyfriend, we habitually write romantic things. We habitually write songs between us. He admires me as much as I do him. We look into each other's eyes and we write and visualize how talented one another is. There is a lot of admiration and love between us. It's a cute environment to work in.


MTV News: What was it like to collaborate with J Balvin in "Qué Más Pues?"


Becerra: That was an excellent experience. He's an artist that likes to experiment. In doing a teamwork, what's very crucial for me is working with a good person who is selfless. He treated each person identically, and at the level that he's at an artist as well as a well-known person, it's very tough to find people like that. It's obvious that this song was incredible for my career, that it went around the world, and helped me. What stayed with me the most was J Balvin as a person and why he carried himself. That's how I'd like to be one day if I get to that level.


MTV News: What was the inspiration for your album Animal?


Becerra: I believe I have two personalities. One is the more timid María who's introverted, dramatic, and with her emotions on her sleeve. The other personality is the María who's more fierce, more extroverted, and says and sings about things that are taboo. She stands strong. Making music brought out this side of me that I didn't know, and it also surprised me what I can do. The person I am as soon as I'm on the stage, in the studio, any time I'm writing, and in the music videos, it's the strong María. That's what Animal is for me, showing people this big personality, this version of me that like. I'd like to transmit that to other people, that feeling of being feminine and powerful, to talk and sing about what we want to.


MTV News: how come do you know millions of folks are connecting with your music?


Becerra: I think a lot of people connect with my music because I generally talk about things that happen to each person, like heartbreak, sexual desire, or secret romances. I feel like I also define the LGBTQ+ community because I'm bisexual. I love to resemble them. I routinely had it in my head that, if I'm this way, then this is what I'm going to sing about. I'm not only going to create songs about boys because I don't only like males. Any time As soon as I understood and accepted that I also fancied females, that was a tough time. There was a lot of confusion and prejudice, and I had to think about how my family member would take it. It was something very heavy that marked my life, so I have a lot of songs about that chapter.


MTV News: What can you mention about your teased group effort with Camila Cabello on her Familia album?


Becerra: She's another incredible person. She was thanking me like, "Thank you for being on this song. I admire you so much." I couldn't believe she was telling me that! We had a lot of Zooms to talk, write, and get to know each other. She's also an easygoing person who talks to you very calmly from wherever she is. I'm very grateful to her because I know this is a major possibility for me. It's an extraordinary song and we're going to shoot a phenomenal music video. I'm so happy!


MTV News: What do you wish to carry out next?


Becerra: More than anything, what I want is for my music to accompany people through life. People in the meet-and-greets come to me crying and saying, "You were my organization. You saved my life. In quarantine, I was alone and did not have anyone and you also accompanied me. You got me up daily and I listened to your voice. You got me through some hard times. I had a lot of good moments with your music." That doesn't have a price. For someone to tell you that crying, it's really incredible. That's what I routinely aspire to carry out, to reach people's hearts.