WHAT IT IS: The 18-year-old Arizona native with boyish good looks and a mane of luxurious hair romantically coos and raps over the sped-up soul sample like he’s been doing it for decades. Phoenix native Cardona combines soul and R&B with fragments of hip-hop. His debut song, “Jennifer,” is about trying to piece his romance with a girl back together; it’s approaching 35m video views. Latest single “Dinero”—a rhythmic track punctuated with multi-linguistics—shows his versatility, as he flaunts his Spanish-speaking roots on the cut.
SINGLE: “Dinero”
LIVE: Just wrapped up a 15-city U.S. tour opening for Alex Aiono; on tour this spring
INTERNET: YouTube’s Artist on the Rise
RADIO: Impacts Rhythm radio on 2/27
PRESS: Pigeons & Planes (“Talent, character, and charisma are all essential elements that got Trinidad Cardona where he is today”), Yahoo Music (“He’s got star qualities and the music to match, and as millions are getting exposed to it, they’re all agreeing that it’s something worth sharing”), Complex (“Arizona teen Trinidad Cardona injects this Spanglish gold-digger tale with corridos vibes. If that doesn’t wake up sleepy, seated hips, we’re not sure what will”), ONS (“It’s clear that both his incredibly warm charisma and undeniable talent will carry him a long way”)
BOOKING: Matt Adler/Paradigm
MANAGEMENT: Torrence “T. Riff” Burnett/Perfect Artists