Joaquina

Before Radio City, Joaquina was writing songs in her bedroom in Miami. She was 13, already fascinated by music theory and beginning to understand that songwriting could give shape to things she did not quite know how to say. Less than a decade later, those songs have taken the Venezuelan artist from a Latin Grammy win to one of New York’s most famous stages.

On September 10, Joaquina joined Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic at Radio City Music Hall for the opening of his first season as the orchestra’s music and artistic director. The program included Lizzo and St. Vincent, but for Joaquina, there was something especially meaningful about sharing the night with Dudamel. Both were born in Venezuela, and she spoke proudly about seeing a fellow Venezuelan represent their country at that level.

© Arturo Holmes

Joaquina left Venezuela as a kid and grew up in Miami. There, she started piano at seven and, at 19, released her debut EP, Los mejores años. The album which won her the 2023 Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. Her first full-length album, Al romper la burbuja, followed with four Latin Grammy nominations in 2025, including Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Pop Album, along with songwriting nominations for “aeropuerto” and “no llames lo mio nuestro.” In January 2026, she expanded the record into the 18-track Al romper la burbuja 2.

Her 2026 has kept moving. Juanes asked her to write “La versión en mi cabeza” and later invited her to open his September concert at Miami’s Kaseya Center. She also became an e.l.f. ambassador, joining the beauty brand’s Mirror Mix music project with “ya no estoy,” a new song created for the collaboration. The partnership puts Joaquina in another arena without pulling her away from what has made people pay attention in the first place: her writing.

© Jason Koerner

The music she is making now is turning back toward home. Her August single, “verano en la ciudad,” came from returning to Miami and seeing the city differently after time away. Joaquina has said the album now in progress explores belonging, the duality of her nationalities and her own search for a place in the world.

Joaquina’s world is getting bigger, but her songwriting remains close to home. As she works on her next album, Venezuela, Miami and everything between them are becoming part of the story.