Young Miko is being hailed as the ultimate lesbian matchmaker, with her shows facilitating countless hookups and even leading to marriage. A lesbian couple from Mexico got engaged after meeting at one of her concerts, and she says, “Two girls met at a concert of mine, and now they’re married.”
Backstage at the Outernet, the 28-year-old rapper is preparing for her first London show, wearing a crisp grey tracksuit and sporting two star-shaped pimple patches on her cheek and chin. She’s currently in the midst of her Late Checkout tour, which kicked off in Denmark and will conclude in Brooklyn four months later.
The rapid pace of the tour reflects the past four years of her life, during which she’s grown a fandom of over 20 million monthly listeners. She’s released two albums and a deluxe, joined both Billie Eilish and Karol G on tour, and danced with Bad Bunny at his Super Bowl halftime show.
Her sound is a unique blend of rap, reggaetón, and Latin trap, with sexually explicit lyrics about other women. This has helped her attract a large following of lesbian fans, who appreciate her unapologetic approach to her music and her identity.
Young Miko finds comfort in her fans. She says proudly, referencing the sea of pride flags that can be seen at her concerts, “It’s such a colourful crowd. That’s so comforting for me.”
There are a lot of things going on in the world right now that are very difficult, but she enjoys having these moments at her shows where they can enjoy each other’s company and hug each other if they need it.
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Despite the comfort she finds in her fans, Young Miko still gets homesick. Born María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano Cardona in a small town on Puerto Rico’s west coast, she misses the simple things like waking up in her own bed and eating typical Puerto Rican food every day.
Her childhood wasn’t always easy, with her mother initially struggling to accept her queerness. However, her mother eventually came to accept her, thanks in part to the influence of Kany Garcia, a Puerto Rican musician who came out publicly in 2016.
Today, Garcia remains one of Young Miko’s greatest role models, along with athletes like Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe, and Lady Gaga, who has been a long-time ally to the queer community. Young Miko is aware that she’s now a role model herself, and takes the responsibility seriously.
She thinks about the young queer people that look up to her and tries to be careful with what she says, because she knows they take it to heart.
Until then, she’ll continue to tour the world, spreading her message of love and acceptance to her fans. With her tour schedule taking her to cities all around the world, Young Miko is grateful for the opportunity to perform for her fans and share her music with a wider audience, using her music as a way to connect with them.
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