This year's Super Bowl shone a massive spotlight on Puerto Rican reggaeton and trap artist Bad Bunny, with a performance that illuminated the island's history and culture through its vibrant imagery. As a half-Puerto Rican woman, there is no doubt that I was in my house shaking my ass along with the other 173 million viewers of this historic performance. And yet, for those of us in the LGBTQ+ community, I was even more ecstatic to see the appearance of Young Miko on Benito's set.
Many outside the Latinx community may not yet be familiar with Miko, but I assure you, you will be soon, as her star continues to rise in the mainstream. This young woman has exploded onto the scene, bringing the intersectional tumbao (Puerto Rican slang for swag) along with her. Miko is a force like a hurricane, unapologetic and hard-hitting with tracks like Meiomi, but able to offer the calm reflection of a storm with soft songs like Sin Pausa as well. It's no wonder she just sold out two nights at El Coliseo in September.
Whichever way the winds blow, one of the amazing things about Miko is that she has not allowed anyone to remove the raw, unfiltered sexuality from her music. Her verses speak to her lesbian identity, openly addressing women as her lovers, and vividly depicting exactly what she'd like to be doing with them, either en el strip club bebe or at her girl's house for all the neighbors to hear. In a world that generally suppresses women's sexuality, and in which lesbian artists often need to avoid explicit sexuality in order not to rock the boat, Miko blows in as the powerful tormenta and is splintering the boat into pieces.
It's no wonder that Miko has garnered the attention of established Latin artists like Bad Bunny, with whom she collaborated in 2023, and even played Karol G's lover in Karol's music video "Contigo" in 2024. Miko also caught Billie Eilish's attention, opening for her at multiple tour stops in 2025. Eilish also sat for an interview with Miko in Mexico City on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, and the chemistry was fire. It was amazing to see something we so often do not get to in music. The interview was a conversation among two powerhouse queer artists who have become friends and fellow musicians, who have toured together, and are making music together. They sat there discussing life, music (including their shared love of the Beatles), personal evolution, and probably about 30 minutes of flirting, too.
In fact, the entire conversation is enough to make you blush. But this is the best thing about it: what's often hidden about lesbian lives in music, our chemistry with one another, is unabashedly displayed in this interview.
Most recently, Miko's album Att. was nominated for Best Música Urbana album at the 67th Grammy Awards in 2025, and she'll be touring across 3 countries this coming year. It will be incredible to see her bring the tumbao to 2026 and to illuminate further the intersectionality of Puerto Rican lesbian identity with relámpagos y trueno.
Lindsay Valentin is a mixed-race Puerto Rican/Italian writer, printmaker, and sound healing artist living in Los Angeles.
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