Jalmar is not your typical Reggaeton artist. The son of Chilean immigrants—Spanish is his second language—but it’s become his primary language of choice when it comes to musical expression. Indeed, Jalmar has become a master at seamlessly blending English and Spanish bars, laying them down on punchy Reggaeton beats.
Reggaeton has taken the world by storm in recent years—breaking out of South and Central America to take over the world. We’ve witnessed the rise of artists like Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Rosalia, as well as milestone moments for the genre like Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti taking out the top spot for most streamed album on Spotify.
Australia has its own emerging class of Latinx artists—a result of the South and Central American diaspora here in Australia—all of whom are putting their respective spins on Reggaeton, Dembow and Latin Pop and R&B. Jalmar is in this class, among the likes of CherryCola, Jupita, Khya, Hellvis, Cris Gamble and others.
When you listen to Jalmar’s music he sounds at home in the genre, making it hard to believe he only made the sonic pivot into Reggaeton a few years ago. He started his music journey as a hip-hop artist, and in his own words, it took time and plenty of trial and error to transition into making Dembow and Reggaeton music. This is part of Jalmar’s essence and his story as an artist—he’s relentless when it comes to finding and doing what’s authentic to him, and willing to embrace the change and discomfort that comes with the process.
In the last year alone he's amassed over two million streams on a single track, played his first headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney, opened for Young Franco, and captured the attention of Converse. His ascent in recent times might seem swift, but this moment has been years in the making.
Speaking to Complex AU, Jalmar chats about the Reggaeton scene in Australia, becoming a Converse All Star, pivoting from hip-hop to Reggaeton, and where he’s looking to go next.
I know you started out as a hip-hop artist, but you’ve moved into making Reggaeton and Dembow in the last few years. How and why did you make the shift?
I made the shift by studying Afrobeats, Reggaeton and Dembow—I put all three genres in a playlist of mine called Study It. I listened to those genres like the Bible and came to understand all the common traits in the flows, rhythms, drums and snares. I’ve made so many tracks in all three genres that were rubbish and will never see the light of day, but I really wanted to eventually see how people would respond and move to that music, so I kept going. It took a couple years of learning and taking notes before I finally released some music. One of the main reasons I made the shift was because Reggaeton music and its associated genres aren’t huge here in Australia, but everywhere else in the world it’s massive, and I consider myself an Australian artist who makes international music.
There’s only a handful of Reggaeton artists in Australia, and right now, you’re all collectively paving a path for the sound in this country. What do you think about the rise of Reggaeton music and artists in Australia?
There’s definitely a new wave of people that are wanting to hear these Latin sounds in Australia. Like even recently, J Balvin played Splendour in the Grass. Previously, having a Reggaeton artist on an Australian festival lineup was unheard of. Moments like that just go to show that there’s a new wave of people wanting this Latin sound.
You’re the grandson of Chilean immigrants—how important is it to you to represent your people?
When it comes to representing Chile, it’s important to be proud of your roots, but I never think about what I do as representing Chile—I think about what I do as embracing my culture. My Spanish, for example, isn’t the best. I used to get laughed at a lot for my Spanish, so it took me a long time to find enough confidence to speak in Spanish, let alone rap. I didn’t feel at one with my culture at certain points because of my Spanish. But at the end of the day, I speak Spanish the way I do, and people can’t take that away from me. I’m just happy and proud that I’m Latino—that’s my favourite thing about this journey, being at one with Latin people.
Among other achievements, you're also new Converse All Star. Tell me a bit about your journey with Converse and how they’ve supported you.
Converse has honestly saved me! I was at a stage in my career where I had no idea what to do next—I felt like my style and the music I was making didn't suit me, and they helped me find my way and blessed me with opportunities I’d been manifesting. I’m constantly grateful for them, they believe in my vision. Much love to Converse!
To finish up, where do you want to be in five years?
The thing is, I do things step by step. I’m at a stage in my life where—and I learnt this from a friend—when it comes to creative things, you just do them with love. And that’s so true, people gravitate towards things because you do them with love. So yeah, my next step is to make people dance and keep bringing people together—the rest I can’t plan. I’m doing this with the purest of intentions, and people are going to see that I didn’t have to do this, but I did, and I did it with care.
You can find out more about the Converse All Stars Program here, and apply for the latest All Stars intake here.
