Guest DJ: Empress Of Plays Sing-Along With Some Of Her Greatest Influences

Enlarge this image toggle caption Fabian Guerrero/Courtesy of the artist Fabian Guerrero/Courtesy of the artist

The story of the future of Latin music is being written with every new release by the vast community of musicians around the Spanish speaking world who reach beyond their influences to create a new Latin expression. The Honduran-American vocalist Lorely Rodriguez, who releases music as Empress Of, is one of those voice.

In this week's show, Rodriguez shares the musical influences that helped form the distinct, dreamy approach to her own sound. But don't mistake the dreamlike quality of her music for a lighthearted approach to reality. Her single "Woman Is A Word" is a powerful statement of identity that is also an existential rumination of just what the word 'woman' means. Pretty heady stuff for music that has a definite pop perspective.

Rodriguez is also all about having fun. In fact, this Guest DJ interview turned into a bit of a sing-along party with guest host Jessica Diaz-Hurtado outing my less-than-perfect karaoke skills.

Empress Of has been an Alt.Latino favorite for a while and it's going to be a fascinating experience following her career as she continues to create a place for herself in the expansive world that is Latin music.