Tokischa arrived at HARD Summer carrying more than just the energy fans have come to expect from her. The Dominican artist took the stage in Los Angeles on Saturday, days after revealing that her beloved dog has been missing. In an interview with HOLA!, she admitted, "I thought I might cry on stage." She worried the emotional weight of it all might catch up to her the moment she stepped in front of the crowd. "I might just lose my energy if I think about this thing that's happening."
© Jordan SabilloInstead, the festival reminded her exactly why she fell in love with performing in the first place. "But when I was there, all I could feel and see was the energy, the fun," she said. "This is why I do this... to enjoy, to have fun, to forget about everything that's going on." She even joked that for a moment she "almost forgot my dog is missing."
The performance reflected the same genre-blurring approach that has made Tokischa one of Latin music's most unpredictable artists. Her HARD Summer set bounced from dembow and reggaeton to EDM, house, techno, and even drum and bass, something she felt the crowd embraced from beginning to end. "I felt like the crowd was there with me for every one of those genres," she said. "It was a good mix."
© Jordan SabilloFor Tokischa, festival stages like HARD Summer represent the dream she envisioned long before international tours, collaborations with Madonna and Rosalía, or this year's three Premios Juventud nominations.
She reflected on starting her career performing in clubs throughout the Dominican Republic, venues where, she says, the focus often wasn't on the music. "Everybody cared about the bottles, the chains, how much they spent that night," she recalled. "For me, performing was never that."
While those early shows helped shape her career, she admits they were far from what she imagined for herself. "I wanted to perform at big festivals and have my own show, my choreography, my visuals," she said. "I've come a long way, and I'm really proud of all the work I've put in becoming a way better performer. A way better performer deserves a way better crowd."
Despite her fearless stage presence and confidence that she says her mom helped instill in her at a young age, Tokischa says the version of herself fans see during a performance is only one side of her personality. "The one on stage is the wildest part of me," she laughed. "She's the beast." Offstage, however, she describes herself very differently. "I'm very calm, very sweet, very caring."
Collaborating with Madonna
© Splash News/The Grosby GroupHer evolution as a performer has also been shaped by some of music's biggest names. Looking back on her collaboration with Madonna, Tokischa said the Queen of Pop completely changed the way she approached her craft.
"Discipline," she said when asked what she learned from the icon. "She's so disciplined, so organized. Getting to perform with her, going to her rehearsals and seeing how serious she is about giving a perfect show, seeing how serious it is to be an artist, to be a pop star. Seeing that earlier in my career made me realize, 'Wait... this is how you're supposed to do it.'"
"I was like, I'm going to learn from this and just be better. And be more organized and more disciplined and care more about my craft," she continued, also crediting Rosalía.
A Tokischa in love
Away from the stage, Tokischa says life has entered a healthier chapter. The singer revealed she's currently in what she describes as her first truly healthy relationship. "I'm in love," she shared.
"It's the first time I'm in a relationship that's healthy... we're both people who work hard, we're serious about our craft, emotionally balanced." She also revealed the two now live a much quieter lifestyle. "We don't drink. We don't smoke. We don't go out to parties."
Have you seen Tokischa's dog?
Still, the happiness she's found in her personal life has been overshadowed by the disappearance of her dog. "My heart right now is shattered into pieces," she admitted. "My dog has been missing for two weeks, so I'm depressed. But I'm grateful because everything else is going great." She's also offering a $75k award.
As for how she hopes people remember her decades from now, Tokischa didn't hesitate. "La más perra," she said with a laugh before adding, "Icónica. Diva. Biggest of the Dominican Republic."
For an artist who has spent her career doing things on her own terms, it's exactly the legacy she's still building.
