How Venezeula's most popular band overcame the odds and became the soundtrack of a generation in exile

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MEXICO CITY — Rawayana, a set composed of Venezuelan émigrés whose trippy, Caribbean-soaked popular has earned it planetary acclaim, was riding high.

Late past twelvemonth the radical had conscionable been nominated for a Grammy, been confirmed for this month’s Coachella lineup and was astir to merchandise a caller album with the beloved Colombian set Bomba Estéreo. And aft 2 years of adjacent nonstop touring astir the world, Rawayana was preparing an epic homecoming: celebratory concerts crossed Venezuela that sold retired astir arsenic soon arsenic they were announced.

But successful December, days earlier the circuit was to start, the set that has ever seen its euphony arsenic a refuge from Venezuela’s turbulent governmental scenery was itself embroiled successful politics.

Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, whom Rawayana criticized past twelvemonth aft helium declared triumph successful a rigged election, delivered a fiery televised code successful which helium lambasted the set and a deed opus it had conscionable released, calling it “horrible” and an insult to Venezuelan womanhood.

Venues began disavowing Rawayana, which was forced to cancel its tour.

“Until further notice, this is however we accidental goodbye to our country,” it wrote connected societal media.

Band person Alberto “Beto” Montenegro said helium was saddened by Maduro’s attacks, but not surprised. The 36-year-old vocalist and his bandmates are portion of the largest diaspora successful the satellite — among astir 8 cardinal Venezuelans who person fled dueling governmental and economical crises implicit the past decennary — and their country’s leaders had agelong recovered caller ways to disappoint them.

But Venezuelans, they knew, were thing if not resilient. And truthful the bandmates picked up their instruments and kept doing what they’ve ever done: Look forward, and play songs for far-flung compatriots longing for the sounds of home.

“There are truthful galore disfigured things happening successful the world,” Montenegro said precocious portion successful Mexico City with Bomba Estéreo frontwoman Li Saumet to beforehand their caller super-group, Astropical. “But we effort to enactment optimistic and determination from love. We anticipation our euphony serves to heal.”

Members of Rawayana successful Hollywood connected Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

The members of Rawayana — Montenegro, Antonio Casas, Andrés Story and Alejandro Abeijón — were inactive kids erstwhile leftist Hugo Chávez won the presidency successful 1998 and began nationalizing Venezuela’s industries and consolidating power.

They started by uploading tracks to the net successful assemblage and rapidly gained a following. At a clip erstwhile the country’s governmental discourse was progressively heavy, their reggae and funk-infused dependable was airy — dominated by danceable songs astir weekends astatine the formation and cheeky covers of reggaeton hits.

“Music for america was similar an flight hatch,” said Montenegro. The set invented the sanction Rawayana, which it imagined arsenic a distant land acold from the existent satellite and its problems. Its archetypal album, successful 2011, was called “Licencia Para Ser Libre.” Permission to Be Free.

But arsenic the set grew successful popularity, and started collaborating with immoderate of the country’s astir accomplished musicians, Venezuela was falling apart. In 2013, Chávez died and Maduro took power. The system plummeted, homicides soared, and Caracas became 1 of the astir unsafe cities successful the world.

The capital’s erstwhile thriving nightlife, with its packed salsa and meringue clubs, went dark. After respective of the band’s members were concisely kidnapped, they decided to leave.

“There was nothing, nary opportunities,” said Montenegro. “The lone happening we could bash was sing successful backstage concerts for affluent radical who could wage for them, oregon bash authorities gigs. And we didn’t similar either of those paths.”

The set members lived betwixt Miami and Mexico City. Their paths retired of the state — aided by grounds companies that helped procure visas — were easier than those of astir Venezuelan migrants, who person scattered astir the satellite successful hunt of accidental and safety.

Rawayana astatine the Latin Grammys successful 2024.

While abroad, Rawayana kept making euphony for those backmost location — going backmost to Venezuela erstwhile imaginable to play escaped concerts. But they were besides becoming, arsenic Montenegro describes it, “the soundtrack for the diaspora.”

The set traveled constantly, playing lively concerts anyplace Venezuelans had settled, from Barcelona to Omaha, Neb. Venezuelan flags flew astatine each show.

Migrant beingness is hard, said Orestes Gómez, a Venezeulan-born percussionist who tours with Rawayana. “People privation to travel and bask similar they’re backmost successful Caracas.”

“Whenever they play, their euphony is impeccable, and the vibe is conscionable incredible,” said César Andrés Rodriguez, a euphony shaper from Venezuela who present lives successful Miami. “Everybody is enjoying themselves, dancing. I’ve ne'er seen a atrocious show.”

The set continues to marque sunny, funky popular that offers an escapist path. “You don’t request a visa to beryllium happy,” Montenegro and rapper Apache croon connected the opus High.

But Rawayana has progressively touched connected governmental themes. One opus connected their 2021 album, “Cuando Los Acéfalos Predominan” (When the Headless Predominate), offered a veiled critique the corrupt elite that govern Venezuela, describing backstage parties wherever waiters service “champagne bottles worthy 5 times much than your grandmother’s pension.”

Last year, with discontent implicit Maduro astatine an all-time high, Venezeula’s absorption had precocious hopes that it would beryllium capable to champion him successful the country’s intimately watched statesmanlike election.

Evidence collected by autarkic observers suggests absorption campaigner Edmundo González won handily, but predetermination officials declared Maduro the winner. Venezuelans successful and extracurricular the state screamed fraud.

“Venezuela has been surviving a large fraud for galore years … an ideological, motivation and ethical fraud,” Montenegro told Billboard. “Unfortunately we are not amazed by different electoral fraud, we person already seen it all.”

The attacks from Maduro came a fewer months later. His target: a deed song Rawayana made with the creator Akapellah called “Veneka.”

The song, which became 1 of the astir listened-to songs past twelvemonth successful Latin America, sought to delegate caller meaning to the slur “veneco,” which has been utilized to picture Venezuelan migrants successful neighboring countries specified arsenic Colombia.

“Where are the venecan women who represent?” the opus asks. “Wherever she goes, the full satellite knows she’s the boss.”

“We wanted to usage it arsenic a awesome of resilience,” Montenegro said. “It was like, ‘I don’t attraction what you telephone me. We are the best. Period.’”

But Maduro slammed it. “The women of Venezuela are called Venezuelans with respect and dignity ... not venecas!” helium said astatine a rally. The person called the opus “insulting” and alleged the set was “trying to disfigure our identity.”

In the days aft Rawayana was forced to cancel the tour, the set members sunk into depression.

Venezuela’s leaders had already devastated their country. “Now they were trying to instrumentality vantage of our occurrence to make news,” Montenegro said.

But determination were bully things connected the horizon. Such arsenic Rawayana’s large nighttime successful February, erstwhile they became the archetypal Venezuelan enactment to win a Grammy for champion Latin stone oregon alternate album.

When they accepted the award, Montenegro named a twelve Venezuelan musicians successful a rhymed code and urged his countrymen to support their heads up.

Then, determination was the astonishment announcement to fans of an medium with Bomba Estéreo.

Last year, Saumet reached retired to Rawayana to collaborate connected a single. Things flowed truthful good successful the workplace they went connected grounds a afloat album.

Astropical kicked disconnected a circuit successful Mexico City past month, and volition play the Hollywood Bowl Sept. 7.

While they were working, the musicians bonded implicit the similarities of their countries — the difficulties Venezuelans look present reflector the unit that plagued Colombia successful the 1990s.

And aft Rawayana recovered itself attacked by Maduro, Saumet gave Montenegro immoderate advice.

Success, she said, ever comes with difficulties. “The bigger the tree, the bigger the shadow.”

But adversity, she said, often paves the mode for art.

“The astir impactful euphony comes from hard situations,” she said.

For Montenegro, what matters astir are the band’s listeners. “We person the enactment of the people,” helium said. “So I don’t caput that much.”

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