Maluca Mala

Natalie Ann Yepez,[1] better known by her stage name Maluca, grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan.[1] Raised on a steady diet of bachata, cumbia, merengue, and mambo, as well as hip-hop and other club music,[1] Maluca's music has been described as "experimental tropical punk, ghetto tech, and hip-house".[1] Although a bad case of stage fright kept her out of the spotlight for much of her life, a chance meeting with Diplo while performing karaoke eventually led to "El Tigeraso", Maluca's first single.[2]

The years 2009 and 2010 saw her touring, performing, and releasing what she calls "tropical punk" tracks.[3] Since the release of her single in 2009, Maluca has recorded tracks that range from merengue mashups to kuduro to old-school deep house and focused on her stage show, which includes two dancers named the Cookies.[4] China Food is her latest release as she prepares for a second visit to South by South West.

The name Maluca in Spanish is a derivative of Mala which means bad or mean girl. In Portuguese Maluca means a crazy or mischievous girl.[5]