Akriila
Akriila | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 17, 2004[1] Maipú, Chile[2] |
| Genres | [2] |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2020-present |
| Labels | Lotus Records |
Fernanda Sepúlveda (born 17 October 2004 in Maipú, Chile), better known under her stage name Akriila (stylized in all-uppercase) or Akri,[3] is a Chilean singer-songwriter and rapper based in Santiago.
After gaining a following through her singles and mixtape, Sepúlveda released her debut album, epistolares, in 2024, following it up with a deluxe version the next year. Recurring themes in her music include love, sex and heartbreak.[3][4]
Early life
[edit]Sepúlveda was born in Maipú and grew up in Santiago.[4] Her mother is a preschool educator and her father was a university professor.[5] While she has sometimes written songs for her then girlfriend, Sepúlveda only started to take music serious amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out while she was in high school.[5] She bought a microphone and recorded herself in her mother's car.[2][5] Around this time she said she was inspired by mixtapes from Chilean singers Princesa Alba and Gianluca.[2] Sepúlveda's father and older sister play instruments and she herself plays the guitar.[1][5]
Career
[edit]She uploaded her first song, "Dando Vuelta", to the internet in 2020.[1] In 2022 Sepúlveda was suprised to find out she was set to perform at Primavera Sound Chile without being informed before the lineup was posted online.[6] After the release of several more singles and a mixtape called 001 in the following years, Rolling Stone noted a pivot in Sepúlveda's music from trap to a more "commercial reggaeton sound" in early 2024.[2]
Sepúlveda released her debut album, Epistolares, in August 2024 after working on it since at least early 2023.[3] The album's sound has been described as a blend of alternative pop,[7] reggaeton and drum & bass, "capturing the spirit of contemporary Latin music while pushing sonic boundaries."[8] A deluxe version of the album, entitled Epistolares+, was released the following year, adding collaborations with artists such as BB Trickz and Latin Mafia.[9] When asked about the influences on epistolares by Rolling Stone, Sepúlveda mentioned Caprisongs, Motomami, Arca and Julieta Venegas, among others.[9]
In 2024 Akriila performed at both Lollapalooza Chile and Argentina.[2][10] The production company behind the festivals also runs the record label Lotus Records, which Sepúlveda is signed with.[5]
In 2025 Sepúlveda collaborated with record producer and label head Dinamarca resulting in the 3-track EP headphones!. Sepúlveda described it as heavily inspired by Dinamarca's usual sound, with her influence on the project being felt most in the hard-hitting percussive elements.[4]
Critical reception
[edit]In a profile written for Revista Anfibia, Raimundo Flores Sierralta called Sepúlveda one of the most important emerging artists. He draws a connection between her eclectic taste and access to the internet and notes left-wing political ideas in the lyrical content of her songs.[5]
Style and influences
[edit]Sepúlveda described her creative project as consisting of "60% music and 40% visual".[5] As a child Sepúlveda was a fan of K-pop, leading to her watching a lot of anime in her early teens and describing herself as "the anime girl" in her school. This, together with a pop-punk influence, has influenced her eventual visual style and fashion sense, she says.[3] Among her favorite anime are Another and Nana.[3] Her decision to color her hair red followed a need to distinguish herself. The hair color has since become a trademark of her.[5]
Describing her relationship with her music being identified with the genre of trap, she has said that she thinks of her music primarily as pop, putting herself into a broader modern pop umbrella alongside artists such as Charli XCX, Rosalía and Tokischa. In comparison to trap, plugg music is "romantic and dreamy", according to Sepúlveda.[2]
Sepúlveda has mentioned Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama as a creative influence.[3] She has also shared that FKA Twigs' 2022 mixtape Caprisongs played a big part in her musical trajectory.[9]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- 2024 – epistolares
Mixtapes
[edit]- 2023 – 001
EPs
[edit]- 2025 – headphones ! (with Dinamarca)
Singles
[edit]The following list excludes singles which are released in the rollout of and included on an album or mixtape for legibility.
- 2020 – "Dando Vuelta"
- 2020 – "VELOUR"
- 2020 – "Espejo Gris"
- 2020 – "Nadie me conoce"
- 2021 – "Xekerau"
- 2021 – "si algún dia soy"
- 2021 – "Stefany" (with Akatumamy and Amikiraa)
- 2022 – "MONA XINA"
- 2023 – "tú no"
- 2023 – "nunca es lo mismo y.y"
- 2023 – "Aggrello floral" (with Kidd Voodoo)
- 2024 – "Te quiero tanto" (with Francisco Victoria)
- 2025 – "(t kiero mal)" (with Lara91k)
- 2025 – "SOLtera nunca soLA" (with Juicy Bae)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ferrada, José (September 6, 2024). "Akrilla: La joven promesa del "trap" chileno". Quemasucabeza (in Spanish). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Villegas, Richard (April 1, 2024). "'Comfort Music When Everything Was F-cked:' Inside Chile's Thriving Trap and Plugg Scene". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Espinosa, Marta (May 18, 2025). "HOT GAYS LISTEN TO AKRIILA: A GATA INTERVIEW". Gata Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Pace-McCarrick, Solomon (March 11, 2025). "Chilean rapper AKRIILA is finding the 'balance between cute and horny'". Dazed. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Flores Sierralta, Raimundo (March 4, 2024). "Akriila: viaje por una mente sin límites". Revista Anfibia (in Spanish). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Olavarría, Sandro; Morandé, Camila (February 14, 2024). "La irrupción musical de AKRIILLA: Crónica de una estrella anunciada". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Lamas, Isidora (September 12, 2024). "AKRIILA: Redefiniendo el pop urbano chileno con Epistolares". POTQ Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ "AKRIILA: The Chilean Rising Star Redefining Latin Pop". PLAYY. Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Monroy, Pablo (June 13, 2025). "AKRIILA: "Un proyecto que incomoda es mucho más fascinante que uno fácil de digerir"". Rolling Stone (in Spanish). Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Ratner-Arias, Sigal (July 11, 2023). "Blink-182, Feid, SZA, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire & Limp Bizkit to Headline 2024 Lollapalooza in Argentina, Chile & Brazil". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2025.