Thursday, we premiered the exclusive video for the latest B&O PLAY x Opening Ceremony collection, a limited edition series of Form 2i headphones that's a luxurious take on the OC logo. Shot in the thick of Canal Street, the video features multifaceted vocalist, OC pal, and native New Yorker MALUCA MALA switching lanes on droves of downtown tourists to her latest track, "Trigger." Drawing from house, hip-hop, Latin dance, punk, and just about every flavor in between, Maluca creates potent fusions of New York subcultures that sound like a city-wide block party. We caught up with the self-professed "Banjee Rose from the Konkrete Jungle" about her Dominican heritage, growing up in the Kids era, and what's next for the powerhouse.
Don't miss the VIDEO and behind-the-scenes FOOTAGE | Head to OCNY to check out our listening station where you can listen to Maluca's track as you test out the headphones!
Shop all B&O Play HERE
Emily Manning: Both of your parents were born in the Dominican Republic; as a first generation American, how does your Dominican heritage and culture inform your identity as an artist? What sorts of music did your parents raise you on, and do you feel these early exposures shaped the music you make now?
Maluca Mala: Both of my parents were born in the DR but they had to leave once the civil war broke out, so they were raised here in New York City. But, that being said, we still very much had that Dominican old school meets new school. My dad was actually a marketing executive at Delicious Vinyl, so I grew up not only listening to Dominican music like salsa, merengue, batchata, and all that good stuff because we were always celebrating—an excuse for a party. My father also exposed me to hip-hop, house music, punk, and all these different types of sounds. Because I grew up in New York City, I always say that it was like my second mom because it raised me. I was just kind of jumping around from different scenes: from the Dominican scene to the drum 'n' bass scene to the rave scene to the hip-hop scene. And I feel that’s what shapes my music right now, is having that melting pot of different sounds.
You’re someone who works with such an incredibly diverse range of global sounds and makes these interactions really meaningful and powerful in how nuanced yet high-energy they are. How would you describe your own sound? Where do you pull from and how do you weave it all together?
Because sounds are evolving, it’s hard for people to really understand how it’s possible for us to be all of these different types of things. That’s where I feel like people are compelled to classify, “Okay so you’re witch trap house. That’s what you are.” Santigold is just a great example of being so multifaceted and worldly in terms of music; she pulls from
Don't miss the VIDEO and behind-the-scenes FOOTAGE | Head to OCNY to check out our listening station where you can listen to Maluca's track as you test out the headphones!
Shop all B&O Play HERE
Emily Manning: Both of your parents were born in the Dominican Republic; as a first generation American, how does your Dominican heritage and culture inform your identity as an artist? What sorts of music did your parents raise you on, and do you feel these early exposures shaped the music you make now?
Maluca Mala: Both of my parents were born in the DR but they had to leave once the civil war broke out, so they were raised here in New York City. But, that being said, we still very much had that Dominican old school meets new school. My dad was actually a marketing executive at Delicious Vinyl, so I grew up not only listening to Dominican music like salsa, merengue, batchata, and all that good stuff because we were always celebrating—an excuse for a party. My father also exposed me to hip-hop, house music, punk, and all these different types of sounds. Because I grew up in New York City, I always say that it was like my second mom because it raised me. I was just kind of jumping around from different scenes: from the Dominican scene to the drum 'n' bass scene to the rave scene to the hip-hop scene. And I feel that’s what shapes my music right now, is having that melting pot of different sounds.
You’re someone who works with such an incredibly diverse range of global sounds and makes these interactions really meaningful and powerful in how nuanced yet high-energy they are. How would you describe your own sound? Where do you pull from and how do you weave it all together?
Because sounds are evolving, it’s hard for people to really understand how it’s possible for us to be all of these different types of things. That’s where I feel like people are compelled to classify, “Okay so you’re witch trap house. That’s what you are.” Santigold is just a great example of being so multifaceted and worldly in terms of music; she pulls from