Entering the latest and most unfiltered era of her decorated career, Mexican pop powerhouse Sofia Reyes talks empowerment, liberation and her new album.

As Sofía Reyes nears her thirties, she is very much in her IDGAF ERA. The Mexican superstar has embodied that message in her most global-sounding album yet. While the title of her new LP may be seen flippant, Reyes assures that it comes from a place of positivity and empowerment.

“It’s such a loving energy,” she says. “IDGAF ERA is about stepping into my truth and being more authentic. I’m being more loyal to myself. I’m saying, ‘This is who I am.'”

In the past decade, Reyes has blossomed from a Mexican pop princess into an international powerhouse. She has blown past the limits of Latin pop in her hits like the cumbia-infused “1, 2, 3” with Jason Derulo and De La Ghetto and the girl power anthem “R.I.P.” featuring Rita Ora and Anitta. There’s no language barrier when it comes to music for the Monterrey native, who has also collaborated with the likes of David Guetta, Diane Warren, Tinie Tempah, Sean Paul, Imanbek, and Illy. For her fourth album IDGAF ERA, Reyes is continuing to broaden her sonic horizons on her own terms.

Reyes heralds her IDGAF ERA with the dreamy title track where she celebrates prioritizing herself. She also teams up with Norwegian DJ Alan Walker for the euphoric “Guaro Con Ron” and Brazil’s Luísa Sonza and Puerto Rico’s RaiNao for the seductive “MiuMiu.” Reyes and Sonza then collide once again for the fierce “Uñas Afiladas.” She also gets more personal in this LP about her closeness with other women in the alluring “Bi.” Reyes, who turns 30 on September 25, is channeling her late twenties crisis into a collection of cathartic and feel-good songs. From her home in L.A., Reyes spoke exclusively with Wonderland about her career, not giving a fuck, and her liberating album. 

Listen to the album…

Read the interview…

With a decade in the music industry, what have you learned about yourself in those 10 years?

I’ve been counting and it’s been more like 15 years, which is insanity. First off, I feel very proud of my journey. I remember when I was younger and I moved to L.A. to start singing. It was about doing one single then moving onto the next one. Sometimes I didn’t get to enjoy what one song was doing out there in the world because I was already thinking about the next song and I was traveling and doing shows. Maybe it has to do with my age, but right now, I have given myself the time to sit down and really go back and reflect upon my career. I feel extremely grateful for all the opportunities, for the people I have met along the way, and for the music that I’ve created. I just feel really proud of every single step and to also see how everything has changed so much. I’ve changed so much and I feel proud of that. 

What does the title of your new album IDGAF ERA mean to you?

IDGAF ERA is about me being more easygoing in life. If I don’t want to be here in this situation, I can stand up and leave. If people say bad things about me, it’s fine. I don’t take it personally. It’s about living life with more ease. It’s an important stage in my life because I’ve been working a lot on being more communicative. I’m learning to say no and to express myself without fearing confrontation or rejection. Once I did the song “IDGAF ERA,” that was the energy I wanted for the whole album. It’s also like a transition as if you’re changing your skin. That’s why it was important for me to have a snake in the album art. I feel like I’m changing my skin to become a better version of myself.

How would you describe the experience of working with Luísa Sonza and RaiNao for the song “MiuMiu”?

It was so amazing! With Luísa, we wrote the song and recorded our vocals here in L.A. With RaiNao, I sent the song to her. I just love what she does. She’s an amazing artist. When “MiuMiu” was created, I thought that it needed one more girl. There’s something about this song that felt like it needed three women from different cultures singing together. I did that before with Anitta and Rita Ora in “R.I.P.” back in the day. That kind of collaboration sparks a certain type of magic. RaiNao loved the song. I loved what she did with it. She took it to a completely different universe in the part where she comes in. We all met in Miami and got to perform it together at Luísa’s show and that was very special. They’re both amazing. We’re three completely different artists and there’s something very powerful about us coming together for this one song. 

You must have very great chemistry with Luísa Sonza because she also appears on your song “Uñas Afiladas.”

We’re putting out three songs actually. There’s “MiuMiu,” “Uñas Afiladas,” and another song that’s going to come out with a DJ in September. That’s something that doesn’t really happen that often. The fact that we were able to write three songs that we really love and that we’re actually going to release is super special. 

How did the song “Guaro Con Ron” come together with Alan Walker?

I wrote that song in Miami with a beautiful team. I was in the process of finding this new era. I wanted to explore more electronic music and sounds. That was my main intention with this song. I wanted to collaborate with a DJ and someone like Alan Walker literally. I sent it to him. He loved it and he killed it. It’s a beautiful mix between what Alan does and what I do. This collaboration also happened because I already had a relationship with Alan from working with him on “Old Habits” with Farruko. It just felt very natural to do this song with him. I love this song. 

Throughout your career, you’ve also shown support to the LGBTQ+ community. What does that strong connection you have with your queer fans mean to you?

I love this question! The LGBTQ+ community has been so important to me since the beginning of my career. We’ve done really fun stuff together. For example, we went to a lot of gay clubs in Mexico to promote my song “Idiota.” That was so much fun! I’m super open to doing whatever I can for my LGBTQ+ fans. They always have all of my love and support. Since day one, the LGBTQ+ community has shown so much love to me, my career, and my music. 

Having a song like “Bi” on your album also means a lot to your queer fans. How would you describe the experience of opening up about that part of your life in that song?

I love that song so much. I felt like this album has been so vulnerable for me as well. I’ve had experiences with other women, but I never talked about that for whatever reason. At this stage of my life, I felt like I wanted to be more authentic and more myself. Talking about that in “Bi” was also a big step for me. It was a very important step. It was also very liberating. This is me. This is what it is and I’m going to talk about it. 

Words – Lucas Villa