RMAND: From Writing Hits for Rauw Alejandro to Elevating Dominican Music to the Next Level
The emerging artist is ready to keep growing from his national scene
Reggaeton is experiencing a magnificent expansion all around the world, and with it, new talents are coming to the industry trying to be the next star to sweep charts worldwide. That’s the case of RMAND, the Dominican emerging artists that rose to fame after his highlighted appearance in Netflix’s reality singing show “La Firma”
RMAND comes from a family of artists. The 19-year-old songwriter was born in Manhattan, but later moved to the Dominican Republic with his family when he was a little kid. He started his path in music because RMAND’s grandfather used to play guitar and sing. In fact, it was him who taught this emerging artist his first steps. Even the drums he watched at church every Sunday with his grandmother played an important role. “I used to love watching the drummer at church and that’s where my love for music was born”, he declares in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
RMAND dropped some hot tracks before becoming well-known in the genre, like his TikTok viral hit “Diskreto”, his catchy “Odiarnos” or his debut EP, En Otro Mundo (2022).
But this year the American-Dominican took his first huge opportunity to make the world know what he’s made of. After some of his friends from NEON16 sent him the Netflix’s «La Firma» casting, he decided to try his luck with the audition. In order to be considered for it, he had to submit a video of him singing an original song, and a clip where he opened up a little more about his personality. “La Firma” featured 12 contestants from all around the world, competing for their chance for a record deal with label NEON16, founded by industry veteran Lex Borrero and the mastermind of reggaeton, Tainy. This prestigious company works with high-level profile figures in the genre like Yandel, Dylan Fuentes and Kris Floyd among others, and has produced Selena Gomez’s iconic first-ever all Spanish-language album «Revelacion»
During the reality show, RMAND soon stood out for its uplifting performances of vibrant songs like «Decir Adiós», «Tu Amor” or “La Misma Mujer”, showing a great talent as a singer, songwriter and performer. With a remarkable influence on the Puerto Rican reggaeton scene (his style is unique, but quite similar to Yandel’s or Ozuna‘s vibe), he ended in the coveted second position, coming out the show with a record deal with NEON16.
According to Borrero, the label’s chief, RMAND ended the singing contest in the path to a promising career in the urban genre. “He gained fans, but within the industry. Established artists and producers became fans of him, and he already has sessions with huge names. We’ll see what happens, but they’re all getting the opportunity to play the right way”, Borrero assured Daily Double.
Last July, RMAND released his latest EP, De Vuelta Al Mundo a launch of four R&B infused tracks, “En Otra Vida”, “Xplicit Content”, “Cosita Chula” and “Cuero”. Moreover, he ‘s even teaming up with the biggest names in the genre like Zion & Lennox and Rauw Alejandro. In fact, RMAND wrote two of the hit tracks of Rauw’s Playa Saturno, the emotional “Hoy Aquí”, and “Cuando Baje El Sol.”
Now the rising star is set to take his music to the top. His current goal is “to bring the Dominican Republic to the next level.” RMAND declared to Rolling Stone that the national musical paradigm has so much to offer to the international industry. “People only see us for dembow. I want people to know that we make a lot of different music and it deserves a chance too.”
We’re sure that RMAND will keep making headlines. Will we see Dominican music rising more and more in the charts thanks to his influence?