Reyna (musical group)
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Reyna (stylized as REYNA) is a
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
-based pop duo.


History


Origin

Sisters Gabriela "Gab" and Victoriah "Vic" Banuelos grew up in El Paso, Texas. As children, they would sing at their grandmother's shows, as she was a singer in a mariachi band. They continued on to write and record their own songs for guitar and bass from a young age, with encouragement from their father. In 2008, the two recorded a full-length album in Spanish as Caramello after being picked up by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
. However, the label desired a different musical direction; the lack of artistic freedom led Gabriela and Victoriah to cancel the album release and continue as independent artists. After their single "So Long So Tired" was used in an episode of Skins in 2011, the two decided to take a musical career more seriously. Having moved to Milwaukee, they formed a band together as "Vic and Gab". The local music scene helped Vic and Gab get shows, including playing at an Obama rally in 2012. In 2013 they released a full-length album, ''Love of Mine''. They were discovered by a management team in 2014, which enabled them to work with more collaborators and gain the resources to move towards a "fuller" and more synth-pop sound. By the time Vic and Gab played their last show in October 2015, they were one of the most popular local bands in Milwaukee.


Reyna

Vic and Gab reformed as Reyna in 2016, choosing the name based on the Spanish word for "queen", which represents their Mexican American heritage and their identity as women. The decision to reform came after recording new music, as "it just sounded so different from Vic and Gab that
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thought it needed its own name and its own identity". Reyna properly formed with the release of first single, "Spill Your Colors", in 2016. The song was inspired by Vic's experience with coming out as gay. Reyna has since released several singles, and have stated they prefer focusing on producing songs as singles, as opposed to as albums. In 2018, Reyna entered and won the Americas chapter of Project: Aloft Star, in which artists compete to record a single at Capitol Studios. There were over 2,000 entries to the 2018 competition. Reyna released their debut EP, ''you could at least say goodbye'', in 2022. The EP, which is partially in Spanish, describes a romantic relationship that ends with one partner ghosting the other, inspired by one of Victoriah's recent relationships. Reyna has opened shows for Kesha, Chvrches,
Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...
, and Bleachers.


Artistry


Influences

Musically, Reyna is inspired by
Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...
, Rolling Stones,
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, and
Sylvan Esso Sylvan Esso is an American electronic pop duo from Durham, North Carolina, formed in 2013. The band consists of singer Amelia Meath (born July 2, 1988) and producer Nick Sanborn (born March 8, 1983). They made their debut with the single "Hey Ma ...
.
Tegan and Sara Tegan and Sara () are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumenta ...
, another band composed of two sisters, also inspired Reyna to believe in their project.


Style

Reyna's music has been described as "glossy ‘80s-inspired electro-pop" and "euphoric, note-perfect synth-pop" by critics. Reyna has described their own music as "fun, danceable and glittery."


Band members

* Gabriela "Gab" Banuelos – lead vocals, bass * Victoriah "Vic" Banuelos – vocals, guitar, keyboards


Current backing musicians

* Patrick Ridgen – drums


Previous backing musicians

* Jesus Nanez – drums


Discography


Extended plays


Singles


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyna All-female bands American musicians of Mexican descent LGBT-themed musical groups 21st-century American women singers Female musical duos Family musical groups Spanish-language singers of the United States 21st-century American singers