Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez is a Venezuelan musician and record producer, but works professionally under the name Arca today.
Very little material is published on Nuuro, but The Fader published an interview between Arca and writer Emilie Friedlander in 2014 which (notably) was prior to her gender transition and right as she began to produce for high profile artists, which I’ll have more on later! Friedlander’s article, “Cover Story: Arca Finds Xen” focuses more on Rodríguez’s upbringing and the influences that contributed to creating music. Rodriguez was born in Caracas, Venezuela before immigrating to the United States as a toddler. Her father Henrique Ghersi Rossón, is an investment banker and founder of VIP Capital (Venezuelan Investment Partners Capital), a Venezuelan banking firm founded in 2001. It was right before the investment bank was established that the Rodriguez family moved back to Venezuela and stayed there, and it was in Venezuela that Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez released music as Nuuro. However, she studied music in the United States and has lived in New York, London, and Spain since then.
The moniker of Arca was born in the United States, after Rodríguez came out as gay, and the description of her thoughts in this interview with Friedlander is very telling of the development of her music style, “‘In fact, [s]he says the bizarre, combative voices that populated [her] early work under that moniker were literal sonic echoes of what was going on in [her] head in the aftermath.’” Arca is known today for her unique production style, one which combines seemingly random noises and sounds (like that of a lawnmower, as mentioned by Friedlander), with heavy distortions, traditional Venezuelan instruments, and the general pacing of a reggaeton song. These are niche combinations that typically take quite a few listens to become accustomed to (or at least that's what it took for me), but when you get it…you really get it.
Arca’s music may possibly be better understood as a cacophony (in reference to the words definition of an atypical combination of sounds and not its negative connotation) rather than a blend. She doesn’t blend the sounds she uses, not because she can’t, but because she doesn’t want to. Each sound is sort’ve representative of a different thought, a different emotion, all of which she preserves in the ultimate musical product.
Poised For Tour, @DestroyLonely Shares "VTMNTSCOAT" Visuals
Poised For Tour, @DestroyLonely Shares “VTMNTSCOAT” Visuals
No Stylist is a 19 track project filled with colorful melodies, unpredictable flows, and endless braggadocio. The latest release for the 21 year old Atlanta rapper, Destroy Lonely is a must hear! Coming off a high summer, Lonely gears up for the No Stylist Tour with brand new visuals for VTMNTSCOAT. Lonely had to say:
I feel like when I’m talking to people in conversation, they won’t completely…
Shout out to @thefader for the review of our new song with @archie_shepp. I can’t wait for y’all to hear this album…. I think it’s what you’ve been waiting for. https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgpOy0r_Ty/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
This song got me fired from @CIA #CIA after 11 years of government service "Closed Letter: Racism in the CIA" available on all digital music streaming services