duendita

From Queens in New York City, duendita takes the form of a collaborative musical project with a flexible lineup, nourished by family and friendship ties between New York and other cities. Rooted in a Puerto Rican and U.S. identity, duendita moves between R&B, slow-burning soul and sung poetry, with stretched tempos, often spare bass, discreet percussion and atmospheric textures that put the voice front and center. Active on the New York independent scene since the 2010s, duendita writes and produces their own music, blending band formats with a more personal approach within a framework where the collective remains central. duendita’s lyrics address the memories of Black communities, traumatic inheritances and the everyday experience of a racialized person in New York, with direct, restrained and introspective writing. This dimension extends into a poetic practice perceptible in the use of silence, repetition and a way of letting the voice move between song, breath and speech.