For Los Angeles-based artist Karina Magallon, music has long been a way to transport from one place to the next; figuratively and literally. Her blend of Latin pop and R&B is not only a nod to musical influences like Beyonce, Selena, and Shakira, but her Panamanian roots; with the singer-songwriter frequently writing in both Spanish and English over dreamy production. And with an artistic journey that began at 10, some of her earliest musical memories were as part of her church’s ensemble choir in her hometown of Houston. “The cool thing was that I was the only kid in the group. The rest of the members were all adults, so it was cool to learn from them,” she explained.
In high school, Magallon kept performing; taking the stage at local coffee shops and uploading covers to YouTube before moving to Nashville to study commercial music at Belmont University. It was here that she'd grow as a singer and songwriter, doing double duty as a session singer recording demos and background vocals for independent country artists from across the city. But navigating depression and anxiety left her with doubts about pursuing a career as an artist, and even led her to change her major to music therapy. “I stopped sharing my own music and only sang if it was for therapy, charity, or work," she explained. “I was coping with unresolved trauma, and I believed this path was best for me because I liked helping people. Recovering from that made me realize I was neglecting my gift.”
Nashville proved to be a space of continued inspiration, with the singer even recording the early demo of her debut single “Feel So Alive” in her Belmont dorm room. But with onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Magallon headed back to Houston to finish her degree virtually. Her entire creative process also moved online, too, as she found community with other producers and songwriters over Zoom. “I had just started to learn how to produce while I was in Nashville, then I started expanding on production and eventually diving into vocal production, and did so many co-writes on Zoom,” she explained. After connecting with Argentina-based producer 4NALOG, the pair would work on some of Magallon's early singles “Closer” and “Lucid Dreaming.” “I started exploring different parts of myself in my music, and I think that made me shine even brighter,” she explained. “I embraced my bilingual identity, feeling in both English and Spanish, which allowed me to blend genres I loved.”
By 2022, she’d move to Los Angeles, continuing to work on her music and release singles like “Divina” and the guitar-laden “Suavecito.” And after inviting ESPN's music coordinator to one of her shows, she inked a sync deal with ESPN; crafting a collection of R&B tracks for the network's commercial music library. “I have 10 songs across their network. So ESPN, Disney, or ABC, they’ll just use my songs for different things,” she explained. “And I wrote the songs with my team (including 4NALOG and producers Mateo Barragán and Pierre Jamerson) in a month.” It’s the kind of exposure the singer-songwriter knows is made easier thanks to not only social media—where she shares new music across Instagram and TikTok—but digital platforms like ReverbNation and in particular, BandLab; a platform where she’s amassed over 15,000 followers. “It's been significant for people finding me, coming to my shows, and just connecting with the world,” she says. “Just being able to put myself out there has been really helpful.”
This year, Magallon says she’s planning ahead for her first release: a concept project rooted in the same twinkling surrealism she aims to capture in her music called Island Night. “[So the concept is] that you're dreaming in different languages and anything you create can be possible, kind of like an island dream,” she explained, add that she's currently shooting the project's visuals.
It's a project that aligns with the world Magallon hopes to create. “A lot of my music is kind of like escapism,” she explained. “I just want people to feel good.”
