No Longer the Cultural Leader

Mexico City singer-songwriter, visual artist, and filmmaker Luisa Almaguer has made a career of turning deeply affecting meditations on the experiences of trans people into universal tales of love, heartbreak, and community. On her 2019 opus Mataronomatar, cuts like “Hacernos Así” and “Azotea” explored the vulnerability behind acts of physical intimacy, as well as the simple joys of lighting a blunt with bae on her rooftop. That same year, she launched the acclaimed radio show and podcast La Hora Trans, which has grown into an essential platform for artists and activists to share laughs and war stories, welcoming NYC downtown diva Nomi Ruiz and tech influencer Ophelia Pastrana. But 2024 is poised to be the year of Luisa Almaguer, already counting a viral duet with Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), global campaigns with Spotify and Apple Music, and a visceral new album titled Weyes that refracts her politically-charged worldview through the unlikely lens of men.

“Men mean lots of things to women,” Almaguer tells Remezcla, unspooling the personal and philosophical layers behind Weyes, a Mexican slang term for “guys.” “Me encantan los weyes. I’m always in love with guys and often collaborate with guys I adore. However, the album also has this underlying theme of connecting men to death. This idea of being with a guy and not knowing if you’re at risk. The biggest perpetrators of violence against trans women, and women in general, are men. So it’s a record that considers these beings that I love, desire, and idolize, and which I want to be desired and loved by, but that I’ve also perceived as threatening.”