Words by Michellee Nelson—
My knowledge of the latest in merengue, bachata, and other forms of popular Dominican music and dance is directly linked to the influence of my Dominican best friend. As a result, any other Jamaican that says they put in more work than I do when a Prince Royce song comes on at a party is a boldfaced liar. When I got put on to my latest obsession in the form of Amara La Negra, it was only right that I return the favor and put y’all on too.
The 23-year-old Dominican-American singer, songwriter, model, and dancer has been hitting up all the Latino radio stations on her Northeast U.S. promo tour to get the word out about her music. With her head-turning dance moves, and catchy singles like “Whine” and “Ayy,” Amara has taken the music scene in the Dominican Republic by storm. And with a collaboration with Mr. Vegas in the works, we’re sure it won’t be long before you’re hearing her name a lot more often. Once you watch the video for “Ayy” (a remake of the Brazilian Funk song “Velocidade 6” or “Vai” by Mulher Melancia), you’ll see just why. As far as we’re concerned, she sets the bar for wining on a Spanish-language track to an all-time high (See what we mean in the videos below).
It isn’t just the music that has our eyes fixed on the Miami native. As her name might imply, Amara La Negra isn’t shy about putting her chocolate-hued complexion on display and her drop-dead gorgeous looks might have a little something to do with that. Those killer curves, her show-stopping, Celia-esque curly afro and bubbly personality will have you google image-searching her for your next #WomanCrushWednedsay. La Negra (That’s a term of endearment for beautiful dark-skinned ladies) is redefining beauty in the D.R., bolstering every Afro-Dominicana’s pride in their skin tone and ample backside.
In this festive holiday season, we at LargeUp want to do out part and spread some good cheer, so, do yourself a favor and check out more from Amara below and tell us what you think.
