Rawayana
Rawayana is a Venezuelan band formed in Caracas in 2007. The group's music combines a variety of musical genres including reggae, psychedelic, electronic, funk and salsa, and the members describe their style as "trippy pop". The band consists of Alberto "Beto" Montenegro, Antonio "Tony" Casas, Andrés “Fofo” Story and Alejandro "Abeja" Abeijón.
The band has released 5 studio albums and has collaborated with artists such as Parcels, Danny Ocean, Natalia Lafourcade, Bomba Estéreo, Monsieur Periné and Los Amigos Invisibles. They have performed in festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza and are the recipients of two Latin Grammys and a Grammy.
History
After the release of the album Trippy Caribbean in 2016, the band was nominated for Best New Artist at the 18th Annual Latin [Grammy Awards], losing to Dominican musician Vicente García. To promote the album, the band embarked on a tour of major cities in Latin America and the United States, and released a music video for the song "Funky Fiesta" featuring Jose Luis Pardo of Los Amigos Invisibles.Rawayana's 2021 album Cuando los Acéfalos Predominan discusses the crisis in Venezuela in both its lyrical content as well as the album's accompanying music videos. The album featured Los Amigos Invisibles, Cheo Pardo, and Akapellah, and was released in conjunction with an art installation in Mexico City. In the words of lead singer Montenegro, the satirical music video for the song "Into You", which parodies Latin American talk shows, served as a way to " forth major 'entertainers' in the industry not to stay silent about the world’s problems".
On September 19, 2023, the band performed a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR to promote their album ¿Quién trae las cornetas?, which was officially released two days later on September 21. The Tiny Desk performance helped popularize them to non-Hispanic audiences. On 2024 the band embarked on the ¿Quién trae las cornetas? World Tour, with over 50 shows spanning Europe, North America, South America and the Caribbean.
In 2024, Rawayana's song "Feriado" won Latin [Grammy Award for Best Pop Song|Best Pop Song] at the 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. In early 2025, their album ¿Quién Trae las Cornetas? won the 2025 Grammy for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album.
In early 2024, Bomba Estereo frontman Li Saumet sent a track to the band with the intention of collaborating; what was originally supposed to be an EP ended up becoming a full album under the name Astropical, released on March 7, 2025. The supergroup has multiple US dates planned for mid 2025, their first live show being in Vive Latino 2025 in Mexico City.
In June 2025, member Beto featured on Maye's debut album Música Para Abrir El Cielo for its single "Lento".. “In November, Rawayana — together with Venezuelan rapper Akapellah — won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Electronic Music Performance for their song ‘Veneka’.
In October 2025, Nathy Peluso composed the song "Malportada", featuring Rawayana.
On 1 January 2026, Rawayana released their new album "¿Dónde Es El After?” which features Venezuelan artists like Elena Rose, Servando & Florentino and Joaquina. The cover hides an easter egg to an speech of Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar Pietri. In their opening track "Si Te Pica Es Porque Eres Tú", they open with the lyrics “Un feliz año te desea Rawa, y que por fin los hijueputas ya se vayan,”, in reference to the Nicolás Maduro government. Two days later, the 2026 [United States intervention in Venezuela|United States intervened in Venezuela and captured Maduro] which produced a popular response to Rawayana in YouTube. Users drew parallels between the lyrics and the events in Venezuela.
Cancelled tour
The song "Veneka" was criticized by the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, which forced Rawayana to cancel their tour through Venezuela in 2024/2025.Members
Official members
- Alberto "Beto" Montenegro
- Antonio "Tony" Casas
- Andrés "Fofo" Story
- Alejandro "Abeja" Abeijón
Current touring members
- Orestes Gómez
Discography