Born in Puerto Rico but currently based in New York, CARLIÁN makes reggaeton that looks beyond the contours of the genre for inspiration. CARLIÁN only has a grip of singles out, but each one seems to build on the last; it’s been exciting to watch a world slowly congeal, one based around both the artist’s history as a queer woman in the Caribbean and her musical outlook, which interjects a healthy dose of pop awareness and sonic experimentation into the reggaeton playbook. 

CARLIÁN’s forthcoming EP, CARLI CLUB, was produced entirely by Frankie Scoca, who has worked with everyone from the K-pop group NewJeans to the young Jersey post-genre pop sensation Riovaz. The EP comes out Friday, but today CARLIÁN released the single “Brujeria.” We sent over some questions to the artist—read her responses, and listen to “Brujeria” and two more singles from CARLI CLUB, below.

How did you link up with Frankie Scoca? Could you talk a bit about your collaborative process?

I was introduced to Frankie by my old manager back in 2021, before I even knew what my sound really was. I think working together always comes naturally—I give him an idea, we pick cool sounds and then we kind of go into our separate corners of the room. He produces, I write the song, and we kind of just come together at the end of the day to track the song. He usually arranges his track with a very pop structure and that’s how I write, too—verse, pre, chorus … We just click, tbh! I <3 the formula when it’s used correctly and dynamically. 

A lot of this new music is steeped in the reggaeton tradition. What other music have you been inspired by lately?

I was listening to a lot of Bjork, Fiona Apple, MIA, and 070 Shake when I made the project, recently I’ve been super into old, classic pop and R&B—lots of Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Luther Vandross as well as like, lots of salsa and bachata music: Lalo Rodriguez and Frankie Ruiz.  

What's your personal favorite track on your forthcoming record, and why?

I can't pick but the top two are “Carli Club” and “Brujeria.” “Carli Club” because the production is so insane, I love that I name-drop myself/the project—it feels so Drake corny and I <3 Drake LOL. It’s also the manifesto of my artistry, sonically and lyrically. “Brujeria” because it's an incredible fucking song. When I listen to it I can’t believe I was the one to make it and when I made it it felt like I landed on something that felt extremely mine sonically—feels essential to the Carlian DNA. 

Are there any lyrical throughlines that connect the songs on CARLI CLUB?

LESBIAN SEX, GOD, LOVE, INTROSPECTION … Fun <3.

What do you feel like you learned from going to school at Clive Davis? Did you pick up any bad habits that you had to unlearn?

At Clive I honestly just learned to cope with healthy competition, like damn I love my friends but also damn I have to be as good or better than everyone around me … Survival of the fittest type shit, I walked into Clive not knowing how to write a full song and I left Clive having my own sound and signing a publishing deal. Good pressure. I don’t think I picked up any bad habits necessarily, Clive was like mad Camp Rock coded, just a bunch of people doing their own music thing. It was like music summer camp but everyone is hot and addicted to something…  

Do you go out a lot in New York? Any favorite clubs or parties?

Not really, I don’t understand NY… My Apartment is the best Club.

What was your favorite reggaeton song when you were young?

My favorite reggaeton song ever is probably “No sé de ella (My space)” by Don Omar (feat. Wisin & Yandel) or “Yo Tengo Una Gata” by Yaviah, Zion y Lennox, Plan B and like five other artists. It's an 11-minute song and my older sister showed it to me when I was like eight. Life changed forever. It’s not on streaming platforms. 

What do you miss the most about Puerto Rico?

Everything. But mostly the people. People at home are warm, community oriented, affectionate, caring … Also the year-long summer.