“The people who often get the spotlight don’t look like me,” says the Panamanian star. “Even so, I look to the future with hope”
Nino Augustine wanted to showcase his deep roots on “Callaíto.” On Thursday, the Panamanian musician dropped his new single, which he says blends a touch of Afrobeats with Spanish lyrics and Latin sounds.
“For me, being Afro-Latino means living in a constant state of fusion. I’m hugely inspired by what’s happening in Africa — there’s an incredible creative energy — but I also can’t forget the music I grew up with,” he tells Rolling Stone in Spanish. “The most beautiful thing about being an artist is that you can create from your roots, without having to follow trends.”
Augustine pointed to the trend of artists singing “Afrobeats in Spanish,” but said he’s noticed a lot of other singers tapping into the culture he’s long worked to represent. (Last year he dropped the amapiano track “Encendío” with Walshy Fire.) “Like with reggaeton, after working so hard on a movement, the people who often get the spotlight don’t look like me,” he says. “Even so, I look to the future with hope. My commitment is to stay true to who I am.”
He adds: “I represent Afrofusion in essence: a little from here, a little from there.”
Augustine made the song with Cuban producer Javier Sampedro Cruz, and considers it an aligned representation of his style of music. “I’m still that same kid from Panama in love with music, and I think that love comes through in everything we do,” he says.
“Callaíto” seems to be part of an upcoming project, which he’s been teasing with a mirrored single artwork — for previous tracks “Si Está Bien” with Uproot Andy and “To Ca” — that displays his song titles on yellow billboards on a highway. Augustine’s last full project, 100%, dropped last year.
