MJ Nebreda: The Rising Star Behind ‘Arepa Mixtape’

In a world wholly interconnected, being exposed to different cultures and rhythms is a fact, bridging the opportunity to see the ‘born’ of unique artists such as MJ Nebreda. This Venezuelan artist, producer, DJ, and culture disruptor, based in Miami, Florida, has been making people leave their souls on the floor with her music. Influenced by reggaeton, raptor house, and dembow, her sound brings a new air to a male-dominated industry where women are slowly reaching the top.

To celebrate the launch of her latest project, the ‘Arepa Mixtape,’ we sat down with MJ for an exclusive insight into her world.

Related: Celebrating Latina Excellence at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

Discovering MJ Nebreda

MJ’s love for music started in childhood and was strongly influenced by music TV shows like Floricienta, Patito Feo, and High School Musical. Also, mainstream Latino artists such as Aventura, Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee, Panda, and many more greatly impacted her life.

Can you tell us about your music journey and what inspired you to become a rapper, singer, and producer? 

“I was always trying to work in the music industry and always loved anything related to music. I was just like -yes-. I want to know more and do more. When I started producing it, it was love at first sight (really), but I was always just writing verses and stuff on it and DJing. So, I guess all just kept growing and growing. I just love learning, lol.”

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A post shared by MJ (@mjnebreda)

Her mission is clear: to inspire courage, freedom, and happiness.

“F@ck the haters, also be a good person who can grow and be better every day. When times are dark, you can always hope to be a better person tomorrow. There is always just space to be happy and try again; everyone deserves that.” Nebreda expressed.

MJ thrives on making people have a good time and also by the hope that she can help someone with their life struggles.

“Anyone can relate to my music and/or me and feel a little better about something or just have a good time dancing to it or whatever than that to me is enough.”

MJ’s Unique Sound: A Blend of Reggaeton, Dembow, and Raptor House

Your fusion of Reggaeton, Dembow, and Raptor House creates a unique sound. Can you describe the elements of these genres that inspire you, and how do they come together in your music?

“I think all these genres are very much related and are already fusing into each other just by their nature of existence. There’s a lot of grey area that’s really cool to me. I also love the regional differences and takes on different styles of Latin club music. I’m very inspired by the dance floor and also tend to like to DJ those grey Latin club areas.”

For this rising artist, being Hispanic is part of her identity and works as “a vessel in which it can express itself.”

Nebreda, as a born and raised Venezuelan, was exposed to the richness of Hispanic culture, which has a diversity of music genres from all over Latin America and the Caribbean; for her, all of these rhythms and sounds are a huge inspiration.

Diving into the ‘Arepa Mixtape’

Your mixtape, AREPA. What can listeners expect from this project?

“They can expect a culmination, an inspiration, a reaction to what has been now years of me djing, producing, writing, and singing Latin club, reggaeton, dembow music, guaracha, and raptor house. I have been studying my craft and what I represent sonically, and this is my moment to lean into it even more. I always like to explore different genres with my different projects, and for me, Arepa Mixtape is my exploration of Doble Paso, a Puerto Rican reggaeton music subgenre with people like DJ Kelvin El Sacamostro, DJ Warner, and even Peruvian doble paso legend DJ Peligro as people who inspire me a lot in that genre.”

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A post shared by MJ (@mjnebreda)

For Nebreda ‘Arepa Mixtape’ is the best thing that happened to her; for us, it is the living proof of hard work, dedication, and passion for the craft. As for now, MJ Nebreda’s goal is to keep releasing music that inspires her fans, makes them live their authentic lives, and makes them dance -hasta que el cuerpo aguante-.

We invite you to listen to her ‘Arepa Mixtape’ here and follow her on social media so you don’t miss the track of this one-of-a-kind star.