Loyal Lobos Is Making Her Own Magic
Loyal Lobos is simply magic. Under the memorable moniker, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Andrea Silva continues to mine childhood memories of growing up in the countryside of the Colombian capital, Bogotá, and her experiences as a young adult to construct poetic, painterly music that makes sweeping allusions to love, sexuality, and femininity, culminating in a distinctively evocative sound.
Fans of the artist owe a small thanks to Silva's kindergarten teacher, who was the first to introduce her to music and made her the soloist in the choir for every funeral and school graduation. This early exposure sparked in her a passion that needed to be nourished, leading her to pursue guitar lessons and ultimately use music as a way for her to process her emotions. When she turned eighteen, she took the plunge and moved to Los Angeles, and it was in the City of Angels that Loyal Lobos was born.
In 2018, after working through immigration obstacles and working hourly jobs to support herself, she first made her mark with the release of two singles, "Swim" and "Wrong," which introduced her debut EP, The Fall. The record saw the artist abandon folk music's "proper" formulas and instead build on her folk roots with forward-thinking alternative textures. These thoughtfully engineered, hazy, moody, and dreamy atmospheres never allow the listener to drift away from the emotion sealing each song. Loyal Lobos' intimate, poetic lyricism, stirring vocals, and experimental touches on the folk genre see her crafting songs that captivate, evoke, and affect in a fairly minimalist way. Yet impressively, still leaves one reeling with maximum impact. The EP also shows room for more sweeping, dramatic touches like "Swim" and its breathtaking climax or, on the powerful EP closer, "Burn," a dreamy journey through transfixing textures and dynamics. Overall, the record is a painfully beautiful and honest EP.
Throughout 2019 and 2020, Silva released a series of singles leading up to her debut bilingual album Everlasting, a ten-track labor of love that covered the landscape of 21st-century rock with dazzling, genre-blurring ambition. The album, produced by Teddy Geiger and longtime collaborator Evan Voytas, is dressed in reverb and grandeur from head to toe. Silva's ambitious and adventurous nature can be felt even in the most intimate of moments and is built to instantly evoke nostalgia, powerfully amplified by her gorgeous, velvety voice.
Following the success of the album's release, 2021 and 2022 saw Silva back in the writing room and focusing on cultivating her skills. She released standout singles like "Hate My Face," "Bummed," and "You're Nobody," all of which explored elements of isolation and self-acceptance with a profound candidness. In May of 2022, she also achieved a huge milestone in her career by being signed to Saban Music Latin and being recognized as one of the "10 Latin Acts Set To Make It Big In 2023" by Rolling Stone, a promise she is steadily making good on.
2023 was a massive year for the rising juggernaut. Silva opened the year with the release of her single "Sleeper," an upbeat banger that acknowledges her complexities and sings about wanting to let someone in without giving up her autonomy. She stated that after dropping this song, which is in English, she wanted to embark on a new era of releasing music in Spanish.
"I've been finishing up a bunch of music that I've been writing in Spanish. I'm excited for everyone to hear it because the music is close to my heart," she shares. "I'm trying to connect with all of my earliest influences growing up in Colombia while embracing all the new sounds I've been exposed to." So far, this era has ushered in not just one but two EP's, Una Freak and LOBA Vol. 1. The latter is an ever-evolving tapestry of the global music landscape that breaks linguistic boundaries and defies conventional categorization. It's a captivating body of work that hits deep within the soul and blends tempos, melodies, and the ethereal resonance of a vocalist's voice, crafting an auditory odyssey that enchants the listener from start to finish.
Loyal Lobos' artistry is effortless, fluid, and free, luring listeners into her dreamy world of reflection. As Silva continues to navigate the highs and lows of the music industry, it's evident that she will remain committed to pushing the boundaries of what she can create while carving out her own path.
