Neoperreo

Neoperreo
Other names	Neo-perreo
Stylistic origins	Reggaeton,hyperpop, witch house, trap, moombahton, hiphop, latin pop
Cultural origins	Late 2010s, Latin America and Spain
Typical instruments	Electronic Insturments Voice

Neoperreo is a subgenre of reggaeton with some degree of popularity in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Chile. Among the most prominent acts of the scene are Tomasa del Real from Chile and Ms Nina from Argentina. Within the United States, neoperreo is more popular in Los Angeles than in Miami, where traditional reggaeton prevails. Red Bull Music has been significant patron of neoperreo artists.

Origins and Characteristics

Neoperreo emerged in conjunction with the emergence of mainstream reggaeton; neoperreo is characterized by dark productions and distances itself from popular pop artists. In addition, it has been characterized by a strong presence of queer and female artists, as well as lyrics that usually look at subverting or reappropriating general stereotypes especially those relating to sexuality. The term was made through the form of hashtag by Tomasa del Real and Ms Nina, pioneering figures of the sub genre.

Neoperreo is also characterized by its eclectic character. Besides the influences already mentioned, neoperreo usually takes elements from electronic music. In particular, during the beginning of the movement various artists utilized sounds of witch house.

Development

The singer Tomasa del Real performing at a concert en Santiago, Chile in July 2019.

Neoperreo has links with dembow and classical reggaeton from the 2000s, especially with artists like Ivy Queen whose lyrics contain feminism and demands of sexual autonomy have been considered a precedent. The reggaeton of this age is considered by these artists to be close to the street spirit of gender, like a corporal dimension and unlike popular music. In this sense Del Real has indicated that in neoperreo "twerking has been converted into a social lubricant" that was being lost with new iterations of the genre. Their lyrics accentuate antiracism, feminism, and including parts from reggaeton from a prismatic perspective, stabilizing alliances and creating safe spaces for "the freaks, the weirdos, the misfits." For each of them, some analysts have attributed the subgenre to be "a revolution" in reggaeton, contributing to a paradigm of change at the time of gender relationships from a feminist and queer lens that places emphasis on sexual liberty.

Very recently, it has developed into a genre linked to deconstructed club, that revisits languages of classic reggaeton from an experimental and abrasive lens, mixed with elements of other genres. Artists doing this include Safety Trance, Kamixlo, Kelman Duran, Dinamarca, or in a popular form Arca, in songs on her albums Kick I and Kick II.

Despite its underground origins, in the last few years the popularity of neoperreo has grown significantly, influencing popular songs such as Motomami by Rosalía, and artists like Bad Gyal and La Zowi.