Notorio718 shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Notorio718, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
A lot of people misunderstand both reggaeton as a genre and what it actually takes to move as an independent artist in this space.
From the outside, reggaeton can look like it’s just party music, catchy hooks, and trends on social media. But for me, coming from the Bronx and now being based in Stockholm, it’s way deeper than that. Reggaeton is how I carry my culture, my story, and my experiences from New York to Europe and back to the Latin world. There’s a lot of intention behind every track, from the lyrics and melodies to the way I blend old-school Latin flavor with new-school sounds.
Another thing people don’t see is how much work happens behind the scenes. When you’re independent, you’re not just the artist with the deep voice on the record; you’re also the strategist, the project manager, sometimes the A&R, and the marketing team, too. Every release means coordinating with producers, vocalists, engineers, designers, and platforms, and making sure the sound is fresh but still true to who I am.
So what’s misunderstood is how serious and strategic this is. It’s not just “drop a song and hope it goes viral.” It’s a constant process of reinventing myself in the urban space, collaborating with different creatives around the world, and building a real connection with listeners who feel that mix of Bronx energy, Latin roots, and European perspective in what I do.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Notorio718, a reggaeton and urban Latino artist born in the Bronx, New York, and now based in Stockholm, Sweden. My whole brand is about bridging worlds: the raw energy of the Bronx, the soul and rhythm of Latin culture, and the global perspective I’ve gained living in Europe.
What makes what I do unique is the way I blend those influences. I work with a deep, versatile voice over infectious reggaeton and urbano rhythms, mixing old-school Latin flavor with modern production. I’m not just chasing whatever sound is trending; I’m constantly reinventing myself and pushing to create something that feels fresh but still connected to where I come from.
Over the years, I’ve collaborated with producers and artists across different countries, and that international connection really shapes my music. You can hear New York, the Caribbean, and Europe all living on the same track.
Right now, I’m focused on building a catalog that really represents who I am: songs that hit in the club, but also carry real stories, personal experiences, and pride in my culture. At the end of the day, the Notorio718 brand is about more than just songs; it’s about creating a sound and a feeling that people from different places can see themselves in.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One of the moments that really shaped how I see the world was leaving the Bronx and moving to Europe. Growing up in New York, especially as a Latino from the Bronx, you see life a certain way: the energy, the struggle, the culture, the sound of the streets. That was my whole universe for a long time.
When I moved to Stockholm, everything flipped. Suddenly, I was in a place where my language, my music, and my background weren’t the default. I had to learn how to move in a totally different environment, adapt, and still hold on to who I am. That experience showed me how big the world really is, but also how powerful culture and music are in connecting people who don’t share the same background.
It made me realize that my story isn’t limited to one neighborhood or one country. I could represent the Bronx, my Latin roots, and this European chapter all at the same time. That’s why my music sounds the way it does: it’s influenced by that journey and by the idea that you can belong to more than one place and still be true to yourself.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
There wasn’t one dramatic movie moment, but there was a clear shift for me when I stopped pretending everything was fine and started putting what I was really feeling into the music.
Growing up in the Bronx, you learn early to stay tough, not show too much, just keep it moving. Then moving to Stockholm put me in a completely different world. I had to adjust to a new country, a new culture, a new language, and at the same time carry where I come from. That mix of feeling far from home, missing my people, and trying to find my place again brought up a lot I used to just push down.
What changed was realizing that the same things that hurt me or made me feel out of place were actually the things that gave me a unique voice. Instead of hiding that pain, I started putting it into my lyrics, my delivery, and even the way I approach melodies and rhythms. The music became a way to turn all that into something powerful, something that could connect with people who have felt similar things in their own lives.
Once I did that, everything shifted. The songs felt more honest, the connection with listeners got deeper, and I felt more like myself. Using my story instead of running from it is what gave my sound its real identity.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to building a real legacy in urban Latino music, not just chasing a moment.
For me, it’s about more than dropping one big song and disappearing. I believe in creating a body of work that represents my journey from the Bronx to Stockholm, my Latin roots, and the different cultures I’ve moved through. That means taking my time to craft records that feel authentic, experimenting with sound, and staying true to who I am, even when trends change.
The project, in a larger sense, is showing that an independent artist from my background can build something global without losing identity. I want people to hear my music and feel that mix of raw Bronx energy, reggaeton and urban rhythms, and a more international perspective. That’s not something you build in a year; it’s something you build over time, track by track, collaboration by collaboration.
No matter how long it takes, I’m committed to growing my catalog, growing my listeners, and creating music that still means something years from now. That’s the mission behind everything I’m doing as Notorio718.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I was an artist who never ran from who he was, and used music to connect worlds that don’t always meet.
I want the story to be that a kid from the Bronx took everything he lived, the good, the pain, the culture, the grind, and turned it into music that felt real. That I carried my roots with me all the way to Europe, and instead of letting that distance water me down, I used it to create something different, something global but still true to where I come from.
I’d like people to say that I didn’t just follow trends, I built my own lane. That I was consistent, that I took risks, that I kept reinventing myself without losing my identity, and that I opened doors or inspired other artists who felt caught between places or cultures.
Most of all, I hope the story is that the music made people feel something. That’s when they hear the name Notorio718, they think about songs that helped them through something, made them proud of who they are, or just gave them a moment of pure energy and escape when they needed it. If that’s what people remember, then I did my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.notorio718.music
- Instagram: @notorio718
- Twitter: @notorio718
- Facebook: Notorio718
- Youtube: Notorio718
- Soundcloud: Notorio718
- Other: TikTok: Notorio718
Image Credits
All images by @misspixiestudios.
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