For the past couple of years, Bomba Estéreo vocalist Liliana ‘Li’ Saumet knew that she wanted to collaborate with Rawayana.

“I’m highly intuitive, and always pay close attention to everything that’s happening around me,” the singer says on a sunny morning at her home in Colombia. “It’s a band that knows how to reinvent itself. They have inspired and moved me, and the message was quite clear: we needed to make some music together.”

As it turns out, the initial collaboration turned into a full album, an upcoming international tour, and a brand new supergroup named ASTROPICAL. Its members are Bomba Estéreo’s Saumet and José Castillo on keyboards and guitars, joining forces with Rawayana’s singer Beto Montenegro, and drummer and multi-instrumentalist Andrés ‘Fofo’ Story.

From the shimmering Afrobeats groove of lead single “Me Pasa” and the joyful exuberance of dancefloor-ready opening cut “Brinca” to the existential message of “Fogata,” the songs on ASTROPICAL’s self-titled debut reflect the artists’ connection to the soulful qualities of Latin American culture. On “Calentita,” the velvet-like inflections of Montenegro’s voice creates a seductive contrast against Saumet’s powerhouse singing – coupled with an Afro-house beat and a playful reference to reggaetón star Tego Calderón.

“It’s such an experimental record,” adds Saumet. “It has all these interconnected strands: a bit of electronica and Afrobeats; shades of reggaetón and champeta. It’s a mixture of the tropical Caribbean and the essence of Colombia and Venezuela – the dance party element. A song like ‘Fogata’ started a capella, with me singing, accompanied by a guitar. The four of us were sitting down in my living room, in front of the sea, so deeply connected with the landscape outside. The lyrics are about the thought of having to leave this world behind one day. But as long as we’re alive, let’s celebrate, and enjoy life’s fleeting moments to the fullest.”

Clearly, the message of ethnic pride and pan-Latino union is not a coincidence. When they experienced global fame with the raucous hit “Fuego” in 2008, the members of Bomba Estéreo developed a sterling reputation for their raucous electro-cumbia laced with defiant political messages.

“Musically, I feel like I’m the son of Bomba Estéreo,” says Rawayana’s Montenegro while driving to a recording studio in Los Angeles. “Three bands were a huge reference when we started Rawayana: Los Amigos Invisibles, Cultura Profética and Bomba Estéreo. We had already collaborated with the first two, and when Li called us, it was like a dream come true. I’ve been thinking for so long that I treasure the sonic universe that Bomba Estéreo navigates.”

“ASTROPICAL embodies an energy that already preceded us and needed to materialize,” explains Saumet. “This is a very important time on a political, cultural and environmental level. We need melodies and lyrics such as these ones as a way of shepherding the moment.”

The members of Rawayana are still exultant from a recent GRAMMY win – their fifth album, 2023’s ¿Quién Trae Las Cornetas?, received the award in the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album category. Montenegro made history with a defiant acceptance speech that paid tribute to Venezuelan culture and the band’s fellow artists in the midst of the South American country’s volatile political situation.

“The world is a crazy place right now,” says Montenegro, who was forced to cancel the band’s Venezuelan tour after the country’s president criticized them publicly. “My acceptance speech was all about acknowledging that we’re experiencing a difficult moment, and that we can learn from it. I hope that we can all calm down, because what we need is meeting somewhere in the middle instead of being divided. It’s about time we reflect and recognize all the good things that we have as a nation, without allowing politics to get in the way.”

Last year, just as Rawayana’s popularity was increasing through its connection with the ever growing Venezuelan diaspora across the globe, Saumet sent Montenegro a text telling him that she was eager to begin a joint project. Time was of the essence.

“They sent me a track at 3 am – six hours later, I had completed ‘Me Pasa.’ It happened spontaneously, just like ‘Ojitos Lindos’,” she says in reference to her historic collaboration with Bad Bunny on the superstar’s 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti. “Something I love about Beto is how proactive he is. We’re similar in that respect, so when we got together, we came up with new songs really fast.”

Two weeks later, the members of ASTROPICAL booked time at a Miami studio. They polished “Me Pasa” and finished two more songs.

“Initially, it was going to be an EP,” she explains. “But then, Beto came to visit at my house by the beach in Santa Marta, and before we knew it, we had six songs. At that time, we decided to go for a full album. We never planned it, nor gave it much thought. It was all very fluid.”

During the Santa Marta sessions, the singers realized that they shared an affinity for astrology, studying the traits of their respective signs – Capricorn and Aquarius. They decided to combine the worlds of astrology and tropical grooves, and named the project ASTROPICAL. Each track on the album aligns (and is named) with an astrology sign.

“The album signifies the union of two bands, two astrological signs, two nations,” says Saumet. The political undertones that unite Venezuela and Colombia are profound. Venezuela’s current diaspora mirrors the massive migration wave that Colombia experienced in the ‘90s.

“Imagine not being able to return to your own country because you’re considered a threat by the ruling party,” she says. “The artists from your homeland can soothe your pain, because there’s hope in music. Art doesn’t need to make a political statement in order to work its magic. It just needs to exist.”

ASTROPICAL will launch their world tour at the iconic Vive Latino and Estéreo Picnic festivals in Latin America.

“This will be an entirely new band,” Montenegro enthuses. “We will definitely play songs by Bomba Estéreo and Rawayana, but only as part of the ASTROPICAL experience. I never imagined that one day I would be sharing the stage with Bomba Estéreo.”

“I needed a fresh project, because I’m experiencing a new stage in my life,” says Saumet. “This band has invigorated me, and inspired me to make more music. Everything in this world is about energy. I love [jazz singer] Nina Simone, and she used to say that the art that we make is permeated by whatever’s happening in the world. This project flowed like water. It is a ball of energy – and at the same time, it is surrounded by an aura of mystery.”