A report by Marjua Estevez for Billboard.

Dominican artist Amara La Negra earned her first award in 1991 — she was born in 1990. After winning at a child’s beauty pageant, Amara grew up knowing one thing was for certain: performing on a global stage would be her calling.

Fast forward to 2017, and Amara emerges a kind of poster child for black Latinas worldwide, repping hard for Afro-Caribeñas and plump derrières all the while destabilizing traditional modes of sexuality in genres like reggaeton and favela funk.

Straight out of Allapattah, Miami (or “Little DR”), Amara first gained notoriety in a Caribbean nation stained with a deep-rooted history of racism — the Dominican Republic — and that says a whole lot. Her entire presentation screams in-your-face, with her afro’d hair, ebony skin, ample backside and larger-than-life attitude. Perhaps most inspiring, however, is her exuberant love of self in a climate that maintains black and brown bodies are less than.

After years of running the festival circuit, performing on stages around the country and throughout Latin America, Amara’s unsurprisingly caught the attention of the Love & Hip Hop franchise, which she’ll co-star in alongside rappers Trina, Trick Daddy and Gunplay when Love & Hip Hop: Miami premieres on January 1, 2018 at 9 p.m. EST.

As Amara continues to make a name for herself in the music industry, get acquainted with her sound. She’s bound to make some major noise…

Full name: Amara La Negra​

Age: 26

Major accomplishment: “Consistency in following my dreams.”

Recommended song: “ASI”

 

What’s Next: Love and Hip Hop: Miami, which airs Jan. 1. As one of the main characters, Amara urges fans to expect new music at the top of the new year, in addition to her new clothing line, ALN, which you can check out on any of her social media platforms.