riela and marcos g Share a ‘Hispanic Heritage Month’ Playlist

Lifted off her forthcoming EP, llorar u perrear, rising musician riela has released its lead single, “lyu2,” featuring fellow Miami-based collaborator marcos g. The track title is shorted from “like you used to,” and offers a taste of her mellow sound, as it flips smoothly between Spanish and English lyrics. Born to Panamanian and Cuban immigrants, riela pulls from all influences — Ashanti, Barry White, Celia Cruz, El General — to create her own sound that blurs disco, pop, R&B and Panamanian reggaeton.

“‘lyu2’ brings up an experience that a lot of people have gone through when it comes to relationships,” riela says. “Where you’re not entirely sure if you’ve fucked something up with the person or if it’s just in your head. Either way, they’ve kind of ghosted you/ switched up their energy towards you and you’re just tryna figure out what you did to get little to no reciprocation. We stay emo out here.”

For marcos g, “lyu2” is a perfect example of “great chemistry.” He says, “It was the first time I had met riela, yet writing this song came effortlessly. We both bonded on our experiences with people who seemed to not reciprocate our energy anymore in relationships, and our experiences fit like puzzle pieces. It’s definitely a crying in the club kinda song, but I’d rather cry in a club than at home if I’m being honest.” Check out lyu2 down below.