Ivy Queen brings reggaeton to NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series

Just days after accepting her Icon Award at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Ivy Queen performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series as part of the third “El Tiny” takeover featuring “artists from all corners of Latinidad.” The Puerto Rican superstar, known as “La Caballota” and “La Reina del Reggaeton,” acknowledged that she felt happy and nervous “doing something out of my comfort zone.” But, as she noted, she’s faced challenges all her life. She continued to follow her heart because, “Yo sabía que a mi no había que darmela porque yo la tenía.” “Nobody was going to take that talent away from me,” she said. Her set featured “Reza por Mi,” “La Vida Es Así,” “Menor Que Yo,” “En Que Fallamos” and “Quiero Bailar.” “Guys, this is for the girls,” she said before performing “Quiero Bailar,” a feminist track about asserting independence and body autonomy in the club. “Cuando tu te cuidas y te amas, se siente, se ve y floreces.” “Tenemos derecho a ser feliz, tenemos derecho a cambiar, a cuidarnos, a protegernos,” she said.