IVAN$ITO

About

" Reflective, atmospheric reggaeton with a uniquely Scandinavian twist. "

For Ivan Lemus Barrales Spargo Martinez – better known as IVAN$ITO – the epiphany came in the form of Latin superstar Bad Bunny, and his song ‘Soy Peor’. Played to him by his cousin in Toronto, while the two were driving around, it completely changed his life. “I was in a place where I didn’t know what to do with my music,” he once said. “But when I heard Bad Bunny, something happened in my world.” He immediately hit the studio and started rapping over trap beats on YouTube, experimenting with his phrasing and flow – and a new musical star was born.

The son of Chilean expats, IVAN$ITO grew up in Denmark, but moved to Chile when he was 12. On turning 18, he came back to Denmark because, he felt, there’d be better opportunities to make music. He started making Spanish music and basic reggaeton with two friends around 2015, but found little enthusiasm for the style in the Nordics. Disillusioned, he drifted into a poppier, singer-songwriter acoustic style. But then came Bad Bunny, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Taking elements from his Chilean roots, Latin pop, reggaeton’s new superstars, and US pop culture, his music is a vivid kaleidoscope of styles and influences. His debut album might have been called ‘Everything Is Reggaeton’, but it covers everything from slick R&B to Rosalía-inspired flamenco clapping – all delivered with a unique Scandinavian twist. New single ‘Mi Coche’ is a case in point; ice-cold trap beats, a powerful delivery, shuddering bass, and an infectious hook. It’s pop sensibility dressed up in the world’s most popular genre – an intoxicating combination.