YEИDRY found her voice again by returning to her roots

For many artists, finding a voice is about sound. For YEИDRY, it was about identity. The Dominican-born singer, raised in Italy after migrating as a child, spent years navigating language, belonging, and cultural distance before reconnecting with the part of herself she had once pushed aside: Spanish and her Caribbean roots.

Her story, shared on LatiNation Roots, arrives at a meaningful moment during Women’s History Month, highlighting the journey of a woman artist who reclaimed her culture to redefine her career. “Sometimes people ask me why I chose to sing,” she says. “But actually, singing chose me.”

Why YEИDRY stopped singing in Spanish

Growing up in Italy, YEИDRY unconsciously moved away from the language and culture she was born into. Like many immigrants navigating new environments, fitting in meant adapting, sometimes at the cost of distancing herself from her origins.

“I used to sing in English and French,” she recalls. “Somehow growing up I refused to sing in Spanish because I was trying to fit in.”

But that distance didn’t erase what was already inside her. Music, she says, became a way to process emotions she struggled to express otherwise. Writing songs turned into something therapeutic, a space where identity, culture, and vulnerability could finally meet.

The moment that brought her back to her roots

The turning point came unexpectedly. While rehearsing a Peruvian waltz called “Mechita,” YEИDRY sang in Spanish again for the first time in years. The reaction surprised even her.

“I got goosebumps,” she says. Her bandmates asked why she didn’t sing in Spanish more often. The question stayed with her.

That moment sparked a deeper exploration of her heritage. Spending time reconnecting with family, culture, and language helped answer questions she had carried since childhood, about identity, difference, and belonging.

“I realized my culture is the seed of everything in my music now,” she explains.

The immigrant experience behind the music

YEИDRY’s story also reflects a reality shared by millions of migrants. Moving countries, especially at a young age, can mean opportunity, but also loneliness.

“You will always be an immigrant once you are one,” she says candidly.

Traveling the world through music has brought success, creative freedom, and new audiences, but it also comes with sacrifices. Missing family milestones and growing apart from friends is part of the journey she describes as feeling “half happy.”

Still, those experiences have shaped her artistry and perspective. The rhythm she once questioned in herself, the hair she struggled to embrace, and the cultural differences she felt growing up are now central to the music she creates.

A message for women finding their voice

Today, YEИDRY writes and sings primarily in Spanish, not as a strategy, but as the most natural way for her to express herself. Her journey is a reminder that identity is not something artists have to leave behind to succeed; sometimes it’s the very thing that unlocks their true voice.

“I already feel successful,” she says. “I feel loved and safe. That’s the most important thing.”

For audiences discovering her music today, especially during Women’s History Month, YEИDRY’s story resonates beyond the stage: a woman reclaiming her culture, language, and identity, and turning that journey into art.