Rauw Alejandro
photo: junta de andalucía · cc by-sa 2.0 ↗Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz grew up shuttling between San Juan, Miami, and New York, introduced early by his guitarist father and backing-vocalist mother to Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Rihanna, while stateside stretches steeped him in R&B and dancehall. He built a following on SoundCloud before breaking out in the late 2010s, and by the 2020s had become one of Latin music's most theatrical showmen, fusing reggaetón, Latin R&B, and dance-pop into arena-scaled spectacle that Rolling Stone called "the greatest showman in Latin music."
Rauw has named Chris Brown among his key American influences and has worked with one of Brown's own choreographers on routines, and the two eventually recorded together directly, closing the loop between influence and collaboration.
listen forCue up Chris Brown's breakout 'Run It!' for the dance-forward, R&B-sung-in-motion template, then play 'Nostálgico,' the 2021 track where Rauw and Brown actually trade vocals over the same reggaetón-R&B pocket — you're hearing the influence made literal.
Rauw grew up on the 2000s reggaetón wave that Wisin & Yandel helped define, and the duo's dembow-driven, perreo-ready song structures are the DNA underneath even Rauw's most futuristic productions.
listen forPlay Wisin & Yandel's 'Rakata' and then Rauw's 'Desesperados' — underneath the newer synths and vocal effects, the same insistent dembow snap and call-and-response perreo energy drives both records.
Rauw was raised on Michael Jackson records at home, and he's said flatly that watching a Jackson concert is his ultimate performance benchmark — the showmanship goal he chases in his own choreography-driven arena sets.
listen forYou won't hear a direct quote so much as an attitude: put on Jackson's 'Billie Jean' and then Rauw's 'Cúrame' back to back and listen for the shared commitment to the dance-floor groove carrying the whole performance, voice and body moving as one instrument.