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dictatorships, [slavery]," Rita Indiana says. "Our history is a horrorosa." Noelie Quintero/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
"I have found metal to be very descriptive of the horrors that we've lived in the Dominican Republic under dictatorships, [slavery]," Rita Indiana says. "Our history is a horrorosa."
Noelie Quintero/Courtesy of the artistRita Indiana epitomizes the kind of artist we love on Alt.Latino. One decade ago, the Dominican musician released El Juidero, a major statement on Afro-Caribbean culture that mixed merengue with electronic beats. "She's one of those rare artists whose music you can either dance to or sit down and listen to as if it were a great novel," Jasmine Garsd wrote in 2011.
Then Indiana stopped performing to write fiction. She's since published several novels and short story collections, including her most recent book, Made in Saturn.
But now she's returning with Mandinga Times on July 31, the first album under her own name in ten years. Jasmine Garsd, former Alt.Latino co-host and current Marketplace senior reporter, recently interviewed Rita Indiana via Zoom for the Latin Alternative Music Conference, which was held completely online. "The reasons that made me leave [the music industry] are still there," Indiana says, but now feels like she's more capable to push back against demands and expectations.
In recent years, Rita Indiana has turned to jazz, punk and groups like Death Grips for inspiration. But in heavy metal, she's found the music "to be very descriptive of the horrors that we've lived in the Dominican Republic under dictatorships, [slavery] – our history is a horrorosa." You can hear that in "Como un Dragón," which Indiana calls "Black Sabbath dembow."
"Music is more democratic than literature," she says, adding, "I have a lot more people hearing my songs than reading my books." Rita Indiana's return is a welcome one, as an artist who can address the world at a critical moment.
