“I want to be like her.”  

Angelica Garcia’s voice soars this sentiment over a grimy beat in her new single “Guadalupe,” and listeners are instantly hooked for the entirety of this addictive and powerful track.

Garcia burst into public consciousness in last September with “Jicama,” an irresistible anthem of visibility commenting on her quest to balance her American surrounding with a Latinx heritage and struggle to be, in her words, “first seen, then accepted.” This song exploded and ended up on The New York Times’ best of 2019 list, as well as Barack Obama’s year-end list. Garcia released a follow-up single, “Guadalupe,” on Jan. 17 in the lead-up to the release of her album Cha Cha Palace on Feb. 28. The track details Garcia’s characterization of an icon in Latinx culture, “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” and how she finds empowerment in her ability to gain the respect of so many men and women. Garcia muses with i-D, “Here she was, all powerful, iconic, in spite of being a woman, in spite of her size.”

This characterization provides the basis for a line in the chorus in the song, “Your power isn’t defined by your physique.” The track is a wonderful collage of M.I.A-esque beats and colorful fervor with ROSALÍA-esque grand, sweeping arrangements and is accompanied by a similarly vibrant music video directed by BROCKHAMPTON collaborator Spencer Ford. She combines pop and rock with periodic reggaeton for a commanding and singular sound.

Angelica Garcia was born and raised in Los Angeles but upon high school graduation moved to Richmond, Virginia, with her parents. Since then, she has been working on music and balancing her isolation from such a powerful city and cultural connection, carving out her own role and embracing her identity in Richmond.

Garcia’s music is quickly finding an audience. If her jump in popularity from her 2016 debut Medicine for Birds to “Jicama” to “Gaudalupe” is anything to go by, she may become quite the icon herself very soon.

Feature image by Caitlyn Krone; retrieved from Guitar.com.